Bordeaux to Bilbao

We visited the French and Spanish Basque Country this summer for our babymoon when Sarah was 6 months pregnant. Our itinerary traces a straight line but we used public transportation so it was a bit more complicated. Here's how we got around and the highlights of each destination.

Alicante to Bordeaux (flight)

We found Bordeaux to be a charming, walkable city with great food. We visited the customs museum, and learned all the customs about customs. We also enjoyed the wine museum and the river ferry within the city transit system.

Bordeaux to Saint Emilion (car - two hours)

We booked a day trip at the last minute via getyourguide and shared a van with a few uppity young Brits. The town of Saint Emilion was forgettable, unless you like small wine and cheese shops crowded with tourists. We visited two vineyards and had a picnic lunch.

Bordeaux to Biarritz (bus - two hours)

The bus from Bordeaux to Biarritz takes about two hours, passing Bayonne just before its destination. There is a 20-minute walk from the Biarritz bus station to the town center.  Biarritz has beautiful beaches, classy restaurants and clubs, a nice promenade, and mansions to ogle. You can run or bike to adjacent towns via coastal trails. Biarritz is pricey but it's worth observing this summer destination for French elite. 

Biarritz to San Sebastian (bus - one hour)

The bus from Biarritz to San Sebastian takes an hour and, being within the Schengen zone, there is no border control. We were somewhat concerned the bus service and/or border crossing would be affected by Coronavirus but everything was fine. A midpoint between the two cities was Saint-Jean-de-Luz, which we heard nice things about but did not visit.

San Sebastian is one of the top destinations in Spain and for good reason: a stunning city beach, popular aquarium, high-quality food wherever you go, and lovely topography.

San Sebastian to Hondarribia (bus - one hour)

We made a day trip to this erstwhile Basque fishing, now an artist colony and food destination. It took an hour each way by public bus. It was a short walk from the bus stop to the town center, then a longer walk to the beach. On the edge of the town center, we had an excellent lunch at Alameda, a one Michelin star restaurant with a more accessible bar (we dined at the bar). The town is charming because it preserves the sloped architecture of its heritage. The beach was lovely, though no better than the San Sebastian city beaches except that across the way, you could see the French town Hendaye. 

San Sebastian to Bilbao (bus - one hour)

We might not have visited Bilbao except that it was our return ticket, such is the advantage San Sebastian possesses in terms of hospitability and attractions, despite Bilbao being much bigger. Bilbao is a nice place for Basque pintxos but you can also find these in San Sebastian. Only Bilbao has the Guggenheim Museum; that's something to consider. Of culinary note, we tried the Patri Gastrobar from Michelin star collector Martin Bersategui. It was good but there is really no comparison between a gastrobar and a fine dining restaurant even if from the same restauranteur.

Bilbao to Alicante

We returned to Alicante via Ryanair.