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August trip to Basque country and Pyrenees

I will be visiting Basque country and the Pyrenees in August. The plan calls for 3 nights each in the following towns:

Barcelona - point of arrival and departure. After 3 days here I will pick up a rental car and drive to Bilbao.

Bilbao - first day will be mostly driving from Barcelona, followed by two chill days in Bilbao and visiting some nearby sites: Gaztelugatxe, Bermeo, Mundaka, LaGuardia.

Bayonne - visit SS on the way from Bilbao, then chill in Bayonne and/or SJ de Luz. Can also take a drive in French Basque countryside and visit nearby Basque villages.

Sallent de Gallego - Hiking in Ordesa y Perdido, Tena Valley, and the French side

Huesca - will likely have two full days here. One day for Huesca itself and another for optional day trips to nearby sites. Close enough for departure via Barcelona without excessive driving.

Posted by
699 posts

@wcbhkids, a few suggestions.

From Barcelona, take the train to Zaragoza. Zaragoza is nice and is worth a visit, but it maybe scorching in August.

You want to visit Laguardia, so you could stop there on your way to Bilbao.

See if you can fit Pau into your schedule. From Pau you can go to Huesca, but stop in Jaca. San Juan de la Peña is very interesting and just outside of Huesca is the Loarre Castle.

Leave the car in Zaragoza and take the train back to Zaragoza.

Posted by
914 posts

What dates are you coming? The Festivals of Bilbao take place this year from Aug 16 to Aug 24 and it´s a "can´t miss" here. Bayonne makes a great base for the French Basque Country, less touristy than St Jean de Luz. Take into account that it´s August and places will be crowded with locals on vacation. For Gaztelugatxe, if you want to climb the 241 steps, you need to make a prior booking. Mundaka is best in the mornings, in the afternoon (0330pm onwards) it´s practically residents parking only. Laguardia (not LaGuardia) is south, also very restricted parking in town, if you want to visit wineries make sure you book a visit in English.

Posted by
1432 posts

When in Billbao stop in at Kuki Cookie for a delicious cookie!

Posted by
62 posts

Thanks for the helpful tips. I will missing the festival in Bilbao by a day. I actually didn't know about the festival until more recently, and at the time of booking, was wondering why those days were a lot more expensive, so I switched my plan to be in Bilbao on different days. LOL. Anyway, I'm sure it will still be fun.

My reservation for Gaztelugatxe is 6 pm. Visit to the towns will be earlier, can probably do Mundaka in the morning.

Do locals come to Basque country for vacation in August? I'd think locals would prefer towns with beaches like SS, SJDL, Biarritz, and less so re Bilbao and Bayonne.

Posted by
914 posts

Weather here tends to be rainy, so going to the beach is not frequently an option (yes, it can rain any time of the year...in fact, it's raining right now and 72°F while it's scorching hot in the center and south of Spain). Do not expect Donostia-San Sebastián to be a beach-type resort, it's a beautiful city that happens to have three beaches, but no amenities or bars by the beach. Locals tend to visit coastal towns in the summer and these get crowded, but again, not just for the beach as it's not always a possibility.

Bilbao and Baiona -Bayonne have beaches nearby, but people visit these cities for different reasons: Bilbao is architecture, food, old town and museums; Bayonne is history and chocolate!