See Thin run around like crazy trying to plan a European holiday!!

Keith and I are visiting Cousin Muffy in Germany for a week at the end of August. We then have 9 days to travel to another destination.

We are thinking about San Sebastian, Spain right now. However, we don't know if nine days is too long to spend in such a small town.

We would go to Bilbao to see the Guggenheim Museum and to Hondarrabia and Biarritz. That is three days of excursions.

Do any of you Spain experts think that the remaining 6 days in San Sebastian will be boring for us?????????????

I have a house on Main Street in Nantucket so it isn't like I just can't go there for a beach vacation.

Please add your 2 pence.

Gracias,
Thin

I like San Sebastion but was there for only a day we were staying in Bilbao (after Biarittz) to see the Guggenheim.
Did you get the PC wiper?
I've missed you.

I have only been to San Sebastian once, and only for a day, but I'm thinking 9 days might be too much. You might want to consider splitting the time up between there and Ronda or there and St-Jean-de-Luz.

I'm sure Maribel will weigh in with some truly expert advice.

Thanks Mimi and Melen.

Yes, Mimi, I did get the PC wiper.

I am pulling my hair out deciding where to go.

The problem is that I have been everywhere already. LOL!

Maybe we should go to Helsinki?

Thin

You do not say where in German you are visiting, but to make the most of your time (and money) keep it local, The Netherlands, Switzerland or even Poland.

We are going to visit Cousin Muffy at her castle near Lake Constance/Ravensburg area.

That is a bucolic area, so we don't want anymore "trees and lakes" so Switzerland is out.

I can't see us in Poland. No.

I think Amesterdam will be too cold for us in September. We like hot weather.

We are now thinking of going to Rome. I have been before but Keith never has. It will be warm in Rome in September.

Ciao,
Thin

The food in San Sebastian is the best in Spain, but the town itself can be seen in 1 1/2 days. Also the collection at the Guggenhiem is not the best but the northern Spain is beautiful.

I can see the two of you now, frolicing in the fontaines

Northern Spain is not an area of hot weather. If might be hot (but in a heatwave even England is hot), but most probably temperatures will be moderate.

Northern Spain certainly is a good destination and, in fact, we have just book a weeklong in Northern Spain by end of July (we have been there before).

Donostia (formerly known as San Sebastian) is mostly famous for its wide, sandy, wave-protected, boring beach. I would not stay there for nine days.

Bilbao has the Guggenheim, which is good for half a day.

Santander is a beautiful city, with a scenic coast in eastern and western direction and a very attractive hinterland. There is a recent thread with excellent recommendations for daytrips:

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...ander-somo.cfm

The Rioja valley is not far, it may be good for two or three wine-tasting days.

As mentioned, on the French side, Biarritz and St. Jean-de-Luz are worthy destinations for daytrips.

And if you want to drive a bit, even Santiago de Compostela might be included into a trip to Northern Spain.

As a consequence, I would recommend to change bases and not to stay full nine days in one city - maybe a few nights in Donostia, two or three nights in La Rioja, and several nights in Santander.

I'd be happy to live in San Sebastian, but then -- I don't like touristing (I'd rather travel) or touristy places, which some of the above-listed places certainly are, including the Guggenheim, which was purpose-built as a tourist magnet and hasn't transcended its origins.

Have you been to Madrid?

Yes, I have been to Madrid, Burgos, Segovia, Toledo, Seville, Cordoba, Valencia, and Barcelona.

We are leaning towards Rome now.

Who knows how this will end up?

Fours years ago the 4 of us (my mother and Cousin Muffy included) were all headed to Singapore and ended up in Istanbul. ROFL!!

Thank you for your help.

Thin

Do the Camino de Santiago from Vezelay to Compostela. God will forgive you your trespasses. And we will get to hear of Thin and Keith's adventures as pilgrim wanderers. What could be better?

I think more people would rather read about Thin dangling from a window of the Hassler Hotel with bottle of Krug and wearing Ferragamo mules.

If I wanted to see God, I would spend an afternoon at Gucci on the Via Condotti, sweetie darling.

Thin

Hi Thin,
While I do love gorgeous San Sebastián (even with its "touristy" txu-txu train and double decker Bus Turístico!), I do think 9 days would be too much for you and Keith if you like to move around.
4 days would be fine, with a day trip to Bilbao (there's certainly more to the city than the Guggen-just ask mikelg and cova!)

But I'd do the remaining 5 days elsewhere to get to know more of the Costa del Cantábrico.

As others have mentioned, you have Santander to the west (just an easy Pesa bus ride away), then there's beautiful Biarritz to the northeast, which you can also reach by local train (with switch in Hendaye) or by Pesa or Alsa bus.

I'd say dip down into the Rioja for winery touring (by car), but some of the bodegas may be closed in Aug., and it's quite hot down there at that time of the summer-one of the worst months of the year to visit the Rioja.

I'd keep the nine days in the Basque Country (both sides) and Cantabria (where traveller1959 is headed).

Was focusing on tourist trains the upshot of that other thread where I dished the always-on-the-go itineraries for tourists that so predictably show up on Fodor's in answer to questions about Catalonia and the Basque country?

San Sebastian is a world-class eating destination, and one of the most beautiful natural beach harbors in Europe. It's not a fragile place (at the moment anyway) that has lost to its character to tour buses and tourist tat. I'm afraid other places have and do.

Just like there is a difference between being a tourist and being a traveler, there is a difference between a destination that tourists go to and even have tourist tat, and a place in a tourist bubble, on the tourist itinerary, that otherwise has lost its native life. San Sebastian has not.

Don't know that I can explain it any better than that, but I think some people can appreciate the difference and feel it, and don't recommend being a tourist to others.

I once started planning a trip to New Orleans and ended in Morocco, so I can identify with the Istanbul-for-Singapore switch.

In that spirit...how about Iceland? Fab boutiques, it's on the way to/from mainland Europe from the East Coast, it's got wonderful geothermal spas, terrific fresh food...So, okay, maybe I can't see you on the Viking ponies, but the rest (including the varied* museums) is wonderful.
*as mentioned here, in the '60s: http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...in-iceland.cfm

And don't forget Poland completely: the Czartoryski Museum in Krakow is a gem (as is Krakow itself) and I found Warsaw to be surprisingly fun. Oh, and Lithuania: because you haven't been everywhere that's everywhere until you've been to Grutas Park in Druskininkai.

Maybe you should consider Morocco, Thin, since you favor hot climates. I can definitely see you and Keith and Muffy in jewels and djellabas bargaining for orange juice in the Djem al Fnaa! And you'd love the bar and the spa at La Maison Arabe!

You do favor hot climates? Then why not re visit the Rioja Idea?

Maribel if Aug is not popular for Rioja are there good deals there at that time in the luxury resorts?

We have just experienced something similar. I was trying to plan a 5 day jaunt through the Dordogne, and now we are going to London.

Somehow, I just couldn't make things fit, and as I was surfing an art site, I saw that there would be an exhibit in London this summer, by an artist that I'm interested in. So that did. The London came together quickly, which tells me that it is a better idea for us, than the plan we labored over for weeks and got nowhere with.

Rome in September is great.

Hi amsdon,
The problem with August in the Rioja is that many of the small winemakers will be taking their vacations. And without emailing each bodega individually (which is a pain), there's no way to find out which will be open and which won't or which ones will be open but with truncated hours.

But I'm glad you asked, amsdon,

I just checked the rates for Thin and Keith at Gehry's Marqués de Riscal (Starwood) for August.
They have a 3 night special, doubles for 199.50 and rate includes breakfast. Plus they'd have their own personal Nespresso maker for unlimited cappuccinos.

And they could indulge in a morning of vinoterapia-a little wine therapy might be nice (but at a "nice" price!-actually their treatments aren't getting rave reviews). I'd rather have a chocolate, diamond dust, cherry or olive oil wrap at the new Wine-Oil Spa at the Hotel Villa de Laguardia, just 5 minutes north!

Tiny El Ciego in August puts "sleepy" Pedraza to shame-gives new meaning to the term!