Best location for 2-3 days between Barcelona and San Sebastian?

Posted by austincoys (Spokane) on 07/05/25 02:32 PM

My wife and I will be visiting Spain next month (August). We are flying into Barcelona, and out of Bilbao. This is how we currently have our time planned:

5 nights Barcelona
2 nights (undecided)
3 nights San Sebastian
2 nights Bilbao

I'm having trouble deciding how to allocate the 2 days in the middle of our itinerary. There's so many possibilities. Zaragoza or Pamplona (which are right on the train route)? Stopping off in Logrono or Burgos for a day of wine tasting? Flying up to Bordeaux (which appears to be a reasonable train ride from San Sebastian, also for wine tasting)? Flying to San Sebastian and taking the train up to Biarritz or Saint Jean-de-luz to experience some French Basque culture? Ahhh! I'm overwhelmed.

What would you recommend?

Posted by Kenko

Citizen of the World

07/05/25 03:37 PM

3164 posts

Zaragoza. It’s right on the way and you’ll be seeing it before the rest of the world does.

Posted by Buffalo

Ohio

07/05/25 06:16 PM

139 posts

Zaragoza!!

Posted by dlindstrom

la rioja

07/05/25 09:09 PM

693 posts

Two days is good for visiting Zaragoza. Pamplona is skippable.

Posted by mml

07/06/25 02:36 AM

568 posts

Agree with Zaragoaza…or, alternately, Zaragoza plus Laguardia.

Enjoy!

Posted by ekscrunchy

new york

07/06/25 05:05 PM

586 posts

Leave the St. Jean de Luz idea for a trip when you have time for Bayonne and the inland villages of the Pays Basque..Sare, St Jean Pied de Port, etc. Bayonne is more interesting than Biarritz, for me.

If this were my trip, I'd extend the stay in the Basque region by adding one of the towns along the coast between San Sebastián and Bilbao.

Reachable by bus would be, for example Getaria:

Lovely to wander around the picturesque Port, sample the grilled turbot and other fish from one of the many great restaurants in town (Elkano is the most famous but there are others that are excellent, less expensive, and easier to book) visit wineries (or stay in a txakoli winery that offers rooms) and tour the excellent Balenciaga Museum.

https://www.getariakotxakolina.eus/sleep-among-vineyards-txakoli-wineries-with-hotel-2/?lang=en

From Getaria you could go on to Bilbao.