Passage Monplaisir is not what it sounds like

Passage Monplaisir sounds like the kind of place where you’d expect champagne fountains and silk robes. Sadly, it’s just a street. A rather quiet one, tucked away in the seaside town of Biarritz. The name means “my pleasure” in French, which is either wildly optimistic or a clever bit of marketing from the 19th century.

No one’s entirely sure who named it, but let’s assume they had a sense of humour. Or a flair for irony. Because while the street itself is modest, the area around it is anything but.

Napoleon’s wife turned Biarritz into a hotspot

Back in the mid-1800s, Biarritz was a sleepy fishing village. Then Empress Eugénie, wife of Napoleon III, decided she liked the sea breeze. So naturally, her husband built her a summer palace. As you would do.

The imperial couple turned Biarritz into the place to be. Royals from Belgium, Portugal, Russia and even England followed suit. Suddenly, the town was crawling with tiaras and monocles. Passage Monplaisir found itself in the middle of a royal makeover.

The Hôtel du Palais was once a royal villa

Just a short stroll from Passage Monplaisir is the Hôtel du Palais. Originally built as Villa Eugénie, it was the Empress’s summer home. Today it’s a luxury hotel, but back then it was the epicentre of aristocratic lounging.

If walls could talk, they’d probably complain about the number of corsets and cigars. The place hosted everyone from Spanish grandees to English lords. It was like a royal Airbnb, but with better curtains.

Fashion icons came here for more than sun

Not all the famous visitors wore crowns. Coco Chanel, the queen of fashion herself, spent time in Biarritz. She wasn’t here for the whale oil or the sea salt. She came to open a boutique and mingle with the rich and stylish.

Cristóbal Balenciaga also made appearances. The Avenue de l’Impératrice nearby became a catwalk of sorts. Passage Monplaisir, meanwhile, quietly watched the parade go by, probably wondering why no one ever threw it a party.

Villa Belza adds drama to the coastline

A bit further out, perched dramatically on a cliff, is Villa Belza. It’s got the kind of gothic charm that makes you expect vampires or at least a scandalous love affair. Legends swirl around it like sea mist. It’s been everything from a private home to a cabaret.

It’s the kind of place that makes Passage Monplaisir look like the sensible cousin. But together, they tell the story of Biarritz’s transformation from fishing village to playground of the elite.