4 days in Basque Country
 

Family of 4 with two teens, 15 and 17, summer 2020. We will be arriving in Basque Country after a short stay in Paris. We have 3-4 days and would like to experience the culture, eat the food and enjoy the beach for a bit. My kids are active, so sitting around a lot or just sightseeing starts to make them grumpy after a while - also one is a vegetarian who is nervous about getting food in this region. With all of that being said, we will be coming from 8 days of sightseeing and are looking for a bit of a break, so relaxing is not out of the question. If needed, we are happy to rent a car. We also enjoy getting to know the area, so staying in a smaller vs larger town would probably be best.

Any suggestions on the best home base for our short stay? I've thought San Sebastian, St-Jean-de-Luz and Hondarribia, but have not looked much further than that. Thanks!

San Sebastian felt like a small town--I think with a few days I would stick to that general area, no mater which town you choose as a base. There is a great hike you can do along the coast, and we thought the amusement park was fun. If any of the kids surf, there is a good beach for that.
I am a pescatarian so I have it pretty easy, but even when I have been more strict I have always eaten well in Spain. I like to make a meal of tapas -- this might help if you prefer to not eat at the later dinner time. Remind daughter to learn some phrases so she can request no ham added to her dishes (which can come as a surprise). Check out a Basque cookbook so she will know dishes to look for on menus.

Don't miss a day out to the peak of La Rhune to enjoy the view and getting there is half the fun on the historic rack railway.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petit_train_de_la_Rhune

https://www.rhune.com/en/

https://www.drehscheibe-online.de/fo...hp?030,9102612

Thank you BDKR, this looks great for us.

Thank you yorkshire. She does eat fish, but is a bit picky. Your suggestion about phrases is great advice, thank you.

Even if picky, she will find it easier if some seafood is on the agenda. And then you all might be able to more easily go out for a big seafood meal together. I like to go armed with as much as info as possible so I can try everything, but I never felt deprived of variety. Thank goodness for tortillas though (the egg and potato kind)!

We stayed in Hondarribia but also spent some days in St-Jean de Luz. Add in San Sebastián and you can’t go wrong with choosing any of them.

From your description, I'd say San Sebastian / Donostia should meet your needs well, and it is well connected to other parts of the region by public transportation, so no need to deal with the high cost of parking there.

Personally I would have found Hondarribia too quiet (it was absolutely dead when I visited for a few hours), but others speak highly of it.

Weather is very unpredictable and quite rainy, so beach may not be an option, take that into account. Also, food is fantastic, there´ll be hundreds of choices for vegetarians. Pintxos are not a meal for us, but a prelunch or predinner bite while socializing in bars, but it may be a good option for you if you feel our dinner time (around 9, and that´s early) is too late for you. I like Hondarribia, Getaria, Zumaia, Lekeitio, Plentzia...and would not miss Bilbao for a great visit!

Thank you!

We had a fantastic trip to the basque country this past summer. San Sebastian is an amazing city but we especially like hondarribia, getaria, and had an amazing sunset at zarautz. The painted forest of oma was a lovely walk but you will need a car to get there. zugarramurdi caves were great too.

We rented an apartment in Donostia in September a couple of years ago. One of our best vacations ever. The town is large enough to offer myriad things to do and see, yet feels almost intimate. We lived on pintxos - never felt the need for a "real" meal. We spent a wonderful day at La Perla, the spa right on the main beach and spent another day in Bilbao (I wish we'd spent more time there). On the way home to France (we were traveling by train), we stopped for 2 nights in St-Jean-de-Luz, where I'd been several times previously. It's like a small version of San Sebastián without the pintxos - absolutely darling town. The whole area is beautiful and vibrant.

I'm glad you described your experience for the OP! I was there for 3 hours and saw exactly ONE other person - but I certainly enjoyed wandering around.

we stopped at La Perla terrace for the *late morning coffee, which turned to a lunch later, which turned to several drink and more food right into the evening. It was a perfect Mat day I still remember some years later .
We also “ lived” on pinxos for four day in fab.SS.*
*

I would spend 4 nights in San Sebastian.

I visited all three of those towns and found them all worthwhile. San Sebastian was my favorite and I think would make the best base. In addition, St Jean Pied du Port might be worth checking out. It is the main starting point for people hiking the Camino. The town itself was interesting and the connection to the Camino might be interesting to your kids. A few years ago I spent five weeks in France and Spain going from Bayonne to Santiago and when I first planned the trip the Camino did not even enter into my planning but once there I discovered how interesting it was. I didn't 'hike' it though many of the places I went were on it. You are covering a much smaller area but since it is the beginning of the Camino it might be fun for your kids (and you) to read up on it.

Hmm ... I thought there were quite a few different starting points, and for differing segments of El Camino.

In fact, there are 16 different Caminos. The most popular is the French way, and the one that crosses the northern part of the Basque Country is the Primitive one...hilly, through forests and cliffs, beautiful. My uncle, at 78, has finished (on his own) the 16 Caminos and has started the 17th! (inventing a new one!)