Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
tain villages, and Spain's Lekeitio and Hondarribia—are also thriving, making the entire
region colorful, fun, welcoming...and unmistakably Basque.
Planning Your Time
OnedayisenoughforaquicksampleoftheBasqueCountry,buttwoorthreedaysletsyou
breathedeepandholditin.Whereyougodependsonyourinterests:FranceorSpain?Cit-
ies (such as Bayonne and Bilbao) or resorts (such as St-Jean-de-Luz and San Sebastián)?
If you want to slow down and focus on Spain, spend one day relaxing in San Se-
bastián and the second side-tripping to Bilbao (and Guernica, if you have a car).
Betteryet,Basqueonbothsidesoftheborder.Sleepinonecountry,thenside-tripin-
to the other, devoting one day to France (St-Jean-de-Luz and Bayonne), and a second day
to Spain (San Sebastián and maybe Bilbao).
Whereveryougo,yourBasquesightseeingshouldbeafunblendofurban,rural,cul-
tural, and culinary activities.
Getting Around the Basque Country
Thetourist'sBasqueCountry—fromBayonnetoBilbao—staysclosetothecoastline.For-
tunately, everything is connected by good roads and public transportation.
By Bus and Train:
In France, the three main towns (St-Jean-de-Luz, Bayonne, and
Biarritz)areconnectedbybus(trainsalsozipbetweenSt-Jean-de-LuzandBayonne).Even
if you rent a car, I'd do these three towns by public transit. To go between France and San
Sebastián, a train—with a transfer in Hendaye—is your best bet. From San Sebastián, the
bus is the best way to reach Bilbao (and from there, Guernica). Specific connections are
explained in each section.
Note that a few out-of-the-way areas—France's Basque villages of the interior and
Spain's Bay of Biscay—are impractical by public transportation...but worth the trouble by
car.
By Car:
Bayonne, St-Jean-de-Luz, San Sebastián, and Bilbao are connected by a
convenient expressway, called A-63 in France and A-8 in Spain (rough timings: Bayonne
to St-Jean-de-Luz, 30 minutes; St-Jean-de-Luz to San Sebastián, 45 minutes; San Se-
bastián to Bilbao, 1.25 hours).
Language Warning:
Fortheheadersthroughoutthischapter,I'velistedplacenames
using the French or Spanish spelling first and the Euskara spelling second. In the text, I
use the spelling that prevails locally. While most people refer to towns by their French or
Spanish names, many road signs list places in Euskara. (In less separatist-minded France,
signs are often only in French. But in Spain, signs are usually posted in both Euskara and
