Our mountain bike holidays on the Basque Coast are available from April through to October. Due to the weather in this part of Spain we do not offer holidays over winter.

Basque Coast Mountain Bike Holiday: Technical Level

The terrain in the Basque Country is very varied and we can offer mountain bike holidays for all levels from families with young children all the way through to groups in their sixities. We can also make the mountain biking as hard and technical as you would like, with long descents on very technical singletrack. During the booking process we will discuss your requirements and make sure you are put in with a suitable group.

Basque Coast Mountain Bike Holiday: Required Fitness

To enjoy our mountain bike holiday on the Basque Coast you will need a moderate level of fitness. There is very little flat ground in this part of Spain so every holiday we offer has some climbing, having said that we use our van to gain some elevation most days. To give an idea, our level of uplift varies from 30 to 70% depending on the group and we generally climb between 300m and 1500m in a day.

Basque Coast Mountain Bike Holiday: Riding Areas

Thanks to the help of local mountain bikers who have shared their local trails with us we have a massive area we can choose to ride in. The majority of our rides will be between 10 and 30 minutes from our base in Hondarriba, however we have a huge variety of rides within an hour and a half of our base. For holiday makers from further afield we will often choose to do a day or two with a slightly longer drive to show off the variety in this part of Spain. Of course, if you don’t want to spend time in the van we have weeks and weeks worth of fantastic mountain biking close to our base! Have a look at the map below to get an idea of our riding areas. The purple areas are where we generally ride and the orange area is our extended riding area.

View Mountain Bike Holiday Spain Coast in a larger map

Hondarribia, on the border between Spain and France, is hemmed in by the Atlantic to the north, the Pyrenees to the east, the Basque Mountains to the south and the rough hills and cliffs along the Spanish coast to the west. Spain or France, mountain or beach, mountain bike or surf – it’s all right here! Add to that mix the culture and nightlife offered by nearby Bilbao and San Sebastian and we think that this is one of the best areas for a mountain bike holiday in Europe.

Airports Close to San Sebastian

We are approximately 1hr and 15 minutes from Bilbao airport in Spain, and around 30 minutes from Biarritz airport in France. Most of the budget holiday airlines fly here and from the UK you can fly from Bristol, Manchester and London.

Airport Transfers

We offer one airport transfer to Bilbao and Biarritz each Saturday and Wednesday. Outwith this transfer there is a very easy airport transfer bus which leaves from immediately outside arrivals and takes you directly to San Sebastian where we will pick you up. We will provide full instructions for the transfer bus and don’t worry, it really is very easy!

Other Travel Options

You can also come by train, via Paris, something we recommend as a very pleasant start to your holiday and an easy way to travel with your bike. If you would like any advice on how to get to the Basque Country then please just drop us a mail and we can give you some options.

Accommodation Options for Our Mountain Bike Holidays on Spain’s Coast

At basqueMTB we have a range of high class holiday accommodation. This gives us the flexibility to give you the perfect mountain bike holiday. We offer two main choices, a ‘rural’ and an ‘urban’ accommodation package, although we can offer other options as well. The high standard of our accommodation is something that people usually comment on.

Visiting Spain Alone?

All of our prices are calculated on the basis of two people sharing a room. We don’t charge a single person supplement, however we will aim to put two single people, of the same gender, into the same room. If you really don’t want this then we need to charge a single person supplement, please get in touch to ask about this.

Facilities which are Common to All Our Holiday Accommodation

All of our accommodation will have some option to wash and dry clothes and somewhere secure to store and wash bikes. WiFi is also available free of charge in all the accommodation we use.

“Urban” Accommodation based in Hondarribia.

Our ‘urban’ accommodation is based in a modern house in Hondarribia. It has its own small swimming pool in a large garden, stunning rooms and breathtaking views along the French coast. You can walk into the center of Hondarribia in around 10 minutes to visit the lively local bars. If you don’t fancy eating out then there is also a guest kitchen where you can cook your own dinner.

“Rural” Accommodation based outside Hondarribia.

Our ‘rural’ package is based in a stunning, traditional Basque house. Situated on the flanks of Jaizkibel it has stunning views across Hondarribia and the estuary of the Rio Bidasoa. The rooms are all en-suite and are of an impressive standard. Our ‘rural’ accommodation offers a comfortable and tranquil place to relax after a hard day on the mountains without being too far from the lively night life of Hondarribia. There are a couple of local restaurants within 1km, however Hondarribia is around 2km away and if you want to sample the fantastic local bars and restaurants you need to walk, ride or take a taxi. Normally we recommend this accommodation for people who arrive by car because this makes the journey into town easier.

“Other” Accommodation Options.

BasqueMTB don’t own our own accommodation. This was a deliberate decision to allow us to be as flexible as possible. If you have a different budget, or special requirement then we can find accommodation to suit your holiday. This can range from budget youth hostel accommodation, through self catering apartments to super luxury 5* hotels. If you would like us to find you different accommodation then please get in touch. Please note that the Basque country is a very popular holiday destination for people from all over Spain and France so the best accommodation books up early. This is especially true in July and August, the main holiday season, so if you would like us to find you accommodation please give us as much notice as possible. It lets us find the perfect accommodation for your holiday.

The prices for the mountain bike holidays we offer are shown below. Click on the description for more information. If you would like to talk about an option that isn’t shown here then please get in touch.

SAN SEBASTIAN HOLIDAY	LOW SEASON	MEDIUM SEASON	HIGH SEASON
RURAL accommodation	€580	€600	€630
URBAN accommodation	€600	€650	€680

Our prices for the San Sebastian Mountain Bike Holiday differ through the seasons purely because the cost of the accommodation to us changes.

Low Season: April, May

Medium Season: June – 15th July and 15th of September Onwards

High Season 15th of July – 15th September

San Sebastian Mountain Bike Holiday: What is Included?

Our mountain bike holidays include transfers from the airport, accommodation, breakfast and guiding on 5 days. We don’t include flights, lunches or evening meals. If you would like to ride on the 6th day of your holiday then we will happily lend you a GPS with a route you can do from your accommodation and brief you fully on the route.

Eating out in Hondarribia During Your Holiday

The New York Times recently voted Hondarribia one of the best places in the world to eat. That doesn’t mean that it has to be expensive! We generally eat lunches on the trail and the price varies for around €4 for a big sandwich to around €10-12 for a 3 course lunch with wine. Eating out in the evening is very varied and prices vary from around €10-15 for a smaller plate to around €15-25 for a 3 course meal with wine. For a special dinner you can eat in the best restaurants in Hondarribia for around €50 per person including wine and the quality of those restaurants is incredible. We can recommend and book restaurants for you and also give you help with translating the menus.

How to book a mountain bike holiday with Basque MTB

• Initially please get in touch with any questions you have. You can find all our contact details here. Our mountain bike holidays are really flexible and we would be delighted to have a conversation about any special requirements you might have.
• Once you know the dates and possible flights then please fill in our booking form.
• We will then confirm that we have availability and make temporary reservation.
• We will hold the temporary reservation for a couple of days to let you sort out flights and pay a deposit of €200 per person. Deposits are refundable for two weeks after booking but unfortunately not after that time.
• We will send you a receipt for your deposit and at that time the holiday is totally reserved.
• If you want to pay the balance by bank transfer then we need to receive that around a month before your holiday. We can also accept cash on arrival if you prefer, please get in touch if you would like to pay this way.

Other stuff

• Day trip guiding for non-residents is €50 per person (If we can’t fit you in with an existing group then can provide a guide for your group. The minimum charge for this is €150)
• Bike hire costs €120 per week and €30 per day. We cannot hire mountain bikes without guiding.

For 2010 all of our guests will qualify for an extra 10% discount on the already great web prices at TheBikeChain. If you’re buying a few things it could pay for a good bit of your holiday, or why not treat yourself to a new bike for your visit!

Do you have an itinerary for your San Sebastian Mountain Bike Holidays?

We don’t have set itineraries for our holidays. We have dozens of trails to choose from and we match each day to suit the mountain bikers we have. The only thing common to all our holidays is that we ride 5 days a week, with one rest day to explore the local towns.

I don’t want to do a week’s mountain bike holiday, can I do a shorter break?

Yes, we can offer shorter breaks. We offer transfers on a Wednesday and Saturday, however if you want to arrive on another day you can take the transfer bus into San Sebastian and we will pick you up once we have finished guiding.

What are the group sizes on a typical mountain bike holiday?

During our mountain bike holidays we tend to keep the groups small. The average size of our group is 4 people. If you can come in a group of 4 people or more and want your own guide then we can do that. On some days we may put groups together so that we can offer more uplift but we will discuss this with your group.

How do you manage different technical levels on your mountain bike holidays?

During the booking process we guide people towards a week where the other guests are at a similar level. Obviously this isn’t totally accurate so we run our holidays with two guides so we can offer a harder and an easier group on most days. Some days we may try to run as one bigger group to let us offer more uplift, however this is something we would discuss with your group at the time.

My partner doesn’t mountain bike but would like to join our holiday, is this possible?

Yes, this part of Spain is perfect for non-biking partners, check out our Non-Biking page for some of the activities on offer. Generally the price for a non biking partner is around 65% of the full price but please get in touch to confirm that.

What is the weather like in that part of Spain?

The weather on the Basque coast is generally amazing, however the price for having mountains right on the coast is that we get some rain. Generally if the rain comes from the north it all falls on the coast and we can drive a short distance south into Spain and enjoy sunny and dry conditions. If the rain comes from the south then usually the Basque coast remains dry while the rest of Spain gets wet. It is very uncommon for the weather to be bad in all the areas we can choose to ride in, however if that does happen then we take some comfort in the fact that it generally means most of Spain, France and northern Italy are affected!

Temperatures remain moderate through the whole season, averaging around 25°C in the hottest months of July and August. Occasionally we will get higher temperatures of around 30°C-35°C for a day or two in August but it never lasts and we can ride high up or next to the coast to escape the heat. In August the Basque Country is full of holiday makers from France and Spain due to it’s great climate.

What bike / tyres / brake pads do you recommend for this part of Spain?

To try and make this subject a bit interactive we have a facebook page dedicated to this. Please have a look here, (and we always appreciate people liking our page!).