North of Spain route. Day 1: French Basque Country
These are the chronicles of my road trip through the north of Spain with my cousins in the Spring Break of 2019. It is a 11 day itinerary that spanned from the French Basque Country to Asturias, including the way from and to Barcelona (where I currently live). On our firstday, we explored Bárdenas Reales, a beautiful desert in Navarra, as well as some villages of the French Basque Country and the Eastern Basque Coast, finishing up in San Sebastián.
This was my road trip team (I’m the one on the front left)
Post Contents
Day 0
1. Calatayud (Aragón)
We left on a working Friday, so we decided that, instead of driving all the way from Barcelona to the Basque country in one evening, we would have a pit stop in Calatayud (Aragón), where I have a house, which is roughly 4 hours away. You can of course alter this, but it was a nice addition to our trip in order to reduce the driving hours in one day and allowed us to visit Bárdenas Reales in Navarra.
Since Calatayud is not an integral part of this trip, I won’t add anything about it, but I will write an exclusive post about it in the future.
The church of Santa María la Mayor and colorful houses in Calatayud
Day 1
1. Bárdenas Reales (Navarra)
After our overnight stop, we headed to Bárdenas Reales, a semi-desert natural park that makes some Martian landscapes. The general term is badlands, because of the soils made of clay, chalk and sandstone. These soft materials are eroded by water and wind, creating spectacular shapes called cabezos.
View of Bárdenas Reales from Mirador Bardena Blanca
The most famous structure is cabezo de Castildetierra a great rock pinnacle located in the western side of Bárdenas Reales.
The famous cabezo de Castildetierra
Right beneath this cabezo you can find a canyon-like structure that is a perfect spot for a short hike. There is basically nobody there and the erosion has created secret caves and tunnels that are great to explore, especially when traveling with children.
The canyon at Bárdenas Reales
This desert was made famous worldwide during the sixth season of the Game of Thrones series. Your can read more about it in the post below (may contain spoilers if you’re not up to date with the series).
→ ‘Game of Thrones’ locations that you can visit in Spain
Our little wink to GoT in Bárdenas Reales
Travel tip: on your way to Bárdenas Reales you can visit de town of Tudela. We did not visit it during this trip, as we had been there the previous year, but it makes a nice stop with its multi-styled cathedral and its delicious tapas.
Skyline of Tudela in Navarra. Photo credit: GUIA ILUSTRADA with CC BY-SA 4.0
2. Olite (Navarra)
We were supposed to go directly to Biarritz in France, but our stomachs urged us to have a pit stop in the town of Olite in Navarra. The town is famous for its Gothic Royal Palace, which was the seat of the King Charles III of Navarra, and the church of San Pedro. We had a walk in its beautiful Old Town that is still walled and had some tapas for lunch in the main square (Plaza Carlos III El Noble) with views to the Castle and the City Hall. We ate at Mesón El Sol which was correct and affordable.
Church of San Pedro from outside of the walled city
The charming Old Town of Olite
The Disney-like Royal Palace of Olite
3. Biarritz (French Basque Country)
On our way to Biarritz, we avoided highways and passed some very beautiful towns, such as Bega in the Spanish side, or Sare and Ainhoa in the French side. All had many things in common: green grass, tucked in mountains and with beautiful white houses with wooden beams and doors painted in colors. We went through very fast due to time, but consider having a stop in some of these.
The cute little town of Sare in the French Basque Country. Photo credit: Harrieta171 with CC BY-SA 4.0
We arrived at Biarritz with a fabulous sunny day and we went directly to the main beach. Biarritz is an important city in the French Basque Country known for the Hôtel du Palais, its casinos in front of the sea and its surfing culture. Since we only had the afternoon to visit some more towns and arrive to San Sebastian, we just had a short walk in the beach boulevard and had a coffee in one of its terraces. We immediately saw that this was a vacation destination for the wealthy, but it has a nice 1920s vibe to it.
The Grand Plage (Big Beach) of Biarritz and the Barrière Casino (on the left)
The lighthouse of Biarritz makes a fantastic landscape for the main beach
4. Saint-Jean-de-Luz (French Basque Country)
Our next stop was the French town of Saint-Jean-de-Luz, a town built in a natural port that has a very similar vibe to Biarritz taken back a couple of centuries. In my opinion it is much more charming, as it shows less appearance of a “posh” vacation destination and more of a fisherman village that has had a good fishing period. You can expect the same in services (such as thalassotherapies, high end hotels and walking streets full of shops and restaurants) with less tourists and for less money. If you can only fit one in your trip (and you don’t mind skipping the surf) go for Saint-Jean-de-Luz instead of Biarritz.
The beach boulevard is always full on a sunny day
The shape of the beach protects from waves and makes it a great bathing spot
Our roadtrip team (me on the left) enjoying a sunny afternoon in Saint-Jean-de-Luz
The charming streets of Saint-Jean-de-Luz
5. Hondarribia (Basque Country)
Just a brief mention that the roads on this area were absolutely stunning. Avoid the highways to save up some money and enjoy the great feeling that these sunny roads lined with trees will leave on you. Plus the highway only saves you a few minutes anyway.
Beautiful roads when avoiding the tolls!
Immediately after crossing the border to Spain, we visited the gorgeous town of Hondarribia (Fuenterrabia in Spanish). This border town is located in a promontory facing Hendaye (France) and its beautiful Old Town has been recommended to me by many. Check out the quirky Arma Plaza.
Arma Plaza is the “main” square in the Old Town of Hondarribia
View of Hendaye (France) from the Old Town in Hondarribia
The walled Old Town is built on a hill, which gives it priviledged views over the sea and the nearby mountain Jaizkibel.
Its charm comes mainly by the high density of old colorful houses as well as the gorgeous church of Nuestra Señora del Manzano. Food in Hondarribia is great, in brand with the rest of the Basque Country. Its main foodie axis is not in the old quarter though. Head to Barrio La Marina (the fishermen quarter) for delicious seafood and pintxos.
Colorful houses at Arma Plaza
The Church of Nuestra Señora del Manzano
6. Donostia or San Sebastián (Basque Country)
We arrived to San Sebastian in the evening and checked out in our Airbnb. I really recommend it btw, here’s the link: Airbnb in San Sebastián. Below you’ll find more accommodation options. We did not have time to see much of the city that day, so we just went for some delicious pintxos. I describe what we saw in San Sebastián in the next post.
Aerial view of San Sebastián (Donostia)
How to get to San Sebastián
While this post is part of a road trip through the North of Spain and we got there by car, you may want to travel directly here. In that case, you can fly to San Sebastian’s international airport from many destinations.
Alternatively you can get there from many other cities in the country using Spain’s well developed train system or intercity buses:
Where to stay in San Sebastián
Budget
While San Sebastián is not necessarily a cheap city, there are some options for those on a budget. In the city center you’ll find Pensión Garibai, a simple hotel in the City Center that offers great value. If you’d prefer to stay near La Concha, A Room in the City is an excellent and social hostel that will fit many pockets. Lastly, Pensión del Mar has one of the best value for money in the city, located in the Gros neighbourhood.
Midrange
If you’d like to stay right in the middle of the action, your best option is Artea Narrika, a modern and minimalist guesthouse in the Old Town. Alternatively, Hotel SANSEbay has a really spot on decor, especially for a hotel of this price. For La Concha, check out Hotel San Sebastián Orly, with excellent views of the city or the sea and spacious rooms. To avoid the tourists but still be close to the action, check out Hotel Okako, a bohemian little boutique hotel in Gros.
Luxury
Lastly, if you’re ready to splurge, your best options are Hotel María Cristina in the city center or Hotel de Londres y de Inglaterra in La Concha. The first one is the epitome of the traditional European luxury, while the second one offers a unique location in front of the beach and uses a beautiful mix of old school decor with modern touches.
Closing statement
This is only the first day in our 10-day road trip through the north of Spain. Make sure you stay tuned for new and exciting posts about our journey.
Next post: North of Spain route. Day 2: San Sebastián
Go to route: North of Spain route: Basque Country, Cantabria and Asturias
Meanwhile, you can read more about other destinations in Spain in some of our posts (check them out and you will find many subposts linked to them):
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