travelinjj

For those of you who have been to the Basque Country, please help me with this. I am planning a 3-4 trip to Basque Country in late August, planning to stay in Ainhoa at Hotel Argi Eder (Hotel Ithurria sounds wonderful from comments here but is booked up). I will have a rental car to explore the region. I don't speak a word of French (other than good morning, please, thank you) so do the proprieters at the hotels and others speak English to help me get by? Also, I have never rented car and driven in France, are there any issues or concerns? I plan to pick up and return the car at Bordeaux railway station after trip down from Paris. Thanks for your help.

sparkchaser

You'll be fine.

Gestures work. Starvation is rare.

BigAleinstein

You will be fine. Just don't say "I hate the ETA" in Euskara Batua (Standard Basque). I do not know French Basque Country as well as Spain, but in Spain most of the road signs and other things are in Basque.

There is usually a ridiculous charge for picking up a car in one country and dropping it off in another, if they allow it at all. The Basque country of Spain is beautiful and interesting and San Sebastian(Donostia) has the best food in Spain.

cigalechanta

Yes, you will be ok.

I stayed in Ainhoa at the Ithuria which I loved and the food, local wine were very good, it's a lovely small village. I bought one of the hotel's towels. they don't usually sell them but I asked so I could put my lingerie on it in the car, as they were still damp.

OReilly

Your are fine on the French side - There are no issues, as the Revolution and Napoleon sorted the problem out!

I stayed in Hotel Ithurria years ago, recommended by Cigalechanta, and it is a wonderful hotel, great food & wine and a delightful village/area.

I drove from Bordeaux, over the mountains and into Northern Spain, through Basque region, Cantabria, Asturias and Galicia (divided between two trips). Best trips I have ever done!

You hit the Basque issue when you cross the boarder into Spain. Sign-posting is in Spanish and Basque (incomprehensible, as it is (apparently) not Indo-European language!). Spanish signs where sprayed over, which made it rather difficult to find my bearings. Definitely speak English on the Spanish side!

The Basque have a very rich culture and history, that is not well-known in the West, and was suppressed, particularly by Franco - what they sowed they now reap unfortunately.

You MUST read this book before you go, to appreciate the culture - it is a wonderful book, and explains a lot about the situation, which is very much like that in Northern Ireland. :

http://www.amazon.com/The-Basque-His...s=world+basque

Robert2533

Driving isn't a problem, depending on what you are used to. If you pick up the car in Paris, make sure you have good directions for heading south on the A-10. It can be confusing if you are not used to the traffic, which can be heavy at times. The drive from Paris to Bordeaux will take at least 5 hours. Ainhoa adds another 2-1/2 hours, so I recommend you stop for the night just south of Bordeaux.

Signage can be a problem at times. You have to know where you are going as not all of the villages are listed until you get close to the turnoff. Also note that secondary roads can be narrow when driving through the Pays Basque countryside.

As far as speaking English, some hotel owners do speak a little English, but a lot do not. It's the same at most restaurants; French, Spanish and Euskara are more common than English. Remember, restaurants in the Pays Basque serve lunch from 12:15 to 1:30 and dinner is typically served from 7:00 to 10:00, but many restaurants will not take orders after 9:00. You'll need reservations for lunch or dinner at most restaurants.

There are a number of excellent restaurants in the Pays Basque, including the Arrambide in the Hotel Les Pyrenees in St-jean-Pied-de-Port. It's the highest rated restaurant in the entire Basque country (Pays Basque and Pais Vasco). There is also L'Auberge Basque in Saint-Pée sur Nivelle. Both chef's speak English.

I can also highly recommend Restaurant La ferme Gourmande in Osses. Madame Alexandra does speak English.

For more information on the area, you may want to download a copy of Maribel's Guides to the Pays Basque.

travelinjj

Thank you all for your comments. Robert, I plan on trying all those restaurants you mentioned as the food is one of the main reasons for the trip to this region. Btw, I am of French Basque ancestry, but first trip here.

kerouac

The tourist industry all over France gets by in English of variable quality -- but just consider the number of Scandinavian, Polish, Russian, Dutch tourists who drive to that area every year without speaking French and sometimes questionable English. Somehow they get by and on top of that, they keep coming back.

StuDudley

We've vacationed for 4 weeks in the Pays Basque - 2 weeks just last year. Driving is easy - unless you venture into Spain around San Sebastian. There are two names for most villages & cities in Spain. That makes things very confusing (long story - we got lost heading in the wrong direction but thinking we were heading in the correct direction following a "vague" city direction sign).

Our four favorite restaurants on the French side:
- Arrambide in the Hotel Les Pyrenees in St-Jean-Pied-de-Port.
- L'Auberge Basque in Saint-Pée sur Nivelle.
see Robert's comments
- Table des Freres Ibarboure - perhaps our favorite
- Auberge du Cheval Blanc in Bayonne

Stu Dudley

Robert2533

If your are of French Basque decent, mention it. There will be a world of difference in how you are received.

If you are an American or Canadian, then you need to belong to N.A.B.O., the NORTH AMERICAN BASQUE ORGANIZATIONS (www.nabasque.org). We have several members here in Washington State from the Basse-Navarre region, as well as from Navarra, both of which were part of the Kingdom of Navarra, one of the original kingdoms of Spain and where all of the best pelota players come from.

http://www.turismo.navarra.es/eng/pr...eportes-otros/

travelinjj

Robert and Biarritz Taxi...thank you. Although I am not a card carrying member of NABO, I know of it. And for many year, I was on the Board of Directors and my father a founder of a Basque club in southern California. I have a reservation for three nights in Ainhoa...my grandfathr is from Itxassou which I understand is less than 20km away...So I plan to spend 2-3 days just wandering around. I would like to include St Jean Pied de Port, Saint Etienne-de-Baigorry, Urepel, Aldudes, and Bidarray. These are all places that people I know from California come from. Do you think these can all be one or two day trips from Ainhoa? Thanks for your help.