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Northern Spain and Southern France

My wife and I are planning a 12-day trip in late April to Barcelona and San Sebastián to celebrate our 30th wedding anniversary. Looking for thoughts on places to visit in Northern Spain and Southern France, as well as best travel options. We like to see sites, spend hours walking around cities, visit museums, experience local culture and of course eat fabulous food. Best way to get from Barcelona to San Sebastián? Should we rent a car? Other guidance on places to go/things to see or do in Northern Spain and Southern France? I don’t want to be overly ambitious, which I tend to do on trips. Thank you,

Keith

Posted by
16893 posts

Reminder that several stops in the Basque region of southern France are included in Rick's Spain 2019 guidebook, so you may not need a separate book for France.

A car is not a bad choice if you'll both pick it up and return it to Spain but you don't need a car for most cities of any size. A car helps if you're going to book 5-star restaurants outside of San Sebastian, or to meander along the coastline, wineries, or mountain villages.

Without a car, buses will sometimes provide faster service than train, e.g. from San Sebastian to Pamplona. Crossing the French border by train also tends to include connections by the local Euskotren service, or bus may be more direct to your destination.

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4025 posts

Bilbao was a traditional old industrial and trading city, now evovled into a modern centre for art and conferences.