Can you get married on the beach in Biarritz?

Not legally. A French civil marriage takes place at the mairie or another building owned by the commune, so the legal part of a Biarritz wedding happens indoors, and a symbolic ceremony on the beach is possible only with the town’s permission for anything you set up on public sand.

That second part is what most couples mean when they ask. They want vows with the Atlantic behind them. This guide covers the rule, the beaches, the tide and the venues that make it work.

The legal part stays indoors

French law requires the civil marriage to be solemn, public and republican, performed by an officer of the civil registry. Since the law of 18 November 2016 on modernising justice, a mayor may hold weddings in a communal building other than the town hall. The implementing decree, n° 2017-270 of 1 March 2017, requires the mayor to inform the public prosecutor first, who has two months to object.

The text speaks of a building. A beach is public land. The civil act cannot move onto the sand.

For most visiting couples this changes nothing. They marry legally at home and hold the ceremony here. The residence rules that make a French legal marriage hard for visitors are set out in marrying on both sides of the border. The Spanish side is in can foreigners legally marry in Spain.

A symbolic ceremony on public sand

Anyone may stand on a Biarritz beach. Installing anything is a different matter. Chairs, an arch, a rug, a sound system: each is a temporary occupation of the public domain, and the commune decides who gets it.

Biarritz manages its beaches through written temporary occupation agreements. One example is public. In 2024 the town called for applications for a vintage photo stand of 5 square metres on the Grande Plage and the Côte des Basques, for July and August afternoons, with a fee set per square metre. A wedding set-up is a one-off event, and the same logic applies: written permission, a defined area, conditions.

ABC Salles, a French venue directory, describes the authorisation as the document that fixes the exact area you may use. It also notes that permits usually carry noise limits and an end time. Expect the mairie to ask about access for emergency services, guest numbers and timing.

What that means in practice:

• Standing, unstaged, under 20 people. Vows at the water’s edge with no furniture. Still ask the mairie. You have the strongest case.
• Chairs and an arch for 40. Apply to the mairie well ahead. Expect a written agreement and a fee.
• Seated, amplified, 100 guests. On a public beach in season, this is unlikely to be granted. Move the ceremony to a terrace above the sand.

The beaches, one by one

Biarritz’s tourist office lists six town beaches: Miramar, the Grande Plage, Port Vieux, the Côte des Basques, Marbella and Milady. Each behaves differently.

Port Vieux. A small cove between cliffs, protected from the waves. It is the calmest water in town and the most intimate setting. It is also small, and in summer it fills with families.

Grande Plage and Miramar. The postcard. The Grande Plage runs below the Casino and the Hôtel du Palais. Miramar continues north toward the lighthouse. Both are wide, and both are busy from June. The tourist office lists Miramar’s lifeguard post from April to October, with the longest hours, 10:30 to 19:30, in July and August.

Côte des Basques. The surf beach, where surfing arrived in Europe in 1957. The tourist office states plainly that the beach is completely covered at high tide, and that swimming is banned at high tide when the tidal coefficient is above 45. A ceremony here is timed by the tide table.

Marbella and Milady. Further south, toward Bidart, below the cliffs and away from the town centre. The tourist office pictures Marbella as “sunny and deserted”. Both are a drive or a shuttle from central hotels.

Time, tide and weather

The sand is busiest when lifeguards are on duty. In July and August that is 10:30 to 19:30 at the main beaches. The two windows that work are early morning, before the beaches fill, and the hour before sunset. The latest sunset of the year in Biarritz is about 21:51, in late June.

Check three things before you fix the time:

• The tide. A ceremony at low tide on a wide beach and one at high tide on a narrow strip are different events. Tide tables for Biarritz are published a year ahead.
• The wind. An onshore breeze carries vows away. A celebrant with a small, battery-powered speaker solves it, if the permit allows sound.
• The month. June and September give long light and fewer people. The month-by-month trade-off is in best months for a Basque coast wedding.

Tell guests to bring flat shoes or go barefoot. Heels and sand do not mix, and the Côte des Basques is reached by stairs from the top of the cliff.

Beach venues and terraces

Most couples who want the ocean in the ceremony get it from a terrace, then walk down to the sand for portraits. The seafront hotels and the Casino on the Grande Plage are in wedding venues in Biarritz.

Two options sit on the sand itself:

Blue Cargo, Ilbarritz, Bidart

On Ilbarritz beach, just south of the Biarritz boundary. Its wedding listing on Bridebook says the restaurant can be fully privatised, with sheltered and heated terraces and beach access for a ceremony. Capacity and prices are on request. Ask the venue, in writing, what its permission on the sand covers.

La Petite Plage, Port Vieux

A restaurant on the Port Vieux beach, with a terrace on the sand. Its events listing on Privateaser gives room for up to 50 guests, and states that it cannot be fully privatised. It suits a post-ceremony lunch for a small group, rather than the ceremony itself.

How to decide

Start with the guest count. Under 20, a quiet ceremony on public sand, with the mairie’s agreement, is realistic. From 20 to 80, a beach venue or a terrace with steps to the sand is the reliable route. Above 80, hold the ceremony on a terrace or a lawn and keep the beach for photographs.

The budget for each scale is in what a Basque coast wedding costs.

When you write to us, say the month, the guest count and whether your feet need to be in the sand or the view is enough.

Sources

• Biarritz, beach list and tide notes.
• ABC Salles, occupation authorisation.
• Bridebook, Ilbarritz listing.