Basque Country Tour May 18-26

Hi - We went a couple of years ago. Great tour! Don't forget your layers, rain coat, and gloves! We loved it, but we were prepared for the cool, rainy weather. Of course, you are from Seattle, so you should be all set :)

Hi,
Thanks for the encouragement - I appreciate hearing from you...actually, given the weather & the challenges of getting there (traveling solo,) I'm re-thinking doing that trip, looking for other options. My friends who have been to Spain many times, think the 14 Day tour itinerary sounds amazing - I wish they had a tour that combined Basque Country with Barcelona...any way, I'm very up-in-the-air at this point.

Sending you more encouragement! I’m signed up as a solo on the Basque tour in June — would have chosen May but couldn’t because of work reasons.

Edit: I think the Basque tour in particular sounds interesting because it’s so focused on one particular culture and it covers a small geographic area so there isn’t that much bus time. There are no 1-night hotel stops (all are 2-nights) and the food of the region is supposed to be amazing. Going in May you’ll be there before the tourist hordes descend.

I am flying into Biarritz and out of Bilbao (I’m short on time) but if I’d had more flexibility I’d have added in a few days in Paris, Madrid or London before or after.

I hope you arrive at a decision that works for you.

You could do the Basque Country Tour and add on time in Barcelona either before or after. Barcelona has tons to see, and it's not at all difficult for an individual traveler to get around there.

As you've probably guessed, I'm a very green overseas Traveler - when the "Accidental Southerner" says he/she is flying into Biarritz and out of Bilbao...I expect that means then connecting to another flight to get back home, which I find rather intimidating...would be nice if it was a short hour or two train ride to & from the airport to the Basque country!

I believe the Biarritz airport (small) is a very short bus ride from Bayonne. There's rail service from the large city of Bordeaux to Bayonne, and if you stuck to a regional train (TER), there wouldn't be a financial penalty for waiting to buy the train ticket until you arrived in Bordeaux. You'd just need to get from the Bordeaux airport (a rather large one) to the Bordeaux train station. I don't know the details on doing that by bus.

Flying into San Sebastian, Spain, would probably be a bit more complex.

Yes, the Basque country airports (San Sebastian, Bilbao, Biarritz, Pamplona) are all relatively small, with no nonstop flights from the US. And yes, Biarritz airport is also close to Bayonne, where the tour starts (a taxi from the airport to Bayonne was less than €25). But, the Basque country is pretty far from any airports with nonstop flights to the US (Barcelona, Madrid, Paris). If you want to go a day early, you could certainly get a nonstop to one of these big cities, then get a train to Bayonne for the start of your tour. However, I see that only Paris has a nonstop from Seattle, so you'll have to change planes somewhere to get to Spain. As long as you're changing anyway, you can fly right where you want to be, which is easier (although it may - or may not - cost more).

Is your issue with changing planes that you've never done it, even in the US? Or have you changed planes on domestic flights within the US, but not in Europe? If you can say which, I can give you better advice. It's not hard, and just remember, the airlines and airports don't want you getting lost or confused either (it's just more work for them), so if you just follow signs for "Connecting Flights," you usually can't go wrong. The exact procedure depends on where you are coming from, where you are changing, and where you are going to. Airline websites often has a connection guide outlining the steps, or posters here can tell you, once we know the particulars of your trip.

If you want to know which airlines fly where from an airport, just look at that airport's Wikipedia page. Here's the one for Seattle: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seattle%E2%80%93Tacoma_International_Airport#Passenger

I took this tour last year and it is an excellent tour. I flew into Paris, spent a couple of nights there and then took the train to Bayonne. If you can spare a couple of days, you might consider this. There weren't a lot of flight options into Biarritz. Flying into Paris and out of Bilbao gave me more options.

Hi again
It's a great tour (but I think all of RS tours are wonderful...so you can't go wrong, if you were to pick another one).

That being said, the logistics just SEEM a little difficult. We ended up taking the TGV out of Paris to Bayonne. And then walked to our hotel. At the end, we rented a car and drove to Barcelona from Bilbao. Your RS guide can help with any post tour questions you might have, too.

Terrific Tour! Certainly off the beaten path for Americans.

I flew into Paris......took a short flight to Bordeaux.....had to take an "airport" bus across Bordeaux to get to the train station. I then took a train into Bayonne. All went well.......but, yes, I had a LOT of anxiety about all of the transportation changes. I do like to keep things simple getting to my first hotel after a long flight across "the pond". Felt like I earned my Transportation Merit Badge before the tour ever started....ha!

Took a flight out of Bilbao to connect back to the USA. #tooeasy

Went to Biarritz a couple of times to watch the surfers and check out the casino.