My family is headed to the Basque Country and Bordeaux this August for a 2-3 week trip. I know everyone will be on holiday in August but we are committed to escaping the Texas heat so we are braving the crowds! We will be bringing our two young kids, a two year old and a four year old. We have a loose itinerary right now and was curious to see if anyone has any input. Here's what we are thinking: land in Bilbao, spend one night there to regroup and go to Gugenheim following day. Next we will go to San Sebastian for five nights, then St. Jean de Luz for five nights, then Bordeaux for five nights. We will fly out of Bordeaux back home. Is 5 nights in St. Jean de Luz too much? We could spend more time in San Sebastian and a few days in St. Jean de Luz. I'd also be open to swapping St. Jean de Luz for another charming Basque town (doesn't necessarily need to be on the coast but needs to be *kind of* kid friendly, i.e. able to get around in a stroller). Is 5 nights in Bordeaux too much? We don't need a lot to do as kids travel at a very slow pace and we are fine with that but I am seeing mixed reviews on previous threads about Bordeaux. We love art, food, culture, small charming towns, markets, animals, farms, all of it!! Thank you in advance!

Bilbao: one night may not be enough, but of course it depends on your interests. Beautiful, not-to-miss old quarter, and easy access to the Hanging Bridge (a unique UNESCO World Heritage Monument that no doubt your kids will love, next to the beaches too). Five nights in Donostia-San Sebastian may be too much: if it´s for the beach, weather here is quite unreliable and tends to be rainy, even in August, but of course you can visit Getaria, Hondarribia and Pasai Donibane during your stay. D-SS is small and can be enjoyed in two or three days, but of course it may be the weather that may decide the length of your stay. Same for St Jean de Luz, charming Bayonne can also be a nice place to stay a couple of nights. What dates in August? There are festivals in many towns in the Basque Country during all summer and you may coincide with some.

I agree. Bilbao requires more time. There's a beach fairly close by, even if not as close as in San Sebastian.



The older child might also like the funicular


As well as the cog railroad ride up the mountain in France


Too many days in Saint-Jean-de-Luz

With the little kids, as mikelg suggests, I'd add another night or even 2 to Bilbao at the beginning. Although as mikelg says, you may not have a beautiful day for the beach, the beaches are there and accessible by metro.
Same with San Sebastián---we've had lovely, sunny days in late July and also heavy rains that cancelled or marred a few concerts of the jazz festival--you just never know.

Some reasons to keep your nights in St-Jean-de-Luz:
to attend the Tues.-Fri-Sat (Sat during the summer only) outdoor market around Les Halles. It's a delight.
to make an excursion to La Rhune for the short trip on the cogwheel train that kids enjoy (you can purchase tickets now online here)
to visit the pottoka animal park in Sare
to tour the other postcard pretty inland villages in an easy loop drive: Ainhoa, Espelette (the red pepper town), Itxassou (the black cherry town), Ascain, Cambo-les-Bains (Puyodebatchocolate factory)
to take a day trip to Bayonne (easy by TER train, 40 min.)
to take a day trip to Biarritz (also easy by bus along the coast, 40 min)

mikelg,
We've been watching the Netflix series, Itxaso and the Sea, which we read was filmed, I believe, in your "neck of the woods", the beaches of Plentzia, Sopela and Muskiz.

Maribel, I quit Netflix last year so I´m not aware of that series, but it´s funny that Itsaso means Sea, so kind of redundant! Yes, Plentzia is one of those hidden gems, last stop of Bilbao metro, really worth the visit. And Sopela is a great surfing beach!! By the way, agree with your options for St Jean de Luz, it makes a lot of sense to stay there if they do the excursions.

Yes, that is redundant! That's how it's translated into English. We watch it in Spanish (dubbed) with English subtitles, but our Seattle Euskal Etxea is watching it in Basque. The main character's name is Itxaso.
The director is from Deusto, Antonio Diaz Huerta.

There are also the Grottes de Sare with a picnic area.

The correct way should be Itsaso, but Itxaso is also very extended, both are valid for "Mar", or "Sea". Good to know, I may contract a month or so with Netflix, sounds interesting...

mikelg,
You might contract for a month just to see this 8-episode series. We're enjoying it--on episode 5.

katezt2012,
Another activity in St-Jean-de-Luz:
Various boat rides on the Nivelle V--around the bay, to Hondarribia or even to Biarritz.
https://www.guide-du-paysbasque.com/...le-v-1322.html.

@mikelg, thank you! I think maybe we will extend our stay in Bilbao one or two nights more. Hanging bridge looks really fun and my 4 year old will get a kick out of that. The reason for the extended stays in San Sebastian and St Jean de Luz is because it's just logistically simpler to use them as bases instead of hopping around with kids. We are very laid back travelers and do not like to have a crammed schedule and we also like to stay in an area long enough that we can imagine what it would feel like to actually live there.

Right now our dates are July 28-August 13. But we can extend another week if pricing on the airbnbs work out in our favor. As you can see I'm still a bit scrambled because I know so little about the areas!

Maribel thank you! These are wonderful suggestions, thank you! Would you suggest renting a car for our stay in St. Jean de Luz to visit Sare, the inland villages, etc?

Do you think staying in San Sebastian and St. Jean de Luz is a good idea? I know they are so close together but I imagine they have quite a different feel? Or is there another charming beach town on the French side you would suggest? It also doesn't have to be in Basque country since we will be making our way towards Bordeaux afterwards.

THANK YOU! all of these suggestions are so helpful!

Yes, I think staying in San Sebastián and St-Jean-de-Luz for an extended period with little ones is a great idea. And yes, they have a completely different feel!
You just have to adjust your dining hours, as Spaniards eat much later. When we visit we have to remember to have lunch between 12:30 and 2 at the very latest, while in San Sebastián we eat lunch in the summer much later, as late as 3:30. The St-Jean-de-Luz market, both the outdoor market and inside in Les Halles will close up around 1.

You'll maybe catch a beach day or two (lol) and you'll get a much better feel for each town. Both are extremely walkable. You can walk everywhere, even up to the lighthouse above St-Jean-de-Luz for gorgeous views and in San Sebastián take the vintage funicular up to the amusement park at Monte Igeldo. That will be fun for your little ones.

Yes, I would rent a car to drive to Sare for the La Rhune train ride (tickets purchased online, trains depart every 40 min.) + Etxola animal park + the caves+ the town itself. You can reach La Rhune station by bus (Hegobus), but I wouldn't want to be tied down to the bus schedule.

The other inland villages are so pretty but you might just want to choose one after Sare to visit.

Espelette will be the busiest (Wed. is market day). It's the all red and white, Espelette red pepper town and it has shops galore, bringing in the crowds
Itxassou is much smaller and sleepier and is know for its black cherry jams (cerise noire) used to fill the gateaux Basque and is popular with hikers.
Ainhoa is filled with beautiful 17th century half-timbered homes with shutters in various colors, it has a pink frontón (pelota court) and a lovely 3-tired Basque church.
It also has two outstanding hotel-restaurants, the Ithurria with fabulous food and an informal bistrot, and the Argi Eder, where we'll be staying in July.
I love Ainhoa because it's so picturesque. For me, it's the most beautiful, a 3-flower village. The market is held there in the frontón every Thurs. afternoon from 4-7 pm.

For other charming beach towns that I really enjoy, there's Guéthary, much smaller than St-Jean-de-Luz but the beaches don't seem to me really kid friendly like the shelter bay beach in St-Jean-de-Luz.. It's just a 5 min. TER train ride from St-Jean-de-Luz.
But another beyond St-Jean-de-Luz, that I really like is Bidart, with expansive beaches and a really cute main square. You can reach it by bus 3 along the coast in 30 minutes. For the coast (we're there every summer) we get around well by bus and TER train.

For a cool beach town beyond the Pays Basque, in the Landes, on your way to Bordeaux, I like Capbreton, a surfers' Mecca, also neighboring Hossegor.

For the kids, don't forget the ice cream! The Agour cheese factory has a stand on the Grande Plage in Biarritz selling its sheep milk cheese ice creams and in St-Jean-de-Luz, Les Glaces Bargeton, at 23 rue Joseph Garat near the toy store, Le Zebre à Palettes. And you´ll be in the land of fabulous chocolates, macarons, gâteaux basques, yum...
The tourist office in St-Jean-de-Luz will supply you with plenty of leaflets about the many things to see and do in the area..

Totally different feel!!! But again...come prepared for ANY kind of weather! The big one-week festivals in Donostia-San Sebastian start on Aug 10 this year, so you´ll be able to enjoy lots of activities for adults and kids. In Bilbao the Big Week starts on Aug 17 this year.

St Jean is some kind of hub for buses. So it is doable without a car to reach all villages. But obviously, it will take more time as some routes may have low frequency. You can check the txik txak website to have an idea but try to find summer schedule as buses are more frequent.

Add-in car versus bus/train: forgot to say that traffic is a nightmare in summer on the "main" road between Bayonne and south of St Jean. Same for parking. So, a car would be ok to go inland but not to go to Biarritz, Bayonne or any beach in the area. Some stretches have bus lanes so that the Hendaye Bayonne bus can be slightly more rapid than the car.

I really woulnd not depend on the bus schedules to manage all that you want to see in the inland villages in one day. With a one day rental you can accomplish a morning train ride at La Rhune, a visit to the Etxola animal park , Les Grottes de Sare and another village, like Ainhoa or the far more busy Espelette.

Maribel, I fully agree with you.
my idea was not to aim at a full day of visit but rather plan one morning visit with beach in the afternoon. Like Espelette on market day and La Rhune on a clear morning. For both places, parking can be very difficult.
for Sare and other villages, car rental could be a better option. Maybe, there are tours departing from St Jean. Check Le Basque Bondissant to see what they offer or check with tourism information.

5 nights in Bordeaux seems a lot. It is "just" a city. In fairness, I have only been once. Not a bad place but nothing really special.

Bordeaux... Would you enjoy the art projections at the former submarine base? A taxi boat ride on the Garonne? For sure the shallow water feature whose name I have forgotten, and the lovely public gardens with waterfowl and a carousel. I did like the Musée d'Aquitaine but check it out online for yourselves.

If you drive there, maybe a castle on the way? Roquetaillade.

Dunno if it is worth five nights vs more time in and around St Jean de Luz : your call

Yes, during high season I recall that Basque Bondissant does ( or did) run buses to Espelette for the Wed market, but the vendors at the outdoor market in St-Jean-de - Luz and Espelette will be the same, ime, but it would give the family a chance to experience very busy Espelette without a rental car.

I too would add a night or two to Bilbao. I like Bordeaux but with young children I would rather head to the Dordogne

Thank you all for all the advice! Very helpful! I’ve extended our trip a few days so that we can move around more without feeling rushed. Here’s what I got:

fly in and out of Bilbao, stay first two nights. Head to San Sebastian for five nights and use as a base to explore Spanish Basque smaller towns. Drive to Dordogne. Stay in Beynac for three nights. This amazing Airbnb caught my eye and I’ve been wanting to see the le Jardin de marqueyssac. Three nights in Bordeaux. Head back to Basque and stay in Bidart for 6 nights! I figured we will be ready to relax and take a slower pace at this point which is why we decided on Bidart and use it as a base to travel to inland villages and st Jean de Luz on good weather days (will rent a car). We wanted an apartment with a view of the ocean and some grassy area to play for the kids and Bidart seemed to fit the bill!

I’m hoping this is a good plan! Let me know there’s anything that’s standing out as a bad idea!! Thank you so much!