Am on Rick's Basque Country tour in late August this year. Would like to know the best way to get from Madrid to Bayonne, France?
Plane, train or rent-a-car?
Biarritz is the airport for Bayonne. Search skyscanner for your date but I don't think you will find direct options.
0800 train departure from Madrid Chamartin (with connection in Hendaye to French TGV) gets you to Bayonne at 1522.
I wouldn't drive.
The 8:00 a.m. train departure from Madrid is the only one that gets you to Bayonne on the same day (with connection at the border town of Hendaye). Spanish train tickets are cheaper if purchased a couple of months in advance at www.petrabax.com, at least the longer first leg. I also see no benefit to driving.