Porto to Bayonne

Flying from Porto to Bordeaux is probably the easiest option.
Since you have a week, you could also visit Santiago de Compostela and fly from there to Bordeaux (flights are infrequent, though).

Overland options aren't great.

If you have a week, use it to travel between the towns. The Spanish Atlantic coast is too often overlooked. Take the train from Porto to Santiago. Then continue along the coast, either by train or by rental car. Spend at least one night along the way. If travelling by car, return it in San Sebastian/Donostia at the latest and take the train across the border.

We spent a couple of weeks driving from Porto into Galicia, Santiago de Compostela, Oviedo, many small towns, and on to Bilbao and then stayed in Hondarribia for a week. I would not look at this as a problem, rather as an opportunity. This section is one of our favorite travel memories and part of a six week driving trip we did between Lisbon and Barcelona..

Jane,

My first thought was that this coach was with Rede Expressos (the Portugese version of National Express in the UK), but their bus leaves at lunchtime, arriving Bayonne around 3am.

So I looked at Flix Bus for a random mid week day, and bingo.-
https://shop.flixbus.co.uk/search?departureCity=74923e7b-3ace-43d2-8278-41ee00193a85&arrivalCity=40df5343-8646-11e6-9066-549f350fcb0c&route=Porto-Bayonne&rideDate=05.04.2023&adult=1&_locale=en_GB&features%5Bfeature.darken_page%5D=1&features%5Bfeature.enable_distribusion%5D=1&features%5Bfeature.train_cities_only%5D=0&features%5Bfeature.webc_search_persistent_explore_map%5D=0&atb_pdid=84eaa8cc-1018-4a6d-9a6f-0a2c62148570&_sp=e2eadede-9cda-4a35-8bf1-895178b41ce6&_spnuid=2c9c3ba6-5f55-4427-a558-cab8eef4391c

They open bookings 3 months ahead, so way too early for the fall.

See also the day bus which is a change at San Sebastian. So you could do that to SS, overnight in a hotel, then Flixbus have several day buses between the two cities or Alsa (the Spanish National Express) also have a daily departure, or hop on the train to the border station of Hendaye, changing there into a SNCF train.

Badger, I hadn't thought about that, duh.
Great idea.

By train, you can do many things already.

Santiago - Segovia - Burgos - (pass through Irún/Hendaye to change to French trains) - Bayonne is probably the most convenient way. Looks weird on a map I know, but that's how the fastest train lines run. 2 nights in each place and you've got an adventure planned out.

Santiago-Leon-Burgos also works.

Or you could find out what "patience" means and take the narrow-gauge FEVE train from Leon to Bilbao.

Many options really!

Wow! So many good ideas, and so quickly!

I meant to mention that driving is not an option; we'd rather stay married.

I do like the idea of splitting the journey, and spending a couple of days somewhere along the way. Failing that, either flying to Bordeaux and then taking the train to Bayonne looks good.

And I still like the idea of the overnight bus. isn31c, the Flixbus app on my phone doesn't show that option, but I just tried it on the laptop, and there it is! I can even sign up now for September, although I don't know that I would trust that this far out.

OK, you folks have definitely given me something to think about. I'm going to try to set this aside for a few days (busy busy week for us this week,) then come back to it. I love the ideas; thank you all so much.

I love this Forum.

Without driving, I like balsos' suggestion.

Thanks, Jane, for posting this question. I've been wrecking my mind trying to figure something similar.. We are ending
a tour in Camino than picking up Rick's Basque tour in September as well. We have 4 days to get to Bayonne, driving there is
quite enticing, but we have never driven in Europe, and like you want to keep peace in the family. We have the option of flying
into Bilbao than changing to bus to get to Bayonne. I'll be following this post with interest.

An overnight bus; what an enticing option...not. I can imagine the misery, because I took overnight buses to get back and forth to college. I hated them even at the age of 17-20.

I, too, really enjoyed a trip across Northern Spain.

Even if you are not driving, there are many options to get around. Feve might not be a high speed train, but works fine and provide some excellent views.

I am a bit partial to the coast and would suggest maybe 3 nights in Gijón, add one night in Santiago or A Coruña and one night in Bilbao and you have a nice trip with a relaxing pace. But the inland route mentioned by balso is also a good option.

I am inclined to agree with acraven- that I am a bit surprised that, with a week, in hand, the OP was looking at an overnight bus. But as that was what was asked specifically for, that was what was provided.
With a day bus option on the same route I would use that if wanting to travel direct.

But I, personally, with a week, would do a totally different route to any proposed, and one that I have always personally longed to do.
I must emphasize that this is slow travel personified, something quite unusual, and not for everyone. An adventure. It is a purely functional service train.
But my choice would be morning CP international train Porto to Vigo, then RENFE Vigo to Santiago and on to Ferrol. (maybe/probably broken into 2 days at Santiago).
And then to take FEVE, the narrow gauge train, all the way along the coast- Day 1- Ferrol to Oviedo, Day 2- Oviedo to Bilbao via Santander, Day 3- Bilbao to Hendaye, for SNCF forward.
The eye wateringly expensive Transcantabrico is the luxury option on the same route, also run by FEVE. Totally and utterly different than the service train.
Oviedo, Santander and Bilbao all have mainline stations as well, enabling part only of FEVE to be sampled, and any number of permutations.
It is the polar opposite to blasting much the same distance from Barcelona to Madrid in 3 hours.
I wouldn't be honest if I didn't give it as an option- it's the OP's prerogative to see it as barking mad!

Continued thanks for more options.

No suggestion is "barking mad" or not worth consideration. The reason I'm considering the overnight bus is to give us an extra few days in Porto and environs after the first tour, and in Bayonne before the second. Nothing is firm yet; we're still ruminating. A gentle journey up the northern coast of Spain is intriguing, as well.

All ideas cheerfully (and thoughtfully) accepted!

Dona, I'm sending you a PM.