Days in Basque country/San Sebastian

It depends on what you want to see and how far west and south you want to go. If you intend on going as far inland as Pamplona and Logroño you could easily fill 2-3 weeks, especially if you have a rental car. There are a lot of small towns and sites worth visiting that most tourists never get to.

Just spent a week in Basque Country last month with a rental car and could easily have stayed another week (or two). The Basque people are such great hosts- it makes everywhere you go enjoyable.

Biarritz has the attraction of being famous for the Belle Epoque time, but to be honest there´s not much there. It´s one of those places people feel they have to visit...and then it´s quite disappointing. St Jean de Luz, Bayonne, Hendaye, Espelette, Ainhoa, St Jean de Pied de Port (writing their French names and not the Basque ones for easier understanding), and then Hondarribia, Getaria, Zumaia near San Sebastian are obvious visits. You cannot miss Bilbao and the Guggenheim, as well as its beautiful old quarter, or Bermeo, Lekeiitio, Elantxobe, Ea...

I would say that while you could stay longer, 5-6 days is enough time for a first visit that will not feel rushed, if you focus on coastal areas (+ a few of the inland villages on the French side, perhaps).

I do like Biarritz, personally, but don't expect much "sightseeing" there. A morning will do: avoid Mondays and bad weather days, park near the public garden, go to Les Halles (beautiful market), wind your way down towards rue Mazagran and further down to Port des Pêcheurs (or all the way to the rocher de la Vierge), then walk along the shore to the Grande Plage, and come back up. Take your car, drive to the lighthouse, then drive off to Bayonne for the rest of the day.

Totally agree with @MikelBasqueGuide. We loved everything about the Basque country from Bilbao on into the small Basque towns in France…and all the pinxtos and txaloli along the way! The Guggenheim was great; the Peine de Veinte at La Concha Beach was a quick, fun stop in San Sebastion; but our very favorite was Chillida-Leku, a short distance from San Sebastion. Highly recommend a visit there. Distances are small. You can see and do a lot in 6 days.

Great feedback! We're planning to stay in San Sebastian near old town. Is that a good base, or would it be better to stay outside in a small village? One reason for us to stay in San Sebastian is because of the food.

The old town is car-free. If you are adjacent to it, then there are plenty of parking garages, so if you do not mind paying for parking, you should be fine, as long as you are OK driving in the city. It is not a big city, but it is surprisingly busy. Perhaps too busy if you are planning a trip in peak 16 July- end August season.

We just spent 7 days in Basque Spain. 3nites in Bilbao and 4 in Getaria. Stayed an extra night in Getaria doing various coastal walks. We picked up a car leaving Bilbao. It stayed parked in Getaria, the bus, train, and metro got us everywhere we wanted to go. We went to Donostia aka San Sebastian. It was Ok but touristy, we much preferred Bilbao. Mikel is the man!

Brad

In 2019, we stayed at Legazpi Doce Rooms & Suites. Location was perfect—on a pretty street, near a nice park, and within easy walking distance to the waterfront, the old city and Gros. Be sure to go to see El Peinte del Viente at la Concha Beach. Such fun!

"The food" is excellent anywhere in the Basque Country. Donostia-San Sebastian has a well earned fame for being a great place for food, but it´s practically the same thing in any other towns (of course, being bigger, D-SS has more options available). But it´s turned into a very touristy area and we have recently seen awkward things like people queuing for pintxos (?¿?¿?¿?) or dozens of persons waiting to be served the famous La Viña cheesecake (which, errouneously, many people call "Basque Cheesecake", while it´s something invented only in that bar and it´s not to be seen in other places). I would divide your time between Bilbao and Donostia, it makes a lot of sense.

Thank you Mikel You're a wealth of information.

I wasn't impressed by Biarritz. We stayed in St. jean du luz and really enjoyed that seaside town.

We have stayed in Anglet twice, while following the Tour de France in 2003 and 2010. Small town near Bayonne and Biarritz. Good home base for driving around French and Spanish Basque area. Also known for waves for surfing.

Are you planning on using the trains? Where are you starting from? We were honking of flying to Madrid and taking a train to San Sebastián and then taking day trips to Bilbao and someFrench towns. Any input would be appreciated.

Teachergerard, it would probably be best for you to start a new thread on the topic of daytripping from San Sebastian to the French Basque Country. That way, you--rather than Sue--will receive email notifications when people provide info.

Be sure to mention whether you plan to rent a car and tell us which destinations you're considering. I suspect that without a car, the travel time to mountain villages like Ainhoa would be too long for day trips. The coastal town of St-Jean-de-Luz looks like one of the closest French destinations, but even there you'd need to check the public-transportation schedule.

There are some nice destinations (including nearby Hondarribia) on the Spanish side of the border if you don't have many days available.

Teachergerard we will have a car rental when we are in Provence and will keep it until after our time in the Basque country and Dordogne region in France. A Basque guide who's responded to many of the posts in questions about the Basque region, said that buses are underrated in Europe. So you could consider them as a mode of transportation.

(It was probably me, about the buses). I would say that all public transport is excellent all over Spain, and specially in the Basque Country, so if you have the alternative of using buses, I would no doubt use them. Cheap, frequent, clean, fully equipped, quick, modern...I´ve noticed the allure of trains for most US visitors, but buses are also a very good option.