Currency:French franc

Airport:Bordeaux

Season:Year round , but it is not too warm in winter.

The worst season for surfing is in summer, but there are other things to do .

Wave :0-3 meter mostly rights which break on a sandbottom

Wetsuit:Shorty in summer, 5/4 in winter

Localism:Average

Crowds:Only in July and august

Hossegor, Les Cavaliers

Lacanau Ocean:

Host of the annual ASP contest. It is a beachbreak, which can be good, depending on the shape of the sandbanks.You can park your car at the beach front,( but it's expensive).. There are several very good campsites but they are quit expensive know nothing about the nightlife 'cause the camping was too far away from 'centre ville'.Tip: Do not follow the signs which leads you to the Leclerc Supermarket, because it's 45 km. away!!!!!And don't drop in on local Gary Elkerton

Biscarosse Plage:

A nice litlle village, i've had some descent waves here, less crowded than Lacanau. Good carpark(free) and good showers at the beach. But a lot of police is in this village , so watch were you park your car. Camping is best at 'Les Vivier', not too expensive, and everything is very clean. I only went to a nightclub once here(L'Ocean) it was very expensive, but definetly worth it!

(From Biscarosse untill Mimizan is a military zone so acces is forbidden)

Mimizan Plage

Nice little village, I've surfed here with 3 meters and it was perfect. If there is a real terrible smell in the morning :GO surfing it's offshore. Very good carparks near the beach. There is a very nice camping 'Club Marina' but it's expensive. Best camping is municipal, but beware of the boss, he's got strict rules!. In the evening you should go to BAR LE SURF (say hello to Nathalie, Luc and Christoph, who is the best tuberider in Mimizan).

From Mimizan until Hossegor there are several good remote beaches which get good surf without the crowds , but access is difficult, buy a good map.

Vieux-Boucau

Same waves as in Hossegor, but less people in the water. Nothing to do in the evening, so bring Backgammon with you.

Hossegor/Seignosse/Capbreton

One of the best Beachbreaks in the world, especially La Graviere has very fast tubes. But at high tide the Shore break is a true board snapper!. The ASP contest is held at Les Estagnots. Lots of people in the water in summer, but a lot of people are wanna-be's (especially the hundreds of Germans) so they will not drop in, but be nice to the locals. Nightlife is excellent at the Rockfood, in September you can meet the pros there.. There are several campsites here , most of them are good and not too expensive, (but make sure that you are close to the Rockfood!!).

Anglet

(This is where the 'Pays Basque' begins, i found the people here less friendly than further north)

Anglet has some very good beaches for surfing, but not in summertime!!! This place is a real zoo! I've seen it with 25 cm of waves, with more than 150 people on a very small line-up, so expect your ride to be ruined by bodyboarders.Don't know if there is a campsite here.

Anglet

Biaritz

This is a very nice town to visit, expect to see some nice cars touring around here, because it is expensive. It is also very crowded in the summer, and the 'Grande Plage' is not that 'Grande' so it get's very crowded. On the beaches of ILbaritz are a lot of longboarders because the waves are normally not breaking that fast here. In the evening you can go to the casino if you have some spare cash. There are enough campings but i would reccomend a reservation in the summer.

Bidart

Good waves here, less crowded than Biaritz. It doesn't have a very nice beach, there are numerous camping here(say hello to the camping boss), but for the nightlife you need to go to Biaritz.

Guethary

Guethary has a very nice little harbour., and was home to the 1996 longboarding worldchampionships. The waves can be perfect here, because it can hold swels up to 4 meters. But it breaks over rocks so beware( check out the rocks at lowtide to know where they are). I haven't seen a very big beach here, but there are plenty of campings in this area.

Les Alcyons

Same as Guethary , but this one is a left, and i heard it is very powerful.

St Jean de Luz

I have never been there, i've heard that it can have some good waves, and that it is a nice place to visit.

Hendaye

Never been there, but i heard it needs a big swell to break. This is the last place before the spanish border. Don't buy your liquir or cigarretes here , buy them in Spain it is a lot cheaper there.

This was once a secret spot