The covered Market

The Halles, in Biarritz

The Halles of Biarritz are the gastronomic heart of the city, a covered market of bricks and glass roofs where all the Basque specialities gather. The Biarritz audio-guided tour stops here to evoke this fine building of 1885, born from the rise of the seaside resort and financed in part by Napoleon III, an essential stop for lovers of Basque flavours.

The covered market of Basque flavours

Notice to lovers of Basque flavours: one hundred and fifty metres from here, in the avenue Victor-Hugo that opens on your left, are the Halles of Biarritz. No visit of a city of France is really complete without a stop in its gastronomic lair, and Biarritz had the good idea to gather its specialities under the walls of its fine old Halles. In 1885, with the rise that the city knew, one could decently no longer let the markets be held in the streets, at the mercy of the dust and the weather. The municipality thus decided to endow itself with fine covered halls, like those built in the great cities of Europe. The land of the Jeu de paume, then little used, was recovered, and the architect Alexandre Ozanne drew a great hall of bricks surrounded by glass roofs, to let the light enter generously. Napoleon III, very attached to this city that was dear to him and that he helped to transform into a fashionable resort, even participated personally in its financing. Today, the Halles remain an essential stop for the epicureans: you taste there Bayonne ham, sheep's cheese, Espelette pepper, Basque cake, fresh fish and seafood products, in a warm and colourful atmosphere. A covered market and a gourmet temple, the Halles are a fine stop of the discovery of Biarritz.

What to see

Here you discover the gastronomic heart of Biarritz, a fine covered market of bricks and glass roofs inaugurated in 1885, born from the rise of the seaside resort and financed in part by Napoleon III, on the land of the former Jeu de paume; you taste there Bayonne ham, sheep's cheese, Espelette pepper, Basque cake and seafood products. The Halles are a gourmet temple of Biarritz. It is a fine stop, to be explored on foot.

Practical information

The Halles of Biarritz lie on avenue Victor-Hugo, in the heart of the city, reachable on foot. It is a covered market whose stalls follow their own hours, generally in the morning and in the early afternoon; the surroundings also come alive with bars and restaurants. It is best to come in the morning to enjoy the fresh products and the atmosphere.

When were the Halles of Biarritz built?

In 1885, during the rise of the seaside resort, to shelter the markets until then held in the streets; the architect Alexandre Ozanne drew a great hall of bricks surrounded by glass roofs on the land of the former Jeu de paume, and Napoleon III, attached to the city, participated personally in its financing. You taste there today all the Basque specialities.

Where are the Halles in Biarritz?

On avenue Victor-Hugo, in the heart of Biarritz, in France.