planwell

My first Spain trip was two years ago to Andalucia, and my upcoming solo October trip would be for Barcelona, Catalonia and the Basque Country. My itinerary for Barcelona and Catalonia is firmed up, and would end at LLeida. From Lleida I have 15 nights left for the Basque Country. Would appreciate comments on my itinerary. By public ransportation, mid range budget, food lover, photographer, light hiker, prefers authentic over touristy locations, slow and few over fast and more.

Two nights at Logrono. Day trip to Briones.
Two nights at Pamplona. Day trip to Olite.
Three nights at San Sebastian.
Two nights at Bayonne, or at Saint Jean de Luz. Day trip: Petit train de la Rhune and hike down.
One night at Zumaia. Hike Geopark.
One night at Lekeitio.
Four nights at Bilboa. Day trip to Vitoria-Gasteiz. Flight departure from Bilboa.
Or skip one night at Lekeitio, and add one night at Bilboa. Day trip to Lekeitio.

Thanks in advance.

kja

I like that you are giving Bilbao 4 nights. With planned day trips, you aren't giving either Logorno or Pamplona much time, but maybe that's intentional?

If you haven't already seen it, you might find some useful information in my trip report, which also includes Barcelona and other parts of Catalunya:
Four Awesome Weeks in the North of Spain and Catalunya

planwell

Yes, I would love to spend more time at these locations. But that would mean pruning down the list. One option is to skip the French side, and free up two nights. Suggestions?

I have been following trip reports here, including yours. It's quite exhausting, in a good way. Searching with Advanced Search here (when it works!), and with Google Advanced Search help some, but still not great. Any better idea?

kja

I find some very useful information in trip reports, but to me, they are not a substitute for good guidebooks. I haven't been to the French Basque country, but for the Spanish side, I found the Michelin Green Guide and Rough Guide particularly helpful.

It seems to me that there's never enough time to see everything. I'd rather skip some places entirely than have too little time for what I want to see and do in the places I do visit; other people prefer "tasting" itineraries. Individual choice!

PalenQ

More is less or less is more? timeless conundrum - but a visit to French Basque country and your plans there seem neat - from San Sebastian you can take the tiny Tren Eusko - an inter-urban narrow-gauge train that goes thru several Basque villages - sometimes running right down main streets in them- to Hendaye - frequent cheap departures - mainline trains S Sebastian-Hendaye are much more infrequent and cost more - and the eusko train station is in the heart of San Sebastian - RENFE mainline station on edge of town center.

https://www.hendaye-tourisme.fr/en/t...sko-tren-topo/

Robert2016

You might want to learn the name of the city. It's Bilbao, not Bilboa. It helps when making plans, like trying to book a bus.

A day trip from Logroño to Briones is interesting, if you have a car. There is a wine bus, but it doesn't run that often and is seasonal. There is a bus that runs between Logroño and Miranda de Ebro, with a stop in Briones (http://www.ayuntamientobriones.org/f...df/MIRANDA.pdf) Teléfono estación autobuses Logroño 941 23 59 83

With only two nights in Pamplona, I wouldn't do Olite as a day trip. Too much to see and do in Pamplona. And again, the bus doesn't run that often, so you would have to kill some time waiting for the next bus.

Bayonne and Saint-Jean-de-Luz are quite different, the beach vs along the river. I like both, but Bayonne would be my first choice in October. It's not beach weather. Lekeitio is nice, but again, it's a beach town without the excitement of Bilbao or Donostia.

Have you read Maribel's Guides to the Pays Basque, País Vasco and the Rioja? They might help.

planwell

Thanks for thr responses.

Yes, Bilbao, not Bilboa

As with planning every trip, I browsed through half a dozen guide books (and in this case also Maribel's Guides) before reading the trip reports.

I have fond memory of the pueblos blancos in Andalucia. I hope that Briones, Olite, and Lekeitio, etc. would be similar. Quaint, charming villages, a breather away from the big city excitements. I plan to arrive early in the morning, and return mid or late afternoon. The bus timetables for Logrono to Briones and Pamplono to Olite (thanks for the link) suggest that it's quite doable. Have not been able to find an online booking site for these routes. I expect purchasing the tickets at Logrono and Pamplona should not be a problem.