Sea Museum and Aquarium

The Aquarium of Biarritz

The Aquarium of Biarritz, formerly the Museum of the Sea, is a fine Art Deco building that shelters one of the largest aquariums of France. The Biarritz audio-guided tour stops here to evoke this temple of aquatic fauna devoted to the Bay of Biscay, born from the passion of the marquis de Folin, the first French establishment to make the public discover oceanography.

The temple of the Bay of Biscay

This fine Art Deco building you have in front of you is the Aquarium of Biarritz, formerly called the Museum of the Sea. Its fine white façade hides one of the largest aquariums of France, devoted to the discovery of aquatic fauna. Its history begins in the 1880s: it is the marquis de Folin, great enthusiast of the seabed, who managed to persuade the authorities to launch into a great project of scientific research in the Bay of Biscay and to create in Biarritz a centre of study with an international reach. It was however necessary to wait until 1923 for the municipality to envisage building an institute, and 1933 for this new Art Deco building to open its doors. Thus was born the aquarium of Biarritz, the first French establishment to speak of oceanography to the general public. Very renowned, it surprises by its quality and its variety, and remains centred on the Bay of Biscay, whose fauna and ecological role it highlights. You discover there hundreds of species, shark tanks, a seal cave much appreciated by children, as well as a panoramic terrace offering a magnificent view over the Rock of the Virgin and the ocean. Mingling pedagogy, conservation and wonder, it raises the public's awareness of the richness and the fragility of the marine world. An Art Deco aquarium and a window over the ocean, the Aquarium of Biarritz is a fine stop of the discovery of the city.

What to see

Here you discover one of the largest aquariums of France, in a fine Art Deco building opened in 1933, formerly the Museum of the Sea; born from the passion of the marquis de Folin for the Bay of Biscay, the first French establishment of oceanography open to the public, it presents hundreds of species, sharks, a seal cave and a panoramic terrace over the Rock of the Virgin. The Aquarium is a high place of Biarritz. It is a fine stop, to be explored on foot.

Practical information

The Aquarium of Biarritz lies on the Atalaye plateau, facing the Rock of the Virgin, reachable on foot. The opening hours and the conditions of entry follow those of the establishment, which vary; access is paying. It is best to enquire before coming. You discover it during a walk by the sea.

What is the Aquarium of Biarritz?

Formerly the Museum of the Sea, it is one of the largest aquariums of France, installed in a fine Art Deco building opened in 1933; born from the passion of the marquis de Folin for the Bay of Biscay, it was the first French establishment to make the public discover oceanography, and it today presents hundreds of species, sharks, a seal cave and a terrace over the Rock of the Virgin.

Where is the Aquarium in Biarritz?

On the Atalaye plateau, facing the Rock of the Virgin, in Biarritz, in France.