Final Itinerary Check for Northern Spain/Pays Basque?

[genevah]

My upcoming trip to Pays Basque and northern Spain from late June to mid July is getting close, and I’m finding that many of my original restaurant selections happen to be closed for the summer holidays on the dates I will be in town. (For example: Casa Urola in SS, Chez Mattin in Ciboure, La Table de Sebastien Grave in Bayonne, Les Pyrenees in St. Jean Pied de Port, and Gueyu Mar in Ribadesella will all be closed during my trip.)

Here is my updated itinerary due to these changes. Would love any feedback, especially if there are any gems I am missing! I am traveling solo so am hoping to find places that will be friendly for a single diner (without overwhelming portions of food). I’d like a nice mix of casual dining and a few splurges. I love seafood!

Saturday 6/27
-Arrive at 2 pm in Bayonne via TGV from Paris
-Pierre Ibaialde workshop tour
-La Maison du Gâteau Basque par Loïc Peltanche
-Daranatz Chocolate or Paries Chocolates or Chocolaterie Puyodebat or Monsieur Txokola (any favorites among these?)
-Dinner at Osmera (booked for 8:30 pm)

Sunday 6/28
-Morning visit to Basque Museum
-Pick up Turo rental car from Gare de Bayonne
-Possible stop at Moulin de Bassiloure in Bidart
-Lunch at Ithurria in Ainhoa (booked for 1 pm)
-Scenic drive to Pierre Oteiza Les Aldudes (open til 6:30 pm) for late afternoon snack and 1 hour hike
-Late dinner in St. Jean Pied de Port at Paxkal Oillarburu
-Overnight St. Jean Pied de Port

Monday 6/29
-St. Jean Pied de Port Monday market for breakfast (8 am)
-Visit Espelette: any suggestions for lunch? (Choko Ona is closed)
-Check out last day of St. Pee Sur Nivelle Fete
-Dinner at Pil Pil Enea in St. Jean de Luz
-Overnight in L’Auberge Basque

Tuesday 6/30
-Early morning at Le Train de La Rhune
-St. Jean de Luz Tuesday market (8am - 1pm)
-Drive to Orio for late lunch at Bodega Katxina OR Xixario OR Joxe Mari
-Afternoon at Balenciaga Museum
-Dinner in Getaria: where?
-Overnight at Saiaz Getaria Hotel

Wednesday 7/1
-Morning in Getaria shopping for food treats at Maisor
-Drive to Hondarribia for lunch at Bar Gran Sol (do I need to be there right at opening at 11 am?)
-Drop off car in Hondarribia at Hotel Palacio Obispo
-Take bus to San Sebastián
-Afternoon bike tour with Go Local
-Pintxos at Ganbara at 7 pm?
-Dinner at Artean Barra Abierta (booked for 9 PM)
-Overnight in Hondarribia at Hotel Palacio Obispo

Thursday 7/2
-Return car to Biarritz Airport
-Bus to Bilbao (2 hours on BlaBlaCar Bus)
-Afternoon visit to Guggenheim
-Evening pintxos tour with Mikel
-Overnight at The Artist

Friday 7/3
-Breakfast at Pasteleria Arrese 1852
-Gernika, Bermeo, Mundaka tour with Mikel
-Overnight at The Artist
-What should I try for dinner that’s different than the other stops I’ve visited? La Viña de Henao?

Saturday 7/4
-Pick up car at SIXT Bilbao
-11:40 am tour at Cueva de Covalanas (booked)
-1:30 lunch at Ronquillo (booked)
-4:10 pm at Cueva de Monedas (booked)
-6:10 pm at Cueva de Castillo (booked),
-Dinner at La Huertona (booked for 10 pm)
-Overnight at Hotel Sebrenu

Sun 7/5
-10:15 morning at Tito Bustillo (booked)
-Lunch where? Should I try to make it out to El Molin de Mingo? (On their website, it doesn’t seem possible to make reservations for 1 guest). Or should I try to get lunch at Cangas de Onis’s Sunday market? Will it be mobbed on a Sunday in July?
-Dinner at La Nansa or Romepola in Tazones
-Overnight at La Casa del Pintor in Cudillero

Mon 7/6
-Morning exploring Cudillero
-Lunch at Casa Gerardo?
-Drop off rental car at Oviedo Airport
-Overnight in Oviedo
-Dinner where?

Tues 7/7 - Mon 7/13 El Cuelebre Language School in Somiedo

Tues 7/14 Oviedo

Wed 7/15 Oviedo, late train to Madrid

Thurs 7/16 Midday flight home to San Francisco

[Maribel]

Saturday 6/7

I don’t know Osméra, yet since La Table will be closed but it looks like a fine alternative. I like Daranatz and Paries and Puyodebat.. For chocolates, I go to all three, but the Puyodebat on the highway outside of Cambo for chocolate gifts to take home. I don’t really have a favorite, as they are all great, in this chocolate capital.

Sunday 6-28

The Moulin is a fine visit, so stop if you can to see the mill and purchase a small Gâteau Basque. I love Ithurria and Ainhoa is a lovely town. We’ve stayed both at Ithurria and at Argi Eder there, which also offers fine, relaxing terrace dining. The drive to Pierre Oteiza is very scenic so do try to do this. For your St-Jean-Pied de Port dinner, I do know Oillarburu and had a nice lunch there (but nothing really memorable), but I also do like Les Pyrenées, if that’s where you’re staying. Another charming spot to dine is at the Hotel Arcé in neighboring St-Étienne-de-Baîgorry. We’ll be having lunch there in July. I would rate it above Oillarburu but you may not want to make the 20-min drive, since yours is a very driving intensive itinerary.

Monday 6-29

The market there is unmissable for me. In Espelette have lunch definitely at Chillar, which opens on Mondays. We loved dinner at the starred Auberge Basque but Pil Pil Enea in St-Jean-de-Luz is a fine spot for hake, but we go for lunch, not dinner since we hit the town for shopping.

Tuesday 6/30

You probably already know, but pre-purchased tickets for the La Rhune train are a must. It will be extremely crowded. For your Orio besugo lunch, it depends on what type of atmosphere you’re seeking. All 3 excel in that signature grilled fish but Katiña high in the hills with easy parking will be the most memorable, atmosphere and setting wise, and their txakolí is my favorite. We’ll have our anniversary dinner there soon.

Wednesday 7/1

For Maisor at the port, purchase their anchovies. Purchase other food treats at Amona María next to the Mayflower. For Gran Sol, there is now table service out on the terrace but I can´t remember when the waiters start to serve the outside tables. I think it´s at noon.

If you hope to have pintxos at Ganbara you will need to place yourself in line well before 7 pm, just so you’ll know. These famous pintxos bars become a mad house in July with extremely long (and frustrating for me), tedious lines.

Thursday, 7/2

Send our greeting please to our dear friend Mikel and we’ll be seeing him in October.

Friday, 7/3

You’ll have a great touring day with Mikel. Yes. go to La Viña de Henao or the beautifully tiled Los Fueros in the Casco Viejo for very creative small plates

Saturday-7/4

I’ve visited Monedas and Castillo and the are musts for the real thing, as is dinner at La Huertona (great that you have a reservation!). I don’t know Hotel Sebrenu in Ribadesella. We’ve stayed at the Villa Favorita and most recently at La Raposera outside of town, a genuine Casona Indiana, member of Casonas de Asturias with handy parking and a lovely female hostess, very relaxing. In Ribadesella pick up some gourmet treats from Aramburu!

Sun 7/5

I wouldn’t try to make it to El Molín de Mingo, plus the portions are enormous for just one person. although they do offer a “táper” to take away what you can’t consume. The M de M is better for a couple and better still for two couples. The Cangas Sunday market in July will be mobbed and if you get there late, you’ll find it hard to park, although not impossible as there are lots beyond the town.

In Tazones parking will also be at a premium on a July Sunday. For dining, you have El Centollu with a Repsol solete in addition to Rompeolas (solete) and La Nansa. They are all 3 typical chigres or cider houses with a similar menu. Try the arroz con bogavante.
I don’t know the La Casa del Pintor apartments, just the Casona de la Paca (another Casona Asturiana) outside of town near the Palacio Quinta de Selgas. The parking issue would be a problem for me at the apartments, as now you must leave your vehicle in the central, paid outdoor parking lot and climb those hills! This is why we do not stay inside Cudillero, and it will be jammed during the day.

Monday, 7/6

It doesn’t take long at all to explore Cudillero but I suspect you may want to walk out to the lighthouse. Cudillero is the home of the black ceramics (Alfar del Zarru). For lunch within a half hour drive of the airport, you have Casa Gerardo in Prendes or better still, El Llar de Viri (20-min. drive) to sample the very well known fabada (equal to Casa Gerardo) of a famed guisandera asturiana, Viri Fernández, very traditional Asturian. But no Michelin star.

Monday night dining in Oviedo? That´s tough. The usual suspects, Casa Fermín, Gloria, Ca´Suso, Cocina Cabal, Casa Laure are closed for Mon. dinner. We’ve gone to La Corte de Pelayo for its award winning cachopo, which you might want to try during your trip. But…. it´s a huge dish, but here you can make a meal of their starters, such as the pastel de cabracho.

[ssinny95]

Definitely go to Viña de Henao. We had such a nice lunch there. It’s a tiny place, and the owner really engaged with us about the food. And you can get almost everything in a half portion.

We were recently in Oviedo on a Monday night and as Maribel said, almost everything was closed. We went to La Finca Agrobar. We enjoyed it, but the portions were enormous even for two people. We ordered the cachopo (huge), and a tomato salad, thinking it would be something lighter. The tomato salad could have easily fed 4 or 5 people.

[Maribel]

I forgot about La Fina Gastronbar on the Bulevar de la Sidra, which is our favorite on Oviedo’s Cider House Row, but their farm to table cuisine is indeed served in huge portions. But the Boulevard is very lively on Sunday nights and it’s a good street to learn about the cider pouring ritual. But for sit down dining on the Bulevar it’s best to have a Sunday night reservation, either at ala Finca, El Ferroviario across the street or at the newest and largest, Tierra Astur El Vasco, which is around the corner from Calle Gascona, in the El Vasco mall.