paris to madrid - what stops to make?
 

my 21-year old daughter and i are going to paris later this month - then on to madrid (where she will be attending school for the semster). we have 11 days. i've been trying to decided between going directly from paris to madrid or making a stop in between. a few friends have suggested either san sebastian or biarritz.

any opinions? and what is the best mode of transportation if we decide to take these trips on our way? thanks!

Stopping in Biarritz is a great idea, but you'll need to check on hotel accommodations. It's still very busy in late August, but you should be able to find something in the city. I'd suggest checking with Hotel Edouard VII (http://hotel-edouardvii.com/), or you can try the Hotel Laminak (http://hotel-laminak.com), 5 minutes from Biarritz.

if you want something nicer, on the beach in St Jean-de-Luz, the you can contact the Hotel Luxe St Jean-de-Luz (http://www.luzgrandhotel.fr/)

You can take the TGV from Paris to Biarritz. The trip takes around 5-1/2 hours. If you don't want to stay in Biarritz the entire time, you can take the bus from the train station into San Sebastian-Donostia, which has three beautiful beaches.

You can then either fly to Madrid from Bilbao, or catch the train. The bus is also a very good option.

thanks - any other suggestions? should i rent a car?

The easiest way to go from Paris to Madrid overland is to take the train: a Paris-Irun TGV (Irun is right across the French/Spanish border in Spain) 5.30 hours travel,and then a Irun-Madrid high speed train, about 8 hrs travel, depending on the train.

The TGV Paris-Irun stops in Biarritz, the Irun-Madrid connection stops in San Sebastian.
Train travel isn't that cheap though.

Another option would be to stay a few days outside Paris (plenty of options, check this forum) and then take an Easyjet flight from Paris to Madrid.

If you were to fly from Paris to Madrid on Easyjet you’d experience nothing but long lines at the airport. I understand that saving a few euros is more important to some people, but I’d rather enjoy the experience of traveling whenever possible and traveling by train is far more enjoyable then flying on a crowded discount airline. Taking the train from Paris to Biarritz is also very practical and a lot more relaxing. Discount tickets on the TGV are available for as low as 116 euros each for 1st class passage, depending on when you’re traveling. A regular refundable ticket is a bit more expensive, but still reasonably priced.

I would opt to fly from either the airport in Hondarribia (referred to as the San Sebastian airport), or the Bilbao airport, which has a few more daily flights, verses taking the train to Madrid. There is no high speed train running between Donostia-San Sebastian and Madrid. The bus is 3 hours quicker. Flying will take around 50 minutes from Bilbao (jet service), slightly longer from the airport in Hondarribia (no jet service). You’ll also have more options flying out of the Bilbao airport since only Iberia services the airport in Hondarribia.

You can rent a car once you arrive in Biarritz or Donostia-San Sebastian. There are dozens of great village to see in both the Pays Basque and País Vasco. You might want to download a free copy of Maribel’s Guide to the Basque Country (http://maribelsguides.com) to learn a little more about the area. There is also the Cadogan Guides on Bilbao and the Basque Lands that is worth purchasing before your trip.

thanks everyone - this is so helpful.

robert - one more question - do you know which airlines fly out of san sebastian or bilbao?

With eleven days, you can easily add to San Sebastian and Biarritz. I would try to see one or two of the famous Loire chateaux. Perhaps the rest of your travels could be in Spain. Go directly to San Sebastian, rent a car and go to Madrid via Bilbao (for the Guggenheim museum), Burgos, Segovia and Avila.

Hi Terry,

from San Sebastian you only have the Iberia option. From Bilbao you have Iberia and Spanair, with more flights every day, and it´s much more easier to find a cheap one-way flight from there.

I have just done a quick search, and for a friday in September I come out with a 41 Euros plus taxes fare for Bilbao, and a 140 Euros plus taxes for San Sebastian.

I wouldn´t think of going by train to Madrid. The nicer thing would be to rent a car and being able to visit a few places on your way down to Madrid, and then either the plane or a VIP bus from Bilbao ( clase SUPRA ).

Check www.easycar.com if you want to rent a car, they are offering some good prices lately.

Rgds, Cova