I am planning an itinerary that will include the French and Spanish Pyrenees and Basque. Can you suggest a good base and nice towns to visit?

We stayed in a very pcturesque village,
AINHOA. Our hotel was lovely with delicious local food and a house Rioja rosé. The IThurria Hotel.

http://www.ithurria.com/

We loved San Sebastian as a base for the Basque country. An excellent guide to the area can be found at:

http://www.maribelsguides.com/

One of the most central locations for visiting both the Pays Basque and País Vasco would be the village of Hondarribia (Fuenterrabia) at the mouth of the Rio Bidasoa, along the border between Spain and France. From here you have quick access to both the coastal regions of the Pays Basque, Ciboure, St. Jean-de-Luz, Guéthary, Bidart, Biarritz, Anglet and Bayonne, as well as the inland areas and the villages of Sare, Ainhoa, Espelette, Cambo, Bidarray, Baigorry and St. Jean-Pied-de-Port.

Hondarribia is only 20 minutes from San Sebastian-Donostia, and another hour into Bilbao following the A8. It’s also only an hour north of Pamplona.

We often stay in the village of Bera (Vera) at the Hotel Churrut, 15 minutes inland from Hondarribia. The village is on the old “smugglers route” into the Pays Basque. This backcountry road takes you into the village of Sare through the Pyrenees and is a lot nicer than fighting the traffic on the A63 or the N10.

People, please stop telling people about new favorite place on earth: San Sebastián.

I want it all to myself.
And the misses.

Maribel's guides are perfect.

www.MaribelsGuides.com

www.nycClubTaurino.com

A delightful book,
"Postcards From The Basque Country
a Journey of Enchantment and Imagination"
By Beth Nelson