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Bordeaux...? enjoyable ? How about Bayonne ?

Fellow travelers:
Trying to decide a spot for a few days after 4 nights in Saint Jean de Luz. And any special places to stay around $80ish. Was maybe thinking of Bordeaux or Bayonne ?
Thanks, Susan

Posted by
8293 posts

Bidart is right on the shore and is just a few miles from Bayonne. The hotels there are MUCH cheaper than in Bayonne and the beach is marvellous. I don't remember the name of the hotel we used but a quick Google will bring up a lot of choices.

Posted by
740 posts

We took an easy train ride from St. Jean de Luz to Bordeaux and then over to the delightful village of St. Emilion for a couple of nights where we drank some of the best wine ever!

Posted by
46 posts

Thank you both for you replies. Spent a night in St Emillion several years ago, it was a charming village. But...Is Bordeaux enjoyable enough for a couple nights?
Will also check into the seaside town.
Susan

Posted by
97 posts

We spent a couple of nights in Bordeaux and enjoyed it. Enough to see for a full day touring the historic center.

Posted by
295 posts

Bayonne is a lovely town. I would say its worth 2 nights. Great market and they have an excellent Basque culture museum as well as an impressive church. Very walkable and I enjoyed the restaurants along the river. This town is also known for their chocolate. I stayed at the Best Western Le Grand. It was more money than 80 but you could double check. Otherwise, Rick list other places in his Basque book that are more affordable. One to try is Hotel des Arceaux. If you decide to stay in Bayonne one could easily visit Biarritz for the day. Or try San Sebastian. I haven't been to Bordeaux yet so I can't compare but I did like Bayonne and San Sebastian a lot but I prefer smaller size towns.

Posted by
46 posts

Thanks for the replys. We did Bayonne, stayed at a fabulous B&B, just outside for 3 days, and spent 2 days driving the Basque countryside villages, Espelletes has nice reasonable restaurants, countryside is breathtaking.

Posted by
524 posts

I was in and out of Bordeaux a few weeks ago. We arrived by train and then went to St. Emilion. We traveled back into Bordeaux to connect with a tour. I mention this only so that you know my impressions are limited. If you are coming and going with a car - Bordeaux is infuriating!! Traffic is a nightmare and you crawl through that town hitting a light every 5 feet that stays red for 20 min. Because of that, I have no desire to ever home base in Bordeaux. Even our tour guide states that Bordeaux is a victim to its popularity right now.

But that is not to say I didn't love being in the outer regions. I am just warning that it is bad bad traffic and lots of people. Loved St. Emilion to pieces and was very relaxed there. Loved our tour of Medoc, but I would caution anyone about staying put in Bordeaux.