Drive from Paris to Basque Country

We are thinking of flying to PAris, and driving to Basque Country. Does anyone have recommended itineraries. We%26#39;d like to be leisurely about it, pick up car in Paris--drive maybe 2/3 hours, sop overnight, We%26#39;d like to hit Bordeaux for sure en route.... thanks

|||

Well, I would say it mostly depends on how many days you have for the trip.

Paris to the Basque country is nearly 800 km (500 miles), and about 8 hours of highways. 2/3 hours drive you won%26#39;t even reach Bordeaux!!!

With a lot of time you could have one stop in the Loire Valley for a chateau or two, another stop in La Rochelle on the oceanside, and eventually Bordeaux afterwards.

If you want to reach the Basque Country on a 1-day trip, I would recommend either flying or the high speed train (TGV).

Enjoy your stay!

|||

How many days do you have for this trip?

|||

Having driven the route a few times over the years, how far you get on the first day will depend on whether or not you spent the first night in Paris to adjust to the time difference. If not, then you may only make it as far as Tours, or Chatellerault if you push it.

If you start off on the second day, then head for AL Rochelle and Rochefort to spend your first night. The ferry from Royan is interesting, but every time we%26#39;ve been there the sea was too rough to cross and we ended up driving down Gironde to Bordeaux.

Bordeaux is interesting, but it%26#39;s much better when you cross over into the Pays Basque. At this point, I have to suggest that you take a look at Maribel’s Guide to the Pays Basque. You%26#39;ll find it very helpful in planning you adventure.

|||

-:- Message from TripAdvisor staff -:-

This topic was inactive for 6 months and has been closed to new posts. We hope you'll join the conversation by posting to an open topic or starting a new one.

To review the TripAdvisor Forums Posting Guidelines, please follow this link: http://www.tripadvisor.com/pages/forums_posting_guidelines.html

We remove posts that do not follow our posting guidelines, and we reserve the right to remove any post for any reason.

Removed on: 11:18 pm, August 22, 2009