I am traveling to the Basque region with my husband in early September. We like getting off the beaten path, looking for suggestions regarding exploring cities country side, a beach day or two. Might like to visit the French Basque region as well. Would also appreciate suggestions about area in the towns cities to stay, preferably air B&B's.
Thank you
Posted by
Mid-Atlantic area
7162 posts
Was in that area in May. Santillana del Mar is nice for a few hours, probably longer if you've never been there. In that town we stayed at the Gil Blas parador. Zumaia and Getaria are nice for short visit. The are plenty of beaches in that area so it's a matter of picking one. We stayed at the Parador in Hondarribia (pricey). That town is good for a full day and it does have a beach. We also stayed at the Ibis Bayonne Center Gare in Bayonne France. Ibis is a budget hotel chain in Europe. It's location was great; just across the bridge to downtown Bayonne. There are also plenty of beaches in that area. We also visited St Jean Pied du Port where the Camino de Santiago begins. It's worth a couple hours. Back in Spain, we stayed at the Pamplona Cathedral hotel in Pamplona.
Posted by
Windsor, Ontario, Canada
4088 posts
I like Bilbao for its scenic river-valley setting, good food, history, and two major art galleries. Yes, the famous Guggenheim has a neighbour called Bilbao Museum which deals in more traditional beaux-arts works: https://www.museobilbao.com/in/
Bilbao's useful airport is the regional gateway for international travel.
Posted by
Washington DC
28102 posts
In addition to the Spanish places already mentioned, I liked Viktoria-Gasteiz, the capital of the interior Basque province of Alava. Not being on the coast, it gets far fewer tourists than Bilbao and San Sebastian, but it has a very nice medieval district, a couple of small art museums and a cathedral being restored (English tours offered last year). The small hilltown of Laguardia is very near the La Rioja wine district. It's very atmospheric and worth a visit even if you aren't interested in its wine bars.
San Sebastian is worth visiting, but expect lots of tourists in the historic district.
The Basque countryside is very pretty. Be sure you see something other than the coastline.