The beach at Saint-Jean-de-Luz is one of the safest and most sheltered on the entire Bay of Biscay, protected from the full force of Atlantic swells by two long stone jetties built in the 17th century. The result is a wide arc of pale sand with calmer water than almost any other beach on this coast — making it genuinely swimmable in summer, while beaches just around the headland at Biarritz can be rough.
The beach runs for about 900 metres and is backed by a broad promenade. It fills up in July and August — Saint-Jean-de-Luz is popular with French families and with Spaniards crossing the border for the day — but in June and September it is pleasantly uncrowded. The water temperature by July is around 20°C, which by Atlantic standards is practically tropical.