Just Starting Planning for Trip to Spain - Travel between Barcelona and San Sebastian?

[Doug W]

Just beginning the work of planning a trip to Spain this spring with my son, a really great private chef, and my brother. Food will be a big focus of our trip as my son is especially interested in Spanish cooking and cuisine.

Right now, we are planning stays in Barcelona and then in the San Sebastian area and using those as bases rather than trying to move a lot.

My first question for the forum...your recommendations on the best way to travel between the two locations. My inclination would be train or perhaps bus but welcome input. It is possible that we may use Barcelona as our European hub to and from the US, and need to travel from there to SS and back before darture from the country.

I welcome feedback and especially your experience in terms of frequency of services, rough costs, length of time involved and any other items I should be aware of (or beware of) in making selections.

 

[Pauline]

Many of our forum members are at a weekend party. I'll tag @Shannon , @Parigi and @Chris to make sure they see this post. They all have good Spain info.

 

[Chris]

I've been to Barcelona, but never to San Sebastian, so I'm no help with how to travel between the two. @Shannon and @Parigi will know much more about this than I do!

 

[Shannon]

I'd fly Vueling.
http://www.vueling.com/en

If you fly back to Barcelona for your flight home I would do it the day before.

 

[Doug W]

Why do you suggest air vs. auto rental or bus? This would seem a relatively short flight, but it also means missing the experience of seeing the country on the ground and involves the usual hassles of baggage checks and security checks and delays at the airport. Just asking.

 

[Doug W]

Also, if flying, what is the nearest airport to San Sebastian?

 

[Andrew]

There is a San Sebastian airport (code EAS), but you may find more and cheaper flights to Bilbao (BIO).

 

[Andrew]

Also I note that www.rome2rio.com is good for looking at options with different modes of transportation between two cities. Note that the times and prices they first show may not be right for your date of travel. It may not be right for you, but it's interesting that they include a "Rideshare" option with the Bla Bla Car service, getting a ride with an individual who's driving.

 

[Shannon]

If you have a couple of days to make the drive and make some stops on the way, that would be cool. But it sounds like you just want to get from point a to point b fairly quickly, which is why I suggested flying. I have only been on the train as far as Zaragoza (which, if your son is a chef, is absolutely worth a night if you can spare it, just for the fab tapas scene alone.) It's a nice ride, but nothing spectacular.

 

[Cameron]

Also, if flying, what is the nearest airport to San Sebastian?

I was in San Sebastian in September. I was in Paris, so flew to Biarritz (with Parigi and her husband) and it was an easy drive to San Sebastian, only 48 kilometers.

That said, I drove us roundtrip from San Sebastian to Bilbao one day, and it was also easy, but a longer drive than going from Biarritz.

Of the two drives, I'd say it's easier from Biarritz and there's nice scenery, even on the autoroute. Have your change ready for the tolls.

 

[Bryan Gros]

If you can afford the time, go ahead and drive. You go through the Rioja wine region, and Zaragosa and Pamplona are the larger towns, but plenty of small picturesque wine towns, old castles, etc. Even a one night stop would be plenty doable.

And if you have time from San Sebastian to do the quick day trip to St Jean de Luz in France, it is worth it. Different flavor of basque country.

We love San Sebastian.

 

[Dennis]

Hello Doug:
By now one's head should be spinning from all the good suggestions given by posters. I'll add another suggestion to add to the options you have. I suggest that Logrono, the capital of the Rioja, for its pichos/tapas. The Calle del Laurel near the central market is packed with bars, each serving its own speciality. Logrono is about a 1 and a half hour drive from San Sebastian. An overnight in LaGuardia to visit bodegas Ysios, designed by Calatrava and Marques de Riscal designed by Geary is worthwhile.
As a general comment, you are wise to centre your trip on two places. The maxim 'less is more" certainly applies to travel in Spain. You will find your own particular gem on your journey. The regions all have their own particular gastronomy, culture and geography.

 

[Dennis]

hi again:
Forgot to mention that in the Barcelona newspaper on Monday there was an article citing "chaos" (long lines) at the airport due to new European security regulations It was a long weekend and today's paper reports 120 new security personnel will be hired. Just a heads-up if you chose to fly.

 

[wco81]

Flying in and out of Bilbao to visit San Sebastian and Asturias in July.

When I was researching ground options, it looked like really long bus rides.

 

[Dennis]

Hello:
What area of Asturias are you visiting? Many of the more scenic areas are best reached by car. With the autovia, driving is safe and pleasurable to get from place to place quickly. If you are heading away from main cities, there will be stopover time to consider also.

 

[wco81]

Some of the coastal areas -- I believe I booked in Llanes, but haven't started booking yet.

From there drive into the Picos de Europa.

 

[Colo]

Doug, I am going to have to agree with Byran - Take a couple days and drive the 6 hours Barcelona and San Sebastian.

The food you seek in San Sebastian comes from the small towns and villages along the way. The food and WINE you will experience will be the most memorable part of the trip. There is no doubt San Sebastian is at the top of list of food centers in the world, but Spain lies between these two major cities. (IMHO)

 

[Dennis]

We may be discussing two different itineraries in this one thread.

For WCO81. Llanes is midway for an explore of both sides of the Picos. I am unable to provide any suggestions regarding Llanes. We stayed in the Ribadesella area to explore the Cangas area and Tudes, just south of Potes to explore the other side. Not knowing your interests and experience of the area, I'll refrain from offering any suggestions. If however, you do have any questions, members of this forum may be able to assist.

Just a note on mountain roads. Even when we travelled in the Spring they were moderately congested around Fuente De, Potes and the road to Lago Enol out of Covadonga.
Buen Viaje

 

[wco81]

We may be discussing two different itineraries in this one thread.

For WCO81. Llanes is midway for an explore of both sides of the Picos. I am unable to provide any suggestions regarding Llanes. We stayed in the Ribadesella area to explore the Cangas area and Tudes, just south of Potes to explore the other side. Not knowing your interests and experience of the area, I'll refrain from offering any suggestions. If however, you do have any questions, members of this forum may be able to assist.

Just a note on mountain roads. Even when we travelled in the Spring they were moderately congested around Fuente De, Potes and the road to Lago Enol out of Covadonga.
Buen Viaje

Yeah I didn't mean to hijack the thread, just pointing out that I thought getting to the Basque country would be a long slog in a car or a bus, based on some early research I did for my own trip.

I was entertaining basing in Pechon, which is east of Llanes. But it seemed like there was very little there as far as restaurants so I booked in Llanes. In the Pico de Europas, I targeted places like Fuente De, Funicular de Bulnes, Lake Covadonga and a few of the Miradors that I've found on Google Maps.

I couldn't find too many specific itinerary ideas of the area. I did see some Northern Spain itineraries which showed beautiful mountains looming over pastoral areas at the bottom, something you might see in Switzerland, so I kind of went with it.

Depending on how much time my day trips to the mountains take, I may try to swing as far west as Oviedo and Dijon.

A lot of it depends on weather. July is suppose to be the driest part of the year for this region but overall it's still a wet region.

 

[Dennis]

Walks out from Fuente De let you see the Alpine without a slog up the mountain. We were told that in the summer waits of a couple of hours can be expected. One can occupy a full day with short walks around Cangas de Onis and there are many pleasant trails around Lake Enol. Parking however is limited. During our stay in Tudes we simply took different paths out of the village. The tourism place in Potes provided good advice regarding trails.

We found this site provided good information regarding hikes in Asturias: https://www.wikiloc.com/trails/outdoor/spain/principality-of-asturias

You can expect views like these without expending much effort: