I'd like to get thoughts regarding this tentative itinerary this summer. Have a family of 5 so hotels and accommodations play a role where we stay (need a place that won't break the bank but will also be closer to 4 stars than 2 stars). We will have a car, but thinking about dropping it off after we check in at San Sebastian unless we get parking with our rental.

Arrive Bilbao on Monday, July 1st:
2-nights Bilbao VRBO
2-nights Getaria Small hotel with a view. See the village and nearby village(s). Could combine this and Bilbao or append a day elsewhere too.
3-nights Ainhoa B&B. Food, hiking, explore depending on the weather. Was thinking about St Jean de Luz or Ainhoa--but seemed like this little town will be relaxing.
3-nights San Sebastian VRBO
Fly out Bilbao on Thursday, July 11th to Madrid.

Thoughts? Thanks!

I took a very similar itinerary with my parents a year ago, and I thought it worked out great!

Bilbao was a delightful, non-touristy city. If you're interested in a guided tour, I will recommend Mikel, who posts on here often. He was entertaining and informative, and told us about history and introduced us to the pintxos culture. Upon leaving the city, we visited Guernika, which is both a delightful and beautiful little city, and a historic site that was the impetus for Picasso's painting of the same name. If you are at all interested in history, plan a stop here. The city is also important to (Spanish) Basque culture.

We then went to Lekeitio, for one night, then Getaria for one night. I preferred Lekeitio, but it was partly due to it being Monday in Getaria, so many restaurants were closed. If you like to walk, there's a nice walk to Mont San Anton. And in Lekeitio, you can walk to a disappearing island, which we did with much glee.

Ainhoa is a pretty little town, with lots of walks in the area. I hope to go back here some time. We stayed at Maison Tartea, and if you're lucky, you're staying there, too. We ate one night at Ithurria, in Ainhoa, and the other night at the more contemporary Auberge Basque; we liked them both.

Enjoy!

We then finished our Basque country trip in San Sebastian - we dropped our car off at the airport, then took a cab from there.

Should be nice!
Like Lexma, I really enjoyed Bilbao.

You might want to hike down La Rhune; take the cog railway up.

Thanks! Lexma, yes we arranged to stay at Maison Tartea. Michael, I'll add the railway to the potential activity list! I modified the itinerary as follows:

3-nights Bilbao. Wanted an extra day to explore the city and nearby attractions.
1-night Getaria. Decided we'd be better served with the extra night in Bilbao.
3-nights Ainhoa B&B. Maison Tartea
3-nights Saint Jean de Luz B&B Staying here will save a lot of $ over SS plus won't have to worry about ditching the rental car.

Suggestions for any fun activities? I heard chocolate tour, sand dunes, the gorge of kakuetta, ropes course, fishing or boating? Getting really excited!

I don't think you'll regret the extra day in Bilbao!

While not necessarily "fun" in the ways you envision, you might consider taking the Funicular de Artxanda while in Bilbao, and perhaps stopping at the intriguing (IMO, and also that of UNESCO) Puente Colgante (Biscaya Bridge) in Getxo.

And do consider visiting the museums of Basque culture in both Bilbao and San Sebastian.
Enjoy!

My parents are in their 80s, and my dad can't walk so far, so their activities might not be the same as what you consider fun. And we're all history buffs, and foodies.

We took the funicular in Bilbao, great views and easy for my dad. Obviously, the Guggenheim was a must-see. In fact, it's what drew me to Bilbao in the first place. But none of us really love modern art, so we enjoyed the outside of the Guggenheim more than the inside. Pintxos everywhere, and the tour I mentioned above, were very fun for us.

I'll mention Guernika (though Americans probably call it Guernica) again, because I thought it was so meaningful. And the walk up Mount San Anton in Getaria; the vegetation there was lovely - and look for the faces carved in the sandstone rocks.

From Ainhoa, we took the Rhune train, another activity that's good for people who can't walk far. We saw many wild ponies and domestic goats and sheep while on the train. We visited a bunch of the nearby towns, including St. Jean Pied de Port, which is a significant point on the Camino de Santiago.

Ainhoa is a very, very small town and three nights may be too much there...have you considered a larger place like Bayonne, maybe? It´s an easy drive from there to Ainhoa, Espelette, Cambo and all the rest of the Basque Country. And it´s a great town to visit too, full of history and nice places (it´s the chocolate capital of France, they say...)

I agree about Bayonne. And if you should hit a rainy day, the La Perla Spa right on the main beach in San Sebastián is a delightful place to while away a few hours (if you enjoy spas).

If you are not traveling with young children and everyone has good mobility, I recommend the hike up to San Juan de Gaztelugatxe. It was on my bucket list and was definitely worth the steps!



But it was pretty steep!

I thought Getaria was so charming. I'd want at least two nights there especially with a car.

Bayonne lovely as well. I think I was there three nights last time...then took bus to San Sebastian.