Getting from San Sebastion to Tours Loire Valley

Was this question a little too difficult? No responses as yet......

Hi!
Sometimes it gets a bit more than 2 hours to get an answer: these boards are active, but not as active as some others.
If you drop off the car at San Sebastián Airport, take a cab to Hendaye across the border (I'd be very surprised if it costs more than 30€), then train from there to Saint-Pierre des Corps, possibly with a connection in Bordeaux.

If you drop it off downtown, take Euskotren to Hendaye, then as above.

This is from my wife who clearly is having problems and asked me to post this too.....

We are driving across the top of Spain and will drop the car in San Sebastian around 25th September. Then we want to get to Tours (or more specifically St Pierre des Corps) before picking up another car there on 27th September.

I have worked out some possibilities and hope someone can have a look and advise me.

If we leave for France on 25th Sept, then we’ll need to drop the car in San Sebastián that morning get the 14.45 bus to get to Hendaye at 15.50

Then the next train to Tours we can get is at 16.54 arriving at 21.48 and costs $248 (for two of us)

I'd actually rather leave on 26th and spend one night in San Sebastian (not essential though) and it seems best then to leave San Sebastian at 10.00 (get to Hendaye at 10.30) Then we'd have to wait ages until 15.07 for the train to Tours via Bordeaux and arrive there at 20.43 and the train part would cost $201.61. And what would we do in Hendaye for over 4 hours?

Or I looked at getting a bus from San Sebastián to Bordeaux on 26th Sept at 9.30 to 13.25 (3.55hrs) then the train from Bordeaux to St Pierre des Corps goes over 3 hours later at 16.58 to 18.50 and that would cost $139.36

I suspect I should decide quickly and get our bookings sorted but I just don't know what would be best. I hope someone has some advice.

any help would be much appreciated...

If you want to spend the night in San Sebastián, it is best to drop the car when you arrive.
The next day, as I mentioned above, the best way from downtown San Sebastián to Hendaye is not the bus, but the train, Euskotren mentioned above, which leaves every 30 minutes throughout the day from Amara station and takes 37 minutes to Hendaye (Hendaia). Therefore you can pick whatever Euskotren train that matches your departure out of Hendaye. No reservations needed or even possible, it's like a commuter train.
For example, there is a 10.09 departure out of Hendaye on 26th September that would get you to Tours-St Pierre des Corps in 4hr41mins, with a 15-minute connection in Bordeaux. The 09.15 Euskotren out of Amara would allow you to catch it, but the 8:45 would be safer.

If you don't really want that night in San Sebastián, you should drop off at the airport instead, a quick taxi ride over to Hendaye. Also, you could spend the night in Hondarribia instead of San Sebastián. Hondarribia is a really lovely town, and again, Hendaye will be easy to reach by taxi.

Great advice balso , much appreciated. We have heard the taxi to Hendaye from SS is more than Eu40 these days and that local train Eueskotren should be perfect for this. Will check out the area across the border with the thought of staying at Hendaye or Hondaribbea and then a train on Bordeaux way . Found it very hard to get info on this area but now there is light at the end of the (train) tunnel. Will let you know what we decide....

You're welcome.
Yes, a taxi from San Sebastián TOWN to Hendaye station would be expensive, but not from the airport, it's only 3 or 4 miles.

Hendaye is entirely uninteresting and the town is not close to the station. Only Hondarribia is worth visiting in that area. Hondarribia is still in Spain.