We will be on "Basque Country of Spain & France in 9 Days" tour at end of Sept and would like to stay in Biarritz 2 days pre-tour. Would it be better to fly round trip to Bilbao and take a bus to to Biarritza or Fly to Paris and connect with Biarritz either by air or train?
The tour ends in Bilbao and it's easy to get a round trip flight there.
Thanks.
Lan
Flying RT to/from Bilbao doesn't make as much sense as doing a "multi-city" flight itinerary. We did this tour in May. We flew to Paris, where we stayed for 5 nights, then took the TGV to Bayonne (4 hours, direct) and were able to walk from the train station to the tour hotel (easy walk to Hotel Villa Koegui, if that's the same hotel). We liked not having to deal with the hassles that accompany air travel, especially for such a short distance. So much easier to get to Gare Montparnasse in Paris to take the TGV, and we didn't need to worry about our luggage not meeting up with us, which is always a risk on a flight.
Alternatively, you could either fly or train to Biarritz to spend time there before the tour. Biarritz is 1 or 2 more train stops after Bayonne. Or you could spend those pre-tour days at the same Bayonne tour hotel (which is what we did) and visit Biarritz on a day trip.
If staying in Paris is not of interest, you could just transit through CDG, then fly to Biarritz that same day (or stay at an airport hotel near CDG in the event that the Biarritz flight is early the next morning). There aren't many flights from Paris to Biarritz, which is why you might want to consider staying in Paris for a few days to get over jet lag and taking the TGV instead. I realize you might not be able to devote additional days to your trip, however.
Thank you so much. We would take your suggestion flying to Paris and take train to Bayonne. It makes sense to stay in the same hotel and do day trip to Biarritz. Did you enjoy the tour? Do you think it worth to stay another day in Bilbao?
We did the tour last May and enjoyed it tremendously. I’m not sure if you’ve done any other RS tours before but this one is much slower paced with start times of 0900 pretty much every day which is unheard of in the 2 other RS tours I’ve taken. I was actually going to recommend you spend an extra day or two in Bilbao. One to further explore the city and another to do a day trip. Take the time to go to the Hanging Bridge. Seems like no big deal but it is a UNESCO world heritage site and we were blown away when we went.
I would also recommend flying into Paris and fly out of Bilbao. Fly in a couple of days early and spend the time either in Paris or Bordeaux! There’s much more to do in Bordeaux over Biarritz or even Bayonne. It’s an easy 2 hour train ride from Paris and you can then also take the train to Bayonne from there. As far as Biarritz, it’s easy to take the bus there from Bayonne. We went there for dinner on the tour day allocated to Bayonne. In Bayonne, make sure to get the foamy hot chocolate at Cazenove. If you’re interested in a private guide for a day trip out of Bilbao, I can recommend one for you. PM me if you want any more info. Enjoy your trip!
Thank you Claudette for your suggestion. It is a great idea to stay a few days in Bordeaux instead of Paris. We will do that and take a day trip to Biarritz. You conviced me to stay another day in Bilbao, that bridge sounds really cool. Let me read a little more about the area and I amy PM you. Thanks again.
Lan
It's a great tour itinerary. Definitely add a few days to Bilbao before moving on. You may want some down time in Bilbao after the tour ends, do laundry, etc, and there is more to see.
You might find this recent forum thread of interest, to help you figure out how many additional days to spend in Bilbao after the tour. See especially Mikel's suggestions re: other Bilbao sites (he is a guide in the Basque Country):
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/spain/ideas-for-bilbao-and-san-sebastian
Buen Viaje/Buen Camino!
