Bay of Biscay, one coast on both sides of the Bidasoa.

What is the Bay of Biscay?

It is the great Atlantic inlet formed by the north coast of Spain and the west coast of France. According to the International Hydrographic Organization, it runs from Cape Ortegal, in Galicia, to the island of Ouessant, in Brittany. On the Spanish side it washes Galicia, Asturias, Cantabria and the Basque Country; on the French side, Nouvelle-Aquitaine, Pays de la Loire and southern Brittany. In France they call it the golfe de Gascogne.

For a trip, what matters is the corner at the back, where the two coasts meet at the mouth of the Bidasoa, between Hondarribia and Hendaye. On one side and the other there is the same thing: fishing ports, open beaches with surf waves, flysch cliffs and a cuisine that lives off the sea. The language and mealtimes change, not the landscape. This zone groups that stretch, from the coast of Bizkaia to that of Lapurdi, and leaves open the continuation towards Cantabria and Asturias to the west and towards the Landes and Arcachon to the north.

How to get there and get around?

By air, the most practical airports are Bilbao and Biarritz; Santander, Asturias and Bordeaux serve the ends. By car, from Bilbao to San Sebastián it is about 100 km along the AP-8, a toll road, and from San Sebastián to Biarritz about 50 km, around 40 minutes; in France the A-63 motorway is also a toll road and the corniche road between Hendaye and Socoa is the free and slow alternative.

Without a car, this coast works better than almost any. Euskotren's Topo links San Sebastián with Hendaye station in about 40 minutes, and the French regional train leaves from there for Saint-Jean-de-Luz, Biarritz and Bayonne. From Hondarribia, a motor boat crosses to Hendaye in seven minutes. In Bizkaia, Euskotren line E4 runs from Bilbao to Gernika and Mundaka, and in Gipuzkoa the Lurraldebus bus links Donostia with Zarautz and Getaria. What gets complicated without a car are the inland villages, like Espelette, and the cliff viewpoints.

What to see on the bay?

In Bizkaia, Urdaibai is the biosphere reserve that combines Gernika, the Mundaka ría and San Juan de Gaztelugatxe, about 35 to 45 minutes from Bilbao by car. The ría can be paddled by canoe at high tide and Gaztelugatxe requires a free booking on controlled-access days.

In Gipuzkoa, Getaria and Zarautz are two villages 4 or 5 km apart along the coast: Getaria has the port, the Monte San Antón, which they call the Mouse, and the Balenciaga museum; Zarautz, the long beach and the surf schools. At the end of the Spanish coast, Hondarribia has a walled old town, the Marina quarter and Monte Jaizkibel, about 25 minutes from San Sebastián.

On the other side of the bridge the French Basque Coast begins: Hendaye, the port of Saint-Jean-de-Luz, the beaches of Biarritz and, inland, the La Rhune rack railway and Espelette. It can be covered from Hendaye to Biarritz in half an hour.

If you carry on west, the same coast continues in Cantabria with Santoña and Laredo, its anchovy factories 45 minutes from Bilbao, and the Costa Quebrada, a quarter of an hour from Santander; in Asturias, Llanes is the base for the eastern coast. To the north, the Arcachon Bay, under an hour by train from Bordeaux, has the Dune du Pilat and the oyster huts, and further up the Marennes-Oléron marsh refines oysters in its claires.

When is it best to go?

May, June and September. The water is already mild for those who swim in the Cantabrian, the surf schools are working, the boat and the motor boat run late and there is room on the beaches. In July and August everything fills up, prices rise and Gaztelugatxe requires an early start. From November to March the coast is for walking and eating: the La Rhune train stops running, many surf schools close and the sea arrives with storms that are watched from the promenades. It rains in any month, and the weather changes within a few hours.

How many days do you need?

With a weekend you see one side: Urdaibai and Bilbao, or San Sebastián with Getaria and Hondarribia. With four or five days you do the whole stretch from Bilbao to Biarritz without hurrying, with a night in San Sebastián or Hondarribia and another in Saint-Jean-de-Luz. If you want to add Cantabria or Arcachon, allow a week.

What to know before you go?

The Basque coast is expensive in August and on summer weekends, on both sides of the border: book accommodation ahead. In France people eat quite a bit earlier than in Spain, and outside mealtimes it is hard to find a kitchen open. For surfing, the sea of the bay has strong currents and the beaches change with the tide: swim where there is a lifeguard. Always carry a rain jacket, even in summer.