My husband and I fell in love with Spain during our trip last year. We are tentatively planning our first trip to France for this August. I am considering tacking on a week in Spain after France (which would be the first week in September). We didn't make it to the Basque region during our previous trip, so thinking of targeting that area. Would Bilbao be a good home base? Besides the Guggenheim, any suggestions for how to fill a week? (We aren't interested in crossing back over to France.) We are open to renting a car.
Posted by
Bilbao
637 posts
I was born in Bilbao and live on the coast nearby. Bilbao has excellent connections with the rest of the Basque Country using public transport, but renting a car is a very good option. Bilbao itself deserves at least two full days, and on the rest of the days you can visit Donostia-San Sebastian (bus is the best option), for a full day excursion. Also, on an easy subway ride (clean, safe, efficient, cheap) you can also visit Getxo and the Puente Bizkaia and fishing port of Algorta, Plentzia. Further east, San Juan de Gaztelugatxe, Bermeo, Mundaka, Gernika and one of the oldest parliaments in the world and so symbolic for us Basques (you may need a car for this trip). And south, Rioja Alavesa wine region, so different from the rest of the BAsque Country, very medieval and with walled towns such as Laguardia, Labastida, Elciego...Bus is a possibility, but I´d drive there for a better profitability of your time. Vitoria-GAsteiz, the capital, is also a good visit.
Posted by
Washington DC
27047 posts
Basque Country weather is unpredictable. Some degree of rain is rather frequent, and I don't know that long-term forecasts are very reliable. I'd think about the possible excursions from the standpoint of which ones would really, really benefit from decent weather, and I'd seize the opportunity to go to those places as soon as good-weather days cropped up. For example, Bermeo seemed a cute little place, but I went on a really rainy day, and it was not a good decision on my part. In addition to Bilbao, San Sebastian and Vitoria-Gasteiz have notable indoor sightseeing.
The bus is much, much faster than the train between Bilbao and San Sebastian, but the train ride is quite scenic, so if you happen to be heading back late in the afternoon with no real plans in Bilbao before dinner time, you might consider returning by train, assuming you don't object to a subway-like environment.
One other thing: As of 2016 the public-transit card (I think I had money stored on it rather than trips) also worked in Vitoria-Gasteiz. That was a nice surprise, because there's a fee for the card.
Posted by
OP
109 posts
Thanks to you both for the feedback. I feel like I have the info I need to move forward!
Posted by
Eastern Iowa, USA
7508 posts
Based on my experience, in early September of 2022, splitting your time between Bilbao and Donostia-San Sebastian would make more sense. Bilbao is nice for a few days, San Sebastian deserves more than a day trip, if only for the food.
Be prepared though, San Sebastian has a high demand for hotel rooms, and cost reflects that for what you get. Not terrible, but more than the rest of Spain, similar or more than Madrid or Barcelona. It was one of the few places we chose to book well ahead.
From either city you can find smaller towns on the coast or in the hills. I agree that buses work better than the train, renting a car, if only for a day or two would also be a good option to get out of the cities.