# December long weekend from San Sebastián: oysters, bonfires and French Christmas Six getaways and plans from San Sebastián for Constitution Day and the Immaculate Conception: the French coast on a working day, Gaztelugatxe with controlled access, Christmas oysters, Atapuerca and Rioja Alavesa. Fuente: https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/basque-country/san-sebastian/getaways/december-long-weekend · Revisado: 2026-11-13 Origen: San Sebastián - [Coastal path and boat along the corniche](https://www.geocalia.com/en/france/nouvelle-aquitaine/french-basque-coast/itineraries/bidart-cliff-walk-to-saint-jean-de-luz.md) (Day itinerary, French Basque Coast): The GR 8 ends in Saint-Jean-de-Luz, which lights up Christmas at the end of November and has the Place Foch market open every day of the long weekend. In December it gets dark before six: start walking first thing to arrive in daylight. - [Gaztelugatxe, Mundaka and the Casa de Juntas](https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/basque-country/urdaibai/itineraries/sunday-at-gaztelugatxe-and-mundaka.md) (Day itinerary, Urdaibai): On the December long weekend Bizkaia puts Gaztelugatxe under controlled access: you need a free ticket booked online, with a daily limit. In winter there is no direct bus from Bilbao, and with an orange storm alert you should not go up. - [An oyster weekend on the Arcachon bay, 2 h 30 from San Sebastián](https://www.geocalia.com/en/france/nouvelle-aquitaine/arcachon-bay/itineraries/oyster-weekend.md) (2 nights, Arcachon Bay): December is the main month for the Bassin oysters: a good part of the year's sales is made ahead of Christmas, and the huts work flat out. Before going, check that the prefecture has not suspended sales over a health alert, as has happened some winters. - [A weekend in Burgos and Atapuerca, an hour and a half from Valladolid](https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/castile-and-leon/burgos/itineraries/night-with-atapuerca-from-valladolid.md) (1 night, Burgos): On the Constitution long weekend the Museum of Human Evolution opens with special hours and organises morning trips to the Atapuerca sites, booked by phone (947 421 000). The Trinchera in December is cold: a proper coat. - [Laguardia: tower, calado and Riscal](https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/basque-country/laguardia-and-rioja-alavesa/itineraries/wine-cellars-tower-and-marques-de-riscal.md) (Day itinerary, Laguardia and the Rioja Alavesa): If you do the plan on 7 December, stay for dinner: that night, the eve of the Immaculate Conception, Lanciego, a quarter of an hour from Laguardia, lights the Marchos, bonfires in the streets with young wine. The Riscal tastings are booked beforehand. - [Lapurdi villages and a castle above the sea](https://www.geocalia.com/en/france/nouvelle-aquitaine/french-basque-coast/itineraries/winter-ainhoa-espelette-abbadia.md) (Day itinerary, French Basque Coast): The La Rhune train is stopped from November to spring, and this plan replaces it. The Abbadia castle opens in winter Tuesday to Sunday from 14:00 to 18:00, with compulsory booking, and closes on Mondays: fit the day around that. San Sebastián spends the December long weekend with a foot on each side of the border. Here Constitution Day, the 6th, and the Immaculate Conception, the 8th, are holidays; twenty minutes away, in Lapurdi, both days are working days and Christmas has already been lit for a week. That difference is the long weekend's best card from Donostia: while half of Spain looks for somewhere to eat on a holiday, on the other side of the Bidasoa everything opens on normal hours. ## Days that count In Gipuzkoa there is no holiday of its own that week; Santo Tomás, with its txistorra fair in the Plaza de la Constitución, comes on the 21st and cannot be linked on. So the long weekend is whatever that year's calendar says. The French Basque coast and Gaztelugatxe are day trips. Rioja Alavesa and Burgos are more enjoyable sleeping away one night. Arcachon, two and a half hours away, is the longer getaway: two nights, for those who join up three days. ## Lapurdi on a working day Saint-Jean-de-Luz switches on its lights and sets up its Christmas market at the end of November, so on the long weekend it is in full swing. The prettiest way to arrive is on foot, along the GR 8 from Bidart, over the cliffs; the shortest, by car or the regional train from Hendaye. Inland, Ainhoa and Espelette are quiet in winter, and the Abbadia castle, on the Hendaye cliff, opens in the afternoon with booking. What does not work on these days is the La Rhune train, stopped until spring. And bear in mind lunchtime: in France kitchens close earlier than here, around two. ## Oysters for Christmas Arcachon in December is for eating oysters. It is the month when most are sold, ahead of the festivities, and the oyster farmers' huts serve a dozen with bread, butter and white wine. The Pilat dune, in winter, is climbed with wind and without heat. The boats around the Bassin have fewer departures in low season and depend on the tide: check the timetables before settling your day. ## Fire in Rioja Alavesa On the night of 7 December, the eve of the Immaculate Conception, Lanciego lights the Marchos: bonfires in the village squares and corners, young wine and chestnuts. It is a quarter of an hour from Laguardia, so it fits into a one-night getaway or into the day plan if you stay for dinner. In winter the wineries open for visits with fewer slots: book the tastings. ## Gaztelugatxe with a ticket On the December long weekend Bizkaia controls access to San Juan de Gaztelugatxe with a free ticket and limited numbers, as in summer and at Easter. Book it online before going. In stormy weather or on an orange alert, the descent and the 241 steps are not a good idea: leave the plan for another day. ## Dune, bay and fossils with children With small children, Arcachon and its dune are the most rewarding plan: sand to run on and boats. In Saint-Jean-de-Luz the bay is calm and the Christmas market has room for strolling with a pushchair. At Atapuerca, the visit to the sites is outdoors and long: better for children from seven or eight. ## Book first of all The first thing to sell out is accommodation inside the Laguardia wall and the visit to the Atapuerca sites. Then the Gaztelugatxe ticket, which has a daily limit. In Arcachon there are lots of beds, but not so many huts with tables: book lunch. ## Surf and Gavarnie, for later Biarritz with surf and Zarautz beach are for September. The Irati Forest is seen in October, with the beeches in colour. And the Cirque de Gavarnie is for summer: in December access to the cirque depends on the snow.