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2 weeks in Northern Spain

Posted by (North Carolina) on

I am looking into planning a 2 week European vacation for summer of 2025. We are considering this area because we have always wanted to go to Spain, but also trying to avoid the crazy heat of the summer and something a little lower on the temperature scale and a place where we are comfortable being outisde all day, and not running from shade to AC, etc.

It will be my wife and myself, plus our then 6 year old daughter. I am looking at Northern Spain/Basque country. We are looking to stay in 3 areas max for 4-5 days each (not even against just two cities if it makes sense from a day trip perspective) as I hate to waste time traveling between bases. We don't get bored easily and tend to be "slow travelers" and not be one to run from place to place just to say we saw it.

We love just relaxing, eating some good food, and absorbing the culture. Looking for a balance of neat old world style towns, with some pretty nature/surroundings. We are up for either renting a car for part/all of the trip, or even better if convenient train service between towns.

We love strolling and seeing old architecture and churches and just a sort of mini-immersion - any thoughts as to good bases where we can see the best of the area and limit hours in a car every day?

Ideally we can get there via two plane flights then a reasonable train/drive if we rent a car (we can flight direct to CDG from RDU - so a place that has a flight from Paris or has direct flights to major cities on the East Coast of the US (and I can fly from my home RDU to there to Spain).

Up for any and all advice?

Posted by
258 posts

The Rick Steves Basque Country tour does 2 days in Bayonne, 2 in Pamplona, 2 in San Sebastien and 2 in Bilbao. If you want to cut that into three stops (or even two) and stay longer with day trips, I'm sure you'll have lovely time and can find a good way to make that happen. I'd suggest you read the daily tour description and see what resonates with you. Also on this forum there is a poster named MikeBasqueguide-- if you are lucky, he'll show on this thread. He has great pointers!

Have a great trip!

Posted by
7019 posts

With 2 weeks, you can venture further west than the Basque Country.
I would allocate 1 week max to the Basque Country, and it is doable from a single base (somewhere between Ondarroa to the east and Bermeo to the west). Crossing the border into the France side of the basque country is not wholly necessary IMO.

Then you could spend the second week further west. I would aim for a base near the Asturias/Cantabria border. Ribadesella (avoiding the canoe festival), Llanes, S. Vicente de la Barquera or Comillas would all work if you like to stay on the coast the whole time.
You could also split between ~3 days in the mountains near Potes, and ~4 days on the coast a bit further west towards Ribadesella or Llastres.

Bilbao airport is the best-connected point of entry, with flights to Paris on Air France that should combine well with the Delta RDU-Paris flights.

Distances aren't long and the roads, while twisty, are good, so day trips are not too taxing.

Posted by
3203 posts

What a great area to visit! You might want to spend a few nights in San Sebastián from which you could make day trips to Bayonne and Bilbao. Easy using public transport. My choice would be to rent a car leaving San Seb and slowly driving across the north coast to spend a few days at the Parador de Fuente Dé in the
Picos de Europa. Spectacular scenery, gondola to the mountain top, good museum/interpretation center on route N-621. After leaving the national park, I’d continue heading west to Santiago de Compostela.

Posted by
7856 posts

We loved the Basque region in Spain and the small part of France.
Biarritz is a wonderful city in Basque France, not far from Spanish border.

San Sebastian and Bilbao deserve 5 days total. Santiago de Compostela was nice and you need a full day to do it right.

Pintoxs is the Basque name for tapas and they are great.

Posted by
682 posts

Two weeks allow a lot of sightseeing in the Basque Country and neighboring areas. Bilbao would be the best connected airport in northern Spain, so I´d use it as the main entry. Summer is always busy, so plan well ahead of time. Near Bilbao, Getxo, Plentzia or Gorliz would be my favorites to stay, moreover with a 6 year-old. Easy access to Bilbao on public transport (bus, metro...safe, clean, cheap). You may also consider to stay in Lekeitio, Getaria, Hondarribia...with easy access to Donostia-San Sebastian (the last two). South, the province of Araba is a hidden jewel, with places such as the Salt Valley (7000 year old salt pools, still in use) of Añana, the medieval region of Rioja Alavesa (Laguardia, Labastida, Elciego...). And if you want to see real and spectacular cave art, you may consider staying in Santander, in the region of Cantabria, with several beautiful caves such as El Castillo or Las Monedas, among many others.

Locals tend to prefer bus over train (US visitors seem to have this wrong idea about buses in Spain...but it´s an excellent means of transport), but both are great. Renting a car is a very good idea, roads are excellent and well signed.

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