Urban beaches

This part of the world (the Basque seaside in both France and Spain) seems to specialise in spectacular urban beaches that attract huge numbers of people in August. Here are photos of three that we have visited.

Biarritz

Everyone loves a wave

St Jean-de-Luz

The church – with layers of balconies in Basque style, which is where the men sit – has a model of a ship hanging from the ceiling for some reason.

San Sebastián – early in the day the enormous curve of La Concha beach looks like it could absorb anyone who wanted to be there.

Later in the day it does manage to cope with vast crowds. When I swam here at peak time in the afternoon the noise out on the water from the crowd on the beach was phenomenal. Lovely swim, even so.

And at sunset (9pm approx. here) some people are still in beach mode.