My wife and I will be traveling from Barcelona to San Sebastian. We have 3 nights accommodations there, and now are trying to decide where to stay the following 4 nights before heading off to Paris. We would rather stay away from the big cities. Any suggestions for towns to stay in while in Basque region?
Or, is 7 days too long? Would it be better to stay 3 days in San Sebastian, then drive to the Loire valley before heading to Paris? Is that drive a good choice?
Stay in the Basque region all seven days. In Spain, look at Hondarribia, 20 minutes from San Sebastian or travel to the French Basque region. St-Jean de Luz is a beautiful ocean front resort town. Charming French Basque villages in the foothills of the Pyreenes such as Saré, Ascain, Ainhoa, Espellette would also be nice places to stay.
You might consider stopping off for two days in Bilbao, an interesting city for both its famous museums (yes, plural) and its industrial history. Then on to San Sebastian, an easy drive.
To me, most of the small villages and towns in the Basque region, up into southern France are worth from few hours to a day each. Hondarribia is worth the better part of a day as does Bayonne France.. Zumaia and Getaria (west of San Sebastián) combined are worth a day. Not certain if San Sebastián merits 3 days. If you’re driving, the Loire valley is very nice. In addition to the chateaus such as Chambord and Chenonceau, we enjoyed the towns of Rocamadour, Blois, and Chinon. We drove along the Loire river and stopped in some smaller towns such as Vouvray. Coming from St. Jean de Luz we drove the wine route in southwestern France, near Bordeaux, before heading back to Paris. What you do really depends on what you want to see. There are plenty of beaches along the Basque coast.
I haven’t experienced it since I pick up and drop off rental cars at the same place, but others have warned of large fees for dropping rentals off in another country, so you may want to look into that.
First I agree with Suki about visiting places like Saré, Ascain, Ainhoa, Espellette. I would suggest leaving San Sebastian and heading to the Baztan Valley. There are many Casa Rurales in the valley or you could stay in Elizondo. Then heading out into France you could see Saré, Ainhoa, etc. There are also some famous caves to visit at Zugarramurdi and Urdax near Saré.
After crossing the border in the French Basque country you could stay at Salies de Bearn or Navarrenx, both east of Bayona
Something like this maybe ...
Day
1. Arrive San Sebastián (4N)
2. San Sebastián
3. Day to Bilbao
4. Day to Hondarribia or Getaria
5. Travel to St Jean de Luz. Pick up a car. Drive to Biarritz (3N)
6. Day to French Basque villages (St Jean Pied de Port)
7. Day to Bayonne. Return car
8. TGV to Paris
