Spain december puente. Where can we go? Cheaply and near to the Basque country?

Question

Which bus company goes to Biarritz from Vitoria or Bilbao? Would Biarritz be a good place to go?

Answer 1

Biarritz is in France. It is beautiful but very exclusive and therefore expensive. The current is very dangerous too, so no swimming. I can't imagine there will be much to do there in December either. Other places on the french basque coast are Anglets, Bayonne, hendaye. In Spain, St Sebastian, Santander.Sorry I don't know the bus company name. Trains are as good and not too dear.

Answer 2

Bilbao itself has become quite a smart city over the last few years (Guggenheim museum is definitely worth seeing, if only for the building itself) and a great place for eating out/nightlife. The old town (Casco Viejo) has plenty of bars/restaurants/clubs. If you want to travel by bus from Bilbao, virtually all buses leave from the bus station next to the San Mames metro station. The company running buses run to Hendaye, just over the French border, is called Alsa (no buses direct to Biarritz -expensive and a bit dour at this time of year- as far as I know, so you’d have to change in Hendaye), and you can get tickets in advance from the bus station. In the other direction there are some interesting/lively towns between Bilbao and Santander. Castro-Urdiales and Laredo are possibly the liveliest at that time of year (buses from the same bus station), and you should get reasonable accommodation there for around 25-30 euros per room per night, although because of the ‘Puente’, I’d book in  advance.

There are also some great walking/birdwatching/outdoor activity areas… just ask another question if you want more info.

Hope that’s helpful.

Answer 3

I would go either to Santander or Pamplona. Both of them are near Vitoria and Bilbao and are beautiful cities with a lot of places to visit and really good food. Biarritz is more visited in summer.

Answer 4

if you can, head slightly further south into Spain's Prinicipado Asturias, it's a stunning region, it offers the best of spanish cuisine (along the coast) stay in one of the stae owned hotels, the Paradors, these are churches, castles, abbeys etc that have been converted to 5 star hotels, and they are very inexpensive - we had four poster beds, stunnign views etc for about £40 per night per room.