Bayonne? San Sebastian? Other? where to spend a day

[Sandcruiser]

My flights are such that I'll have an overnight in Barcelona, then fly to Bilbao in the morning (landing 11am). I have a reservation the next night in SJPdP... so that means that I have a little more than 24 hours to spend getting from Bilbao to SJPdP and I am thinking to spend a night in either San Sebastian, Bayonne or somewhere else that's interesting.

Where should I go? I have visited Bilbao/San Sebastian before, but it was nearly 30 years ago.
I don't know France at all so I'm leaning towards Bayonne (or nearby) as a possible solution.

I see that there is a pilgrim Refuge in Bayonne, so I will ask if there is room - does I "count" as a pilgrim if I haven't started the walking portion yet? ie: still in transit? I don't want to start out by flaunting convention.

 

[Pelerina]

Hi @Sandcruiser

I’ll answer the last question in case you decide on Bayonne. We stayed at the Refuge in Bayonne on 12 May, before beginning the Camino Baztan. So yes you can definitely stay there before walking. That’s quite usual as far as I know.

It’s a small and modern refuge - just their second year in operation I believe - less than 5 minutes walk from the cathedral. The hospitaleros were kind and welcoming. The refuge has two dormitory rooms for a maximum of 14 in total. There are two bathrooms. Breakfast was included in the price of 10 euros. They also had credenciales for 2 euros and scallop shells for a donation. It was almost full when we were there, most going towards the del Norte, so you may want to reserve.

In earlier threads there was this contact information.

@Monasp said this
‘You can call the hostel on +33 5 59 25 71 33. We take reservations by phone. The person who answers speaks very good English.’

And another forum member received a prompt reply by using this email. caminopa@hotmail.com

 

[estorildon]

The tapas in San Sebastian is the best in all of the world. I am going there for a two night crawl next month. Bayonne is a very nice town with some very good restaurants along the River Nive and quite an informative museum about the Basque culture. The Cathedral there is wonderful. Given your limited time frame I would opt for Bayonne and be ready for the train to SJPdP first thing in the morning rather than deal with additional transportation hassles.

 

[J Willhaus]

Something you may want to consider. Be sure to find out what your "check in" time is in SJPDP. We arrived quite early in the morning with a reservation at our albergue, but were not allowed to leave our packs until check in time in the afternoon on our first camino. Had to carry them around for several hours. You may be able to leave then at the pilgrim office, but that was not offered to us as an option.

If you stay in Bayonne, you may not want to be on the earliest train to SJPDP unless you will have somewhere to drop off your things while you explore the town.

 

[JerryStroebele]

I've been to Bilbao at least 3 times and could easily spend another day there. Third largest city in Spain and full of friendly Basques. Buen Camino

 

[Rick M]

The tapas in San Sebastian is the best in all of the world. I am going there for a two night crawl next month. Bayonne is a very nice town with some very good restaurants along the River Nive and quite an informative museum about the Basque culture. The Cathedral there is wonderful. Given your limited time frame I would opt for Bayonne and be ready for the train to SJPdP first thing in the morning rather than deal with additional transportation hassles.

It's hard to exagerate just how good the food scene is in San Sebastian. I'm going for a five night crawl before my next Camino.

 

[Sandcruiser]

Fwiw, I chose Bayonne and loved it.
Good food, cute town, and a very patient waitress who suffered through my atrocious french.

 

[Lovebubble]

I live in Hendaye which is equidistant between San Sebastian and Bayonne and visit them both regularly. However I agree with Estorildon and would chose Bayonne as you will be leaving from there for SJPDP. It's a great town and the Cathedral is really worth visiting. San Sebastian merits a visit of more than 24 hours if only to enjoy the fabulous pintxos! Buen Camino!