We are taking both the Basque Country and Switzerland RS tours this September/October and have a 5 day break between the two. We are looking for hotels for the 5 night break on our own. We have discounted Switzerland as too expensive so would like recommendations $ or $$ in Basque Country France or Spain (we speak French so that would be easier) but Spanish would be ok. (Near a train station, air con, in suite bathroom, reasonably quiet or back room. No car)
Posted by
Pacific Northwest
965 posts
When I took the Rick Steves Basque Tour (2019) the final stop was Bilbao. At the tour's conclusion, I flew to Lisbon for 5 days and stayed in a rental apartment. I had a wonderful time in Portugal and I am pleased that I made that decision. This may not be a helpful for you but you may want to consider it. The Basque Tour is excellent. I know nothing of Switzerland although I have ridden the Matterhorn ride at Disneyland many times.
Posted by
7038 posts
I’d check the train schedules and see where in France you could break up the trip, perhaps Lyon?
Posted by
OP
93 posts
That would be helpful, We have taken the southern and eastern RS tours but never went to Lyon!
Posted by
Chicago
1471 posts
Do you have any thoughts about what you want to do with those 5 days?
Without a car, a lot of the charm of the Basque region is somewhat inaccessible
to you, unless you are good at figuring out bus or train schedules. And the tour
will have covered the larger city highlights.
Given that you'll be in moderate hotels on both tours, I might consider renting an
apartment vs another hotel. You can buy groceries and enjoy a leisurely
breakfast in your apartment, stretch out, do laundry, etc.
If you want to relax and kick back, Hondarrabia is a more laid back town than
San Sebastian, but plenty of pintxos still. If you are a wine lover, some time in
the Rioja region would be a highlight. And if you want another suggestion for
a midpoint stop between the tours, Milan.
Posted by
OP
93 posts
Thanks, we love Portugal, taken the RS tour there and hiked the Portuguese Camino but I think we will stick with the Basque Country until we go to Switzerland
Posted by
OP
93 posts
Hondarrabia, sounds interesting, do you have the name of the apartment you used?
Posted by
Chicago
1471 posts
It was an Airbnb, but through a rental company, Smiling Rentals.
Note that since the climate in the north of Spain is relatively temperate, A/C is not
as likely to be available as in the central/south of Spain, but you probably won't
need it either.
Posted by
Colorado Mountains, USA
9188 posts
In July 2024, we spent two nights in Bayonne, France. We could’ve easily spent a third night there, if not more, but were moving onwards to chase the Tour de France, and to hike in the Pyrenees. We didn’t have a car while staying in Bayonne, and it’s a walkable place.
We stayed at the Hotel Basse Pyrenees
https://www.hotel-bassespyrenees-bayonne.com/en?, which is in the oldest part of town. Outstanding breakfasts, and the rooms start at under €130/night.
Bayonne’s a big destination for chocolate, but its real culinary claim-to-fame is Jambon du Bayonne, a protected-designation ham, considered the prosciutto of France. Espelette peppers, piment d'Espelette, are another big product of the region, particularly spicy for a country that doesn’t favor spicy foods much, and you can find it added to chocolates and cheeses, in addition to dishes using it for its heat. We rented a car upon checking out and departing Bayonne, and visited the small nearby town of Espelette on our way farther east - worth going to it, if you can get there.
Bayonne definitely carries a Basque identity - the Musée Basque et de l'histoire de Bayonne museum was very worthwhile, and ice cream flavors are listed in French, Euskara (Basque), and sometimes English. It has a different feeling than Spanish Basque country, where we visited several years earlier.