I love Oñati and the coastal villages: Hondarribia, Zarautz, Getaria...

http://www.oinati.org/

spain.info/TourSpain/…

spain.info/TourSpain/…

www.turismozarautz.com/ingles/index1.htm

I agree!

Rent a car and explore the many small villages. If have to rely on public transport the logistics may be more complicated. In any case, do not miss Zarautz and Hondarribia.

The Chilida-leku museum is not to be missed (even if you're not a museum person)

Where to start? As already mentioned, if you have a car, there is a lot to explore, both along the coast and inland.

Hondarribia has always been one of our favorite coastal villages and a great place to spend the day and have lunch. Sol offers some of the pintxos in the region, having won numerous pintxos competitions over the last dozen years, but the number of great places to enjoy outstanding cuisine keeps growing. If you have the chance, then you should drive up the Mt. Jaizkibe and down the coastal road to Pasai. The views are spectacular day and night.

Again, with a car, I'd recommend following the coastal road out of San Sebastian toward Igeldo where you'll find Akelarre, Pedro Subijana's outstanding restaurant. The views from here are quite stunning. If you continue to follow the road west, it will eventually lead you back to the highway toward Zarautz, but it can be an adventure in itself.

If you have the time, then you might be interested in visiting Gernika-Lumo in the heart of the Urdaibai reserve. Gernika is the heart and soul of the Basque country. You can get there by following the main highway, the A-8/E-70, or following the coastal route beginning at Deba, which will take you through Lekeitio. The drive will take you awhile, but is worth it.

I highly recommend you take a look at Maribel's Guide to the País Vasco. She has a lot of very useful information, and it's still free to download (maribelsguides.com).

We would also be interested in exploring the countryside around San Sebastian, but are not prepared to drive on the 'wrong' side of the road.

Are there agents in SS offering day trips into the countryside?

Many thanks,

Sue

Driving on the "wrong side" can't be that difficult. Brits do it all the time, but if you're concerned, you can contact one of the incoming services groups. Most are 2 and 3 day tours, but there should be a few day tours available.

Robert, I'm sure driving on the right is easy for some people, but I have been driving on the left for over 40 years, with a couple of more recent efforts on the right, the last one of which resulted in an accident from which I am still recovering three years on. It would be kinder to not be quite so hasty with such a patronising reply, but to take someone's preference as a given.

That said, thank you for your advice about local tours. I had hoped that they would be available, as we found they were in Italy, which enabled us to experience more than city/town life.

Cheers,

Sue