Getaways from San Sebastián: day trips and destinations close by.

Hondarribia and France to the east, Getaria to the west

Three roads share out almost all the plans. The AP-8 to the east passes the airport on the way to Hondarribia and crosses the Bidasoa at Irun; on the other side it continues as the French A-63 towards the French Basque Coast and, much further up, the Arcachon bay. The same AP-8 to the west leads to Getaria and Zarautz and, past Eibar, to the Gernika turn-off and Urdaibai. To the south, the A-15 via Leizarán drops to Pamplona and Olite, and the N-I via Tolosa and Etxegarate climbs to Vitoria, the gateway to the Rioja Alavesa, Haro and Burgos.

Without a car, the two nearest plans on this side of the border have a Lurraldebus bus: the BI01 to Hondarribia and the UK10 to Getaria, about 40 minutes each. The Euskotren Topo reaches Hendaye and there the French coastal train begins. For the rest a car is best: Urdaibai, southern Navarre and La Rioja are far from direct lines.

The coast half an hour away, on both sides of the Bidasoa

Half an hour away is the coast, on both sides. Hondarribia, at 25 minutes, with the wall, the Marina and the motor boat to Hendaye; Getaria, at 30, with the Balenciaga museum and the Ratón. Across the Bidasoa, at the same half hour, are the Sundays of Saint-Jean-de-Luz, Biarritz and La Rhune, which are arranged separately in the Sunday plans near San Sebastián.

The day calls for an early start between one and two hours. Urdaibai, an hour and twenty away, combines Gaztelugatxe, Mundaka and Gernika; Olite, at 95 minutes, the Royal Palace and the climb to Ujué; Laguardia, an hour and three quarters away, the cellars and Marqués de Riscal, and Haro, almost two, the wineries of the Barrio de la Estación. Urdaibai and the Rioja Alavesa also have an overnight version: Urdaibai with the estuary by canoe and the Rioja Alavesa inside the Laguardia wall.

From two and a half hours the trip is a weekend one: oysters at Arcachon, at 2 h 30; Burgos and Atapuerca, at 2 h 35; the Gavarnie cirque, three hours via Pau and Lourdes; Llanes and the eastern Asturian coast, a little over three, and Ordesa from Torla, almost three and a half.

November, one of Olite's best months

In winter the village-and-table plans work. Hondarribia and Getaria can be done all year, with the old town and the harbour as the main plan and the grill house as the second. Olite too: the palace can be visited in the cold, and November is one of its best months. Arcachon serves oysters all year, although out of season many cabins open only at weekends.

In spring it is best to look west. From May to September is the high season for Urdaibai, with canoeing on the estuary and the controlled-access days at Gaztelugatxe, for which you must book the ticket. May and June are also good months for Llanes.

Summer is the season of the Pyrenees. The path to the Gavarnie waterfall is free of snow from June to September, and in June it carries more water; in July and August the surrounding coast fills up and the mountain is welcome.

Autumn is for vineyards. In September and October, Laguardia, Haro and the cellars are at their best, and in Arcachon the cabins stay open with the Pilat dune free of queues. It is also a good season for Ordesa, with fewer people than in summer.

The Balenciaga museum and a walk back to Zarautz

• Without a car, in a day: Sunday in Getaria and Zarautz. A 40-minute bus, the Balenciaga museum first thing, the Ratón lighthouse, grilled fish above the harbour and a walk back along the coast to Zarautz.
• By car, in a day: Sunday in Olite. An hour and a half along the A-15 to climb the Royal Palace towers, eat on Rúa Mayor and watch the sunset from Ujué.
• With one night: Urdaibai, from the estuary to Gaztelugatxe. A night in Mundaka to paddle down the estuary by canoe to Laida, see the Casa de Juntas in Gernika and climb the Gaztelugatxe steps before anyone else.

For the other side of the border, the weekend on the French Basque Coast brings together in two nights what the Sundays spread out.