St Jean de Luz

We will be arriving in St Jean de Luz around 9:00AM on 8/21/13 aboard Azamara's Quest. We are scheduled to sail at 10:00PM on 8/22. We would like to visit Bayonne, Biarritz and, perhaps ,San Sebastian. Does anyone have information about private guides in this area? Any help would be appreciated. Thank you.

If you are mobile, you can take a train and see Biarritz and Bayonne by itself. Figure 2-3 hours in old Bayonne, same for Biarritz. Donostia is a bit further away and not so easy by train. Highlight there is pintxos. Saint Jean de Luz is quite a charming town as is Ciboure across the harbour so end your day there.

We visited St Jean de Luz last year when we sailed on the Crystal Symphony. It was a lovely town and our guide on the Crystal shore excursion was Andy Fisher who resides in Bayonne. I am sorry I don't have his contact info but he was excellent! He is originally from New Zealand. Perhaps if you contact the Bayonne Tourist Board they can help you locate him. However, he may be doing some of the shore excursions for Azamara. Our tour with Andy also included Biarritz but it was a brief visit.

I wrote about our cruise and the ports on my blog: www.27thousandwaves.com

We also visited San Sebastian but from our port stop in Bilbao. You can see all the postings with photos in June 2012 area of the blog.

We will be in St Jean de Luz in September arriving on the Seabourn Legend. We have arranged for a car to take us to San Sebastián for a city and pintxos tour and they need specific information on where to pick us up. I am assuming our tenders will drop us at the same spot as your Crystal tenders. Can you give me any detailed information as to where that was?

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If it isn't too late.

We were onboard Azamara Quest last August and overnighted.

We tendered into the harbour and our dock was on the "port de peche" side, at Quaie Leclerc almost next to the car park at Place des Corsaires. When tendering in to the port with your ship behind you and the bridge ahead of you, that would be the left side.

My understanding at the time was that sometimes the opposite side of the port is used for tenders so it could be either side.

Ships tenders were used here and they are distinctive, also the port is not large so they should be able to spot the tenders quite easily regardless of which side is used. A bridge connects the two sides.

SJDL was one of our favourite ports.

Some additional info on the town which I had recently posted on the Azamara forum in response to a an overnight tender question. Copied it here as it might be more easily found on this board for anyone doing a search.

SJDL was one of our favourite stops and buses and trains are easy, cheap options for visiting Biarritz and Bayonne just along the coast and still in France. San Sebastian is also doable on public transport but you need to switch from French to Spanish transport at Hendaye, the border between the two. Check for any passport requirements.

The tourist Office were very helpful and had lots of info on the town and on some other nearby towns although the latter were not on display (but were available on request) They also had a map with a self guided walk around town which we followed. It also described the map locations in english. The office was next to the central market.

I would check their website too. We discovered on our overnight that in the evening there was a male choir singing Basque songs in the bandstand on the main square, and that was followed by the childrens "confetti battle" which was in turn followed by the "flaming bull". All in the main square. Quite a few cruise pax went to watch and/or have dinner.

The town itself has multiple restaurants and many specialize in Basque cooking. The main square is only 5 mins from the tender dock and had restaurants and cafes all around it but other restaurants are only a few mins walk from there, as are the bus and train stations.

As we were there mid-August, the town was extremely busy with families and couples on vacation as August is peak period in Europe. We were anchored hardly any distance from the beach, so close that the kids sailing school flotillas and the surfboarders were coming over for a look. The tender ride is quite scenic, it drops you very centrally, there is an attractive promenade alongside the beach and the town itself is a pleasant place to stroll around. Lots of local specialities on sale. The walking route map takes you most places. Although tempting to dash off to nearby towns (we tried to visit both Biarritz and Bayonne on day 1 but only managed Bayonne as we enjoyed it so much) do allow a few hours for SJDL itself.

Thank you som much for the information. Hopefully we will have a little time to quickly explore St Jean on our return from San Sebastián. Sounds like a lovely little place.

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I'd seriously cancel the trip to Donostia and have lunch (or dinner) at Frères Ibarboure in Bidart for gourmet Basque cooking. Been going sporadically over the past 16 years and it never fails to disappoint. Don't have the cheapest lunch menu but one up. Food is exquisitely presented and has strong flavours. Also order an aperitif and coffee (latter is seriously good value) as it will come with excellent amuse bouches and petit fours respectively. It was started by two cuisinier brothers (it was originally Les Tables des Frères Ibarboure with one brother the chef for the savouries and the other the pastry chef). They split (amicably) so that one brother could take over their parents' nearby hotel restaurant (Briketenia - went there but wasn't as impressed) in Guethary. The brother who stayed at Ibarboure now has his two sons in the kitchen doing the same roles as his brother and himself (he's still cooking and his wife runs the front end with their daughter-in-law). If you order the menu (and not a la carte), ask for the chocolate dégustation as a supplement. It is divine and the supplement is only a cup of coffee.

Right near the port is Zoko Moko. Never was able to get in (didn't reserve in advance) but it is highly-regarded. Both are 1 macaroon Michelin and reservations are strongly recommended for the latter.

I know, St Jean sounds wonderful but we are traveling with friends who have their hearts set on San Sebastian. I'll just have to hope we get back there on another cruise. Actually, fingers crossed we get there this time -- two years ago May we were on a similar cruise and the weather was so bad the Captain ended up passing on St. Jean and took us to Bayonne instead.

Makes plan for Ibarboure if your ship cannot dock at Donibane Lohizune (St Jean de Luz) and has to go to Baiona instead - it's on the other side of Biarritz. The old quarter of the town is absolutely charming (spent over 5 weeks there last winter) but you know that.

I spent 2 nights in Donostia (a.k.a. San Sebastian) 5 or 6 years ago and don't think the town is as nice as people attribute it to be. YMMV If you're there on a weekend, try lunch at a sagardotegia.

See: http://www.theguardian.com/travel/2010/apr/14/spain-top-10-cider-houses

We went to Petretegi last November and it was packed. Only requiring a table for 2 helped get us in.

Atlantic storms happen all the time and the breakers are big there. It's an international surfing spot for that reason. Was there in February just after the Spanish tanker Luno lost power while entering the harbour of Bayonne (mouth of the Adour) and was wrecked.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-26050037

Never saw it. Tender service stopped due to rough seas before I got to see St. Jean. aka area discontinued tender service and moved the ship to Bayonne, France. Nice town with a good Basque Muse.

Same thing happened to us two years ago --- fingers crossed this time as we have a car arranged to pick us up to take us to San Sebastián. Second time is a charm?

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This is pretty late, however, who did you use for a private car and what was the cost.

Thanks

We had our tour guide in San Sebastián arrange the taxi. I think we paid about 60 each way. There were four of us and it was well worth it. BTW our walking tours of the highlights and tapas bars was terrific.

Which tour company did you use in San Sebastian?

We used San Sebastián walking tours. Keith is an American ex pat and his wife is from San Sebastian. The tour was amazing --he picked not just the best places to nibble but paired each item with a different wine or cider.