Where to spend two nights ahead of Basque Country tour-San Sebastian, Bayonne or Biarritz?

Definitely, Baiona-Bayonne over Biarritz, in my opinion. Biarritz has the "name" but nothing extraordinary about it, nice town but not that much to do. Baiona-Bayonne is bigger, more interesting and with more things to see and do.

Do not expect a "resort" -like city in Donostia-San Sebastian, this is a quite rainy area (Biarritz and Baiona-Bayonne too) and weather is very unreliable. But absolutely beautiful places.

We spent 2 day pre-tour in st jean du luz at the grand thalasso hotel and spa right on the beach.
Biarittz is modern if thats what you are looking for.
SJDL was scenic, historic, easy to walk every where, has great restaurants and has a great beach.
Please consider it.
We did not find any special charm in Bayonne.

I agree with Mikel about Biarritz, and since you will visit both Bayonne and San Sebastian with the tour, have you thought about Saint Jean de Luz. With two nights you can make a day trip to Biarritz or Hondarribia. If you dare, you could rent a car for a day trip to the villages like Ainhoa or Espelette.

As commented, the weather could vary greatly.

We booked two extra days at the RS tour hotel in Bayonne prior to the start. We had already been traveling for 2 weeks prior to the start of the tour so we appreciated being able to settle in for several days without having to pack and unpack. We actually enjoyed Bayonne and found it easy to do a day trip to Biarritz via public transportation. Several group members did day trips to St.John de Luz as well. There were great restaurants and lots of chocolate shops in Bayonne.

I like Bayonne but it looks like you are already slated for 2 nights there on the tour. 2 nights is plenty, especially if you won’t have a car.

No vote for Biarritz here. Instead would suggest going, via Chillida Leku, to Hondaribbia (best pinxtos ever at Gran Sol) for night one, a day trip to the French Basque villages of Sare and Ainhoa en route to St. Jean de Luz for night two. St. Jean de Luz is a short trek to Bayonne for the start of your tour. We drove in the Basque Country, which was easy, but it looks as though public transportation is doable too.

Have a great trip!

I just returned from this tour (terrific). I spent an extra night in Bayonne and took a day trip to Saint-Jean-de-Luz. It’s very easy to get there by bus or train. There is a walking tour in Rick’s Basque guidebook.

Some people did the same thing and went to Biarritz, also easy to reach by bus.

I liked Bayonne and enjoyed spending some extra time there. It was nice not to have to change hotels. One note: Many of Bayonne’s restaurants are closed on Sunday and Monday evenings.

Thanks so much everyone!

I just returned from this tour. I arrived in Bayonne one day before the tour began. Bayonne is nothing like the other towns/cities you will visit and I suggest not cutting it short. I liked San Sebastian but adding three nights pre-tour in addition to the two nights you spend on the tour may be too much, especially if it’s rainy and cold. As has already been mentioned, you can do a day trip to Saint-Jean-de-Luz. Make sure to visit the Church of Saint-Jean-Baptiste. https://francewithvero.com/blog/royal-wedding-saint-jean-de-luz/

Interesting to see love for Bayonne and none for Biarritz, as we enjoyed only the latter. Vivent les differences!