Sea Museum and Aquarium

The beautiful Art Deco building in front of you is the Biarritz Aquarium, formerly known as the Sea Museum. Its beautiful white façade conceals one of France’s largest aquariums dedicated to aquatic fauna. It was designed in the 1880! It was Marquis de Folin, a great lover of marine life, who persuaded the French authorities to embark on a major scientific research project in the Bay of Biscay and to establish an international study centre in Biarritz. However, it wasn’t until 1923 that the municipality planned on building an institute, followed by the opening of the new art deco building in 1933. The result was the Biarritz Aquarium, the first French establishment devoted to oceanography. The aquarium is highly reputed and will surprise you with its quality and variety. It focuses on the Bay of Biscay and does its utmost to explain the fascinating role of the ocean, which covers 72% of the earth’s surface.  If you decide to visit, you should know that in summer, the aquarium is open until 10pm. A unique way to end your evening! In 2008, the town also launched the Biarritz Océan project. As a result, the aquarium was enlarged and now offers a deeper course. In addition, you can now associate your visit with that of the City of the Ocean, located 3 km away and accessible by free shuttle bus.