Tourism: the Basque Coast's wake-up call
9 June 2016
Known for years by many as Sleeping Beauty, Biarritz once had a reputation of being a seaside resort like many others, somewhat lacking in peps and rather senior-citizen.
This is however no longer the case, for over the past decades the “city of sovereigns” dear to Empress Eugenie, King Edward VII and the Duke of Windsor, as well as Russian aristocrats and artists such as Chekhov and Stravinsky, has undergone a radical facelift, and today rivals the Cote d’Azur as a holiday destination. So much so that the magazine ELLE even headlined "Biarritz, the new California?", comparing the historic Basque Coast beach to Malibu.
Young professionals have settled down in the resort’s most trendy neighborhoods, working online and only taking the train to Paris when there is no other choice. Bars and restaurants are packed all year round, the old Midi railway station which 20 years ago was disused is today the teeming Palais des Festivals, an extensive exhibition centre at the Halle d'Iraty hosts a multitude of events and the media library plays host to writers and artists from across the globe.
-
Source: http://www.capital.fr/economie-politique/tourisme-le-reveil-de-la-cote-basque-1136376