Exploring more of Spain had been on my mind for a while. So after a difficult year and in need of a holiday, I invited some close friends to go to northern Spain with me.
It was a holiday of two parts: Donostia-San Sebastián and Bilbao with one friend, then the Picos de Europa national park with another friend and her husband.
As I haven't flown for six years, and have some experience of Interrailling, train travel is simply the default for me now. This wasn’t the case for my friend, though – she would usually fly for a trip like this. But I persuaded her to give the train a try. She didn’t need too much persuading, but it wasn’t something she would have done without me so I was mindful of making it as easy as possible. I worked out the train times and logistics, and booked the France leg of our journey for both of us, then gave her some tips for how to keep the cost down on the other legs (such as split ticketing in the UK).
We met in London to catch an evening Eurostar to Paris, travelling from Cardiff (me) and Skipton (my friend). From Gare du Nord we took the metro across the city to Montparnasse, where our train to Hendaye in the south west of France would depart from the next morning. We stayed at a hotel nearby so it was easier to get our train, though I find Gare Montparnasse confusing as it’s huge. I’d recommend giving yourself plenty of time as it’s also a bit of a walk from the metro. Apart from this, all the travel was easy and enjoyable!
One thing I love about train travel in Europe is the double decker trains. I always reserve a window seat on the upper deck for the best views. My friend thought the train was cool (although she was tired so napped most of the way!) and we were excited to be going to Spain. Before we knew it, we were in Hendaye. There’s a regular metro train that takes you across the border into Spain, and just over half an hour later, we stepped out in warm, sunny Donostia-San Sebastián.
Most of our day in Donostia-San Sebastián was spent in the old town. We stuck to tradition and indulged in the Basque country classic of pintxos (snacks or small plates; some of them are on a piece of bread, held together with a cocktail stick), ordering a drink and one or two snacks in each bar before moving on. It was an amazing way to experience Basque culture and all the food was incredible. I don’t eat meat and have a couple of food allergies to consider, so I wasn’t sure what my experience would be, but I was pleased to find I had plenty of choices. Sadly the sun had vanished by that point and we were dashing between bars trying not to get soaked in the rain!
I knew some Spanish basics but had never encountered the Basque language (Euskara) before. I made sure I knew how to pronounce pintxos, txakoli (local white wine), and ‘thank you very much’ (‘eskerrik asko’) – the most important things on our visit! ‘Tx’ is pronounced ‘ch’.
The following afternoon, we got the bus to Bilbao – counter-intuitively it’s much quicker than the train, which takes 2.5 hours to zig-zag its way through around 40 stations along the coast, as opposed to 1hr 20 mins on the bus. In Bilbao we loved the Guggenheim, and took a group tour around the old town and went up the funicular.
Then my other friend arrived, having driven there with her husband in their van. They were on a much longer trip, crossing into France on the Eurotunnel, stopping by Arcachon in France for the oysters and giant sand dune before heading down into Spain via Donostia-San Sebastián and Bilbao. We had pintxos together that evening, and the next day, the four of us explored the local coastline together in the van.
The next morning, it was time for my first friend to set off to the airport. Some other commitments meant she preferred to fly home rather than take the train, although it was great that she had joined me on the train on the way there. I asked her to share why she did it: “I agreed to go by train because Briony wanted to, but I enjoyed travelling in a different way to flying. If you haven’t tried it I would recommend giving it a go!”
Then it was off to the Picos de Europa, a mountain range to the west of Bilbao, with my other friend and her husband. I’m a fell runner so was excited to see what the mountains were like! We visited La Hermida where I tried via ferrata (a protected climbing route) for the first time before relaxing in an outdoor spa. We also took the Fuente Dé cable car and spent a day running and walking amongst some beautiful (and snowy!) mountains at about 2000m high.
Then it was time to head home. I took the bus along the coast to Irun (the sister town to Hendaye, on the Spanish side) via a change in Bilbao and a final opportunity to eat some Basque cheesecake. There was someone else from the UK on the bus who I got chatting to, and when I mentioned I was getting the train back to Cardiff they seemed in complete disbelief! The journey back from Hendaye was quick and easy: I left just after 07:00 and was back in Cardiff by 17:30.
If I’m talking about my travels, I always say that I’m going on holiday by train rather than simply stating where I’m going. Not to preach, but simply to make it part of the conversation and prompt other people to think about the concept of flight free travel. Similarly, with my friend, I didn’t judge her for flying home, but I was really pleased she took the train with me to get there. To me, that shows the importance of bringing it up in conversation and the influence you can have on people close to you.
Costs to and from Bilbao
I bought a 4 day Interrail pass rather than individual tickets. I didn't need the fourth day but it worked out £70 cheaper.
My travel = £358 (Interrail pass and reservations, bus, metro)
My friend’s travel = £406 (outbound £245 - individual train tickets, bus, metro; inbound £161 - flight, luggage, train)
Our overnight stop added £50 each and my solo accommodation on my way back cost £50. Overall our costs ended up only being £2 different!
We could have done it cheaper. Cardiff/Skipton to Donostia-San Sebastián is long but possible in a day, including ample changeover time in London and Paris (depart 06:00, arrive 22:00). Inbound/outbound UK travel (on the same day you leave the country) is included in the Interrail pass – a bargain if you’re travelling on usually expensive trains to London! That means if my friend and I had travelled in the same way, our costs would have been identical despite having different starting points in the UK.
Travel route
Day 1: Cardiff - London (train), London - Paris (Eurostar)
Day 2: Paris - Hendaye (train), Hendaye - Donostia-San Sebastián (metro)
Day 3: Donostia-San Sebastián - Bilbao (bus)
Day 9: San Vicente De La Barquera - Irun (bus); Irun - Hendaye (metro)
Day 10: Hendaye - Paris (train); Paris - London (Eurostar); London - Cardiff (train)
