France/Spain Basque area itinerary
 

Looking at using some ff miles for a trip to this region. Considering flying into Bordeaux and out of Bilboa. Will aim for about 9 touring days . Definitely want to spend time in San Sebastian as well, and some other towns along the way. A friend recommended Hondarribia, which looks charming.

About how much time is necessary in San S, Bilboa and Bordeaux? Where to stop in between, either in transit or for an overnight? Is there possibly a good location(s) along the way where we can do day trips? We would rent a car.

We are active travelers, comfortable with driving between towns, and doing lots of walking when in towns. This trip would most likely be in May or the fall, depending on ff deals. We don't plan on this being a beach-type vacation, but to see scenic beaches for photo opts would be nice.

You might be interested in this trip report; the beginning covers Bordeaux and then the area between it and Spain.

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...-june-2011.cfm

Renting a car in one country and dropping it in the other may very well incur a large drop fee. You may want to drop the first car near the border, take a taxi/bus/train across the border and pick up a second rental car.

Check if you can drop off the car in Hendaye and then take the commuter line to San Sebastian.

Consider flying into Bayonne, not Bordeaux. Closer to your target region, and you will not have time to explore Bordeaux and its environs with such a limited time.

OR, fly into San Sebastian and take day trips from there, to Pays Basque and to the smaller towns near SS. Then drop car in SS, take bus or taxi (or your rental car) to Bilbao, stay 2 nights in Bilbao, and take taxi (rental car) to airport to fly home.

How much time to spend in any one location is, IMO, a very personal decision. I would urge you to plot what YOU want to see and do on a calendar so you can come up with a plan that works for you.

For another trip report covering time on the Spanish side only:
http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...-catalunya.cfm

9 days isn’t very long, less if you include your arrival and departure dates.

If you want to visit both the Pays Basque and País Vasco, you should fly into Bayonne, as ekscrunchy recommends, and depart from Bilbao, giving you 4 days in the Pays Basque and 5 in the País Vasco.

If you want to has a car to do any exploring, then reserve one in the Pays Basque and one in the País Vasco, but with a so little time, you will no have the time to explore the interior.

Bordeaux is just too far north and requires 3 days itself.

Keep checking news about Basque country as the situation there is a bit tense at the moment and it might be not easy to enjoy a trip there

Interesting comment, but what news are you watching? I’m certainly not aware of anything being a “bit tense” in the País Basco or the Pays Basque at this time. Am I missing something?

"Situation?" There seems to be no tense situation in the Basque region. Maybe confused witih Cataluñya? I would not think twice about visiting either of those regions now...

Bordeaux really needs at least 3 days, more if you include all the attractions of the Bassin d' Arcachon, so I'd give it a miss on such a short trip. Flying into Bayonne is a good idea. I would guess you'd want to visit it anyway, along with Biarritz and St-Jean-de-Luz. Take the train to Hendaye and cross the border into Spain, taking the commuter train to San Sebastián. You won't need a car there and can easily take a bus to Bilbao and elsewhere.

I looked into flying into Bayonne initially but nothing available with my frequent flyer that didn't require multiple plane changes (2+) and over a day of travel time so it just wasn't meant to be.

Thanks for the heads up re: car rentals, I will definitely factor in avoiding drop off/pick up in different countries if possible. And we would definitely be open to some train travel if it makes sense.

As far as time, the 9 days does not include the flying days. It would be actual sight-seeing days.

This is just the initial phase of planning, so definitely subject to change.

I just put in some alternative dates and may be able to fly into Bayonne (Biarritz) after all.