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La bougie, France

Stay in Saint-Jean-de-Luz: see the trip Its beds, the way there and every spot near it.

Also within 20 km of Saint-Jean-de-Luz

All 33 on Saint-Jean-de-Luz's map

Watch this spot We email you when La bougie is worth the trip.

Socoa-Ciboure, près de la plage
La bougie. Photo: Joan Cantegrel, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

About La bougie

Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated. Facts: verified, surf details estimated.

The spot faces N (12°), so it takes swell from the N. The wind blows offshore from the S (192°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits beginners and up. It works in 5–20 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves steeply: 10 m deep about 200 m out (1 in 18). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would break hollow. The sea is about 13°C in January, its coldest month (4/3 wetsuit and boots), and 23°C in August, its warmest (2 mm shorty). The town to stay in is Saint-Jean-de-Luz, 1.5 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 7 surf spots, 1 wind sports spot and 1 dive site.

Water about 19°C: 2 mm shorty. Typical sea temperature for the time of year, not a forecast.

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Book the trip

From Chicago: about 17 h 10 door to door, one way. An estimate; the journey never changes the score.

  1. Fly. Chicago O'Hare International Airport (ORD) to EAS, changing at Adolfo Suárez Madrid–Barajas Airport (MAD). About 7 flights a week that month.

    See flights ORD → EAS · Skyscanner from about £410 returnAd

  2. Getting there. 30 min from the airport to La bougie.

    Car hire · Discover CarsAd

  3. Accommodation.

    Stay in Saint-Jean-de-LuzAd

    Typical prices for a double room that month, not a quote.

    Room photos are examples, not these hotels (credits).

    See all places to stay on Booking.com →

    Closest towns to stay in

    Typical prices for a double room that month, not a quote. Drives are estimates.

  4. Hire and lessons.

    Surf lessons in Saint-Jean-de-Luz · GetYourGuideAdBoard and wetsuit hire in Saint-Jean-de-Luz · GetYourGuideAd

Everything else for the trip

Where it is

La bougie on Google Maps · Directions

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One finger scrolls the page; two fingers move the map. Pins are our own positions. Map OpenFreeMap, © OpenMapTiles, data © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Forecast

La bougie does not suit intermediates. This is the forecast for experts, so you can see what it does.

The score for experts, coloured as on the area pages:GoodFairPoorToo bigToo small

DayScoreExpertSwellEnergyWindTemp
Sun 18Oct143 ft9 shollow140kJ15°C
Mon 19Oct82 ft8 shollow38kJ11°C
Tue 20Oct233 ft12 shollow278kJ15°C
Wed 21Oct309 ft8 scrumbling956kJ15°C
Thu 22Oct658 ft9 scrumbling875kJ17°C
Fri 23Oct3312 ft11 scrumbling3,272kJ15°C
Sat 24Oct568 ft9 scrumbling958kJ16°C
Sun 25Oct578 ft9 scrumbling1,021kJ21°C
Mon 26Oct658 ft10 scrumbling1,267kJ17°C
Tue 27Oct587 ft9 scrumbling677kJ23°C

Day scores here are the conditions out of 80; a trip's score on the results is the same conditions out of 100. The journey never scores. The forecast reaches about 10 days. Energy is the swell's power in kJ per metre of wave, from its height and interval: it grows with the square of each, so a long-period swell hits far harder than a short one the same size. The word under the swell is the wave's shape, our estimate from the sea floor. Wind is in knots: 10 kn is about 19 km/h. The arrow points where the wind blows to; offshore wind, blowing from the land out to sea, is green and says so.

Your trip, day by day

6 nights from Mon 19 Oct, leaving from Chicago, for expert surfers. Change dates

  1. Mon 19 Oct
    Travel out

    Fly ORD to EAS, changing at MAD, then 30 min by road. About 17h 10 door to door

  2. Tue 20 Oct
    Rest day

    Too small: 4 ft at best.

  3. Wed 21 Oct
    Surf La bougie

    Best 17:00 to 20:00 local time: 9 ft at 8 s, wind 13 kn (24 km/h).

  4. Thu 22 Oct
    Surf Le Port

    Best 11:00 to 14:00 local time: 9 ft at 9 s, offshore wind.

  5. Fri 23 Oct
    Rest day

    Nothing worth paddling out for: the best window scores 34 of 80.

  6. Sat 24 Oct
    Surf Sainte Barbe Inside

    Best 17:00 to 20:00 local time: 7 ft at 9 s, wind 4 kn (8 km/h).

  7. Sun 25 Oct
    Travel home

    Fly ORD to EAS, changing at MAD, then 30 min by road. About 17h 10 door to door

The plan picks the best of 10 spots near Saint-Jean-de-Luz each day: Belharra, Cenitz, Erromardie, La bougie, Lafitenia, Le Port, les flots bleus, Plage de Mayarco, Sainte Barbe, Sainte Barbe Inside.

The trip from Saint-Jean-de-Luz, with every spot near it

Rough cost

About £1,040–£1,965 each for 6 nights, 2 people sharing a room. A guide from typical prices, not a quote: check the real prices before you book.

WhatHow we worked it outEach
Flightsreturn ORD to EAS, estimated from distance and season, changing at MAD, full-service airlines, with a hold bag£410–£855
To the UK airportparking or the train, there and back£35–£65
Taxiairport and back, shared£15–£30
Stay6 nights, a mid-range double, shared£255–£425
Food7 days eating out£240–£445
Board and wetsuit5 days, or about £85 to fly your own£85–£145
Total£1,040–£1,965

Prices from public sources, checked in 2026: where they come from. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra.

Places to eat near Saint-Jean-de-Luz

Within 2 km of the town centre, listed by how complete the listing is (website, opening hours, cuisine) and whether two sources name it. Not a judgement of the food: we have no reviews. Listings © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL) and Overture Maps Foundation. Credits

Book the trip

Getting thereAd

Flights · Skyscanner Car hire · Discover Cars

Where to stayAd

Places to stay · Booking.com

In the waterAd

Surf lessons · GetYourGuide Board and wetsuit hire · GetYourGuide

Links marked Ad may pay us a small commission if you book. You pay the same price, and it never changes a score.