# Pilar long weekend from San Sebastián: getaways for 12 October, the National Day Getaways from San Sebastián for the Hispanidad long weekend: Lapurdi on a French working day, harvest in the Sonsierra and Haro, the Matarraña and Ordesa in autumn. Fuente: https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/basque-country/san-sebastian/getaways/pilar-long-weekend · Revisado: 2026-11-13 Origen: San Sebastián - [A weekend on the French Basque Coast, 30 minutes from San Sebastián](https://www.geocalia.com/en/france/nouvelle-aquitaine/french-basque-coast/itineraries/weekend-from-san-sebastian.md) (2 nights, French Basque Coast): 12 October is a working day in France, so Saint-Jean-de-Luz, La Rhune and Biarritz have the rhythm of an ordinary autumn weekend. The La Rhune train and the cliff boat keep running until the end of October or early November. - [Biarritz: surf at the Côte des Basques and the market](https://www.geocalia.com/en/france/nouvelle-aquitaine/french-basque-coast/itineraries/sunday-in-biarritz-surf-and-market.md) (Day itinerary, French Basque Coast): The Biarritz school gives lessons from April to November, and in October the water retains part of the summer's warmth. With the 12th a working day in France, there is room on the school beach. The lesson time changes with the tide: book it before organising the rest of the day. - [Laguardia, Baigorri and a night at Viura](https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/basque-country/laguardia-and-rioja-alavesa/itineraries/glass-winery-and-sonsierra.md) (Day itinerary, Laguardia and the Rioja Alavesa): Designed for a weekday, like 12 October when it falls midweek: Héctor Oribe opens Wednesday to Sunday and Baigorri Tuesday to Saturday. At harvest, from mid-September to October, book lunch, tastings and the Villabuena hotel weeks ahead. - [Haro: winery, grill house and Briñas](https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/la-rioja/haro/itineraries/station-quarter-wineries-and-lamb.md) (Day itinerary, Haro): September and October are Haro's months, with the Station District wineries receiving grapes. The Muga visit lasts an hour and a half; if the holiday is not a Sunday, the La Rioja Alta one with a Viña Ardanza tasting opens on Saturdays and holidays. - [A weekend in the Matarraña: Valderrobres, Beceite and the Puertos, under two hours from Zaragoza](https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/aragon/valderrobres-and-matarrana/itineraries/matarranya-valderrobres-beceite-weekend.md) (2 nights, Valderrobres and the Matarraña): With three days, the Matarraña makes up for its long three-hour journey: in October the Ports de Beceite have a walking temperature and the Parrizal is walked without summer's queues. Book the Parrizal ticket and the 4x4 to the Tossal del Rei. - [A weekend in Ordesa, 1 h 20 from Huesca](https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/aragon/ordesa-valley/itineraries/ordesa-weekend-torla-from-huesca.md) (2 nights, Ordesa Valley): October is one of Ordesa's months, with the beech wood beginning to turn. The Torla bus to the Pradera runs on October weekends and long weekends, with the first ascent at 7:00. From San Sebastián it is almost three and a half hours: arrive the night before. - [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): October is still a good season on the Bizkaia coast, with fewer people than in summer. Climb the 241 steps first thing and check whether that day is controlled access, which the provincial council sets. Portuondo is closed Tuesday and Wednesday: if the holiday falls on those days, eat in Mundaka. ## A holiday that does not exist in Iparralde From Donostia, the appeal of 12 October is on the other side of the Bidasoa. The Pilar and Spain's National Day is a holiday in the Basque Country, with no other day attached: there is a three-day Hispanidad long weekend if it falls on a Monday or Friday, four if it falls on a Tuesday or Thursday and you take the day in between, and none if it falls on a Wednesday. In Iparralde, on the other hand, it is a working day. That makes it the best date of the autumn for the French Basque coast. On the French long weekends of May or November, Lapurdi fills with families from Bordeaux and Paris. On 12 October, Saint-Jean-de-Luz has its markets, boats and the La Rhune train with the crowd of any ordinary day. ## Lapurdi on a working day Two nights in Saint-Jean-de-Luz are enough for everything. One day, La Rhune on the rack train, which keeps running until early November, and lunch in Espelette. Another, the harbour, the Maison Louis XIV and the cliff boat to Hondarribia. And if anyone wants to try surfing, the Biarritz beginners' beach is twenty minutes away: in October the water keeps some of the summer's warmth and there is room in the classes. If you prefer not to sleep away, everything can be done in a day: Biarritz and Saint-Jean-de-Luz are half an hour away. ## Rioja in its month To the south, Rioja Alavesa and Haro have their harvest between mid-September and October. The Sonsierra plan is designed for a weekday, when the valley's wineries and restaurants are open at the same time, and you get around there without a car: bus to Laguardia from Vitoria or Logroño and, between wineries, on foot or by taxi. If the 12th falls on a Wednesday or Thursday, it is exactly the plan. Sleep in Villabuena and return the next day. In Haro, the Station District brings together several century-old wineries within a walk. At midday, lamb at a grill open since 1877. ## Further: the Matarraña and Ordesa With three or four days, the three-hour getaways fit. The Matarraña is the Mediterranean's gentle autumn: Valderrobres, the Parrizal walkways and a 4x4 route through the Ports de Beceite. Ordesa is the high-mountain autumn, with the Torla bus running on the October long weekends and the valley beginning to change colour. Arrive the night before and sleep in Torla to catch the first bus. ## Surf, aquarium and walkways In Biarritz, the Atalaye aquarium completes the surf afternoon. In Saint-Jean-de-Luz, the bay beach is calm and the old town is flat. In the Matarraña, the Parrizal de Beceite has wooden walkways beside the river, comfortable at any age. And in Laguardia, the lagoons are a flat walk for those who do not drink wine. ## What sells out At harvest time, small-winery tastings and Sonsierra tables are booked weeks ahead. In Ordesa the bus is not booked, but there is a limit, and the beds in Torla fill on the long weekend. In France, as it is not a holiday, you book without stress, except the La Rhune train at midday. ## What to avoid Do not go to Irati expecting the colour at its peak: the beech wood usually changes from mid-October to early November, and on the 12th it may still be green. On the return on the last day, the AP-1 from Vitoria and the A-15 from Navarre get heavy from mid-afternoon. ## Preguntas frecuentes ### Is 12 October a holiday in France? No. It is a working day, with shops, markets and monuments open on their normal hours. That is why Lapurdi is quieter than on the French long weekends. ### Does the La Rhune train still run in October? Yes: it runs from late March to early November. Go up on the first clear day. ### Can you see the grape harvest on the Pilar long weekend? In Rioja Alavesa and Haro it runs from mid-September to October, depending on the year, so in mid-October it may be finishing. The wineries are still in full activity. ### Which getaway works without a car? The French Basque Coast by Topo and regional train, with Saint-Jean-de-Luz as a base, and the Sonsierra, with a bus to Laguardia from Vitoria or Logroño.