We have travelled a lot in France, but this year we want to travel to western France , actually southwest where we have not been and then down into northern Spain both on the east and west side.We will have 6 weeks and about 8 days in Spain.We have several questions ... any help will be appreciated. 1. We want to go to Collioure or somewhere close and from there drive into the mountains or along the coast and little photographic villages. Anyone have a good hotel in Collioure? One with parking as we will be driving. Any lovely drives into the mountains? We also want to go over to the west Basque region and perhaps stay in St. Jean de Luz for a homebase. Any suggestions there ? Would you drive through the mountains to get there in Late October or go on the French tollroad ? We want to see the Basque villages in France and Spain, including San Sebastian and Bilbao, maybe the Rioja wine region. We have about 4-5 days on each side. Any help would be appreciated. Hotel suggestions?
Posted by
Pensacola
9110 posts
In the Bilbao area: (Driving in from San Sebastian, skip the highway and take the old, twisty road that hugs the coast for the best scenery. A toddy, before or after, is an individual choice, but it'll be necessary.) Guernica (an icon of the civil war) is about twenty miles east. The Guernica Tree is the emblem of all things Basque. The town has a really great fresh grub market as well. Butron, a newish pseudo-bavarian castle is maybe ten mile north. It may or may not be open to the public. Portugalete (on the left bank at the mouth of the Nervion), as the name implies, has been a Portugese enclave for a few hundred years. It has some of the best seafood (in little dives) on the north coast. To get there, drive down the right bank (the left's even more industrial) and use the iron suspension ferry that looks like the profile of Tower Bridge and was designed by one of Eiffel's flunkies. The best beaches are in the Las Arenas and Algorta areas to the east of the mouth of the river. The refurbished stone windmill on the western side of the peninsula to the east of Algorta is a pretty snazzy place to eat. Good view, but take two pocketbooks. The Hotel Carlton on the Gran Via is within walking distance of the Guggenheim and the old town. It's the grande dame of the city and still a bargain at about a hundred and twenty-five bucks a night. There ain't much to the west until you get to Santillana at an hour and a half. After that, it's the secret Sapin that nobody visits - - go back when you have a month to kill.
Posted by
Monein, Pyrenees, France
425 posts
Two valleys that cross the Pyrenees into Spain in this region are the ASPE and the OSSAU. They are very beautiful. You can do the circuit from the Pau area in one day. I would recommend south down the Aspe through Oloron, crossing the border through the 6 mile Somport tunnel (or over the pass if you don't do tunnels) looping past Jaca in Spain and then North, back through the Ossau valley. There are plenty of "distractions" on route and I would suggest the little Spanish village of Sandines for lunch, overlooking one of the lakes. If you want to extend the trip, you could drop down to Zaragosa for a day or two. If you want to see the Basque mountain area, I would suggest going down to Pamplona and Rioja via St Jean Pied de Port - St Jean is a bottleneck and traffic can be AWFUL at lunch-time. St Jean de Luz is nice and is smaller than its big "brother" Biarritz. It has more of a village feel to it.
Roger
Posted by
La Crescenta, California, USA
361 posts
Hi Jane, In 2006 we were in Bilbao; if you go there please be sure to visit the Guggenheim Museum. Also try the lunch special at any restaurant, it is breast of duck drizzled in raspberry sauce.
Posted by
Dallas
1021 posts
In Collioure, Casa Pairal is a good hotel located in the town with free parking. Across the harbor with fine views of Collioure is Le Relais des Trois Mas, also with free parking, and a fine restaurant. A visit to the Cathar castle ruins in the Pyrenees is a pleasant day trip from Collioure. In San Sebastian, the bay view rooms at Hotel Londres y de Inglaterra are large and have great views.