RS Basque Country Tour April 26

If you need an snack on your free afternoon in Bilbao stop by Kuki Cookie. Our son's friend (who is American; they met in LA) recently moved to Bilbao and started the bakery. We're looking forward to doing so ourselves!

We went to the laundromat in San Sebastián at the Garbimatik. It’s not very big, but we weren’t in a rush. I’m pretty sure it was coin only but there was a change machine. Our guide pointed it out on our orientation walk.

We got to Bayonne early and went to Biarritz on the tram. We also used the tram to L’Atelier du Chocolat one afternoon. They say you need reservations but I think that’s because they want to make sure there is a staff member available to do the tasting in your language. There is an audio for the “museum”. Several different groups on the tour did this at various times. Other people spent more time at the cultural museum.

It would have been easy to visit the bullring in Pamplona from our tour hotel but we’d already been to several. You will already have walked the path the bulls take, so that would have an impact if you decided to visit. San Sebastián has the Museum of San Telmo, but it’s a great town for walking and seeing the different beach areas, as well as loading up on tapas. Our bus stopped at Monte Igueldo on the way in for spectacular views. There is a funicular in Bilbao that leads up to a park.

There aren’t many wow sites in Pamplona. When we stayed there it was at the Pamplona Cathedral hotel just above the corrals where the bulls are kept before they run during San Fermín. By it are the walls and the Portal de Francia where pilgrims walking the Camino enter the town. The historic center is pretty small so we walked between the corrals, town hall, Plaza Del Castillo where bar Iruña is and where Hemmingway spent time, and the monument to the encierro. None of what I mentioned takes a lot of time, so we also took a self-guided tour of the bull ring. Although we had been to a few bull rings just to look around, this tour was pretty good because one got to see a couple areas of the ring (chapel and infirmary) other tours didn’t include.

On our visit to Bayonne we didn’t get to see the things we wanted to because we were there on a holiday on most everything was closed. Most of what we wanted to visit were chocolate shops. We did enjoy just walking around town. Our hotel was across the river and watching the tide come in and go out was fascinating because of how fast the water was moving.

There are laundromats in most cities, but I’ve never done laundry in the places you mentioned. There are a number of self service laundromats (lavandería auto servicio) in Pamplona. You just need to find one near the hotel you’ll be at. Laundromats should have signs in English. Read the directions thoroughly. At many laundromats, soap is included. At some you will need coins while a card is needed at others. If coins are needed a change machine will be near the machines.

Doing laundry while on RS tours has never been a problem. There’s always a coin laundry close to the hotel. The tour guide will provide numerous suggestions for things to do during your free time. Read the guidebook that comes with the tour. It’s loaded with ideas for activities and places to eat. The Basque Country tour is amazing. Enjoy!!!

We took the bus to Biarritz one evening from Bayonne. Bayonne is also a great shopping town if you like to shop. And make sure to try the whipped hot chocolate at Cazenove. So good!

In Pamplona, we just walked around the town center and the park and walked on top of the city walls. We didn’t think about touring the bullring. Also the hotel offered laundry and you pay €15 for a bag of I remember correctly. Or maybe it was the hotel in San Sebastián? Pm me if you want the info. I’ll have to check my notes.

In San Sebastián, we did pintxos (tapas) bar hopping. It was so much fun! We did it for lunch and dinner.

In Bilbao, we took the funicular up to the viewpoint/park. We also did the river boat cruise- don’t bother with that because once past the main own the view is not so scenic. Some of our tour mates went back to the old town. You can also spend more time at the Guggenheim Museum once your guided tour is over.

It was a great tour. We really enjoyed it. We were lucky to have Fran Glaria as our guide. He appears in Rick’s videos and even did a Monday Night Travel episode with him.

Mount Urgull in San Sebastian is a worthwhile hike - hilly but paved - with ocean and bay views. Stop by the coffee stand/bar at Urgulleko Polboriña for a drink and great bay views!