By car

Renting a car will be an invaluable asset on your Basque vacation, as it will allow you to explore the countryside. The motorways you will need to take in between cities are fairly simple to remember. The AP-8 runs between Bilbao and Donostia/San Sebastián, while the AP-68 and the N-622 take you between Bilbao and Vitoria-Gasteiz. To get to Donostia/San Sebastián from Vitoria-Gasteiz, you take the AP-1 north to the AP-8, which you would then take east. Driving times between the major cities are between 45 minutes to an hour and 15 minutes. Keep in mind that if you are renting a car, you will be picking it up from the arrival airport and dropping it off there when departing, unless your reservation says otherwise.

By public transport

The three cities of the Basque Country offer their own extensive bus services. The main bus services are Álavabus in Vitoria-Gasteiz (www.alavabus.eus/es/inicio); Bilbobus in Bilbao (www.bilbao.eus/cs/Satellite/bilbobus/es/inicio); and Dbus in Donostia/San Sebastián (www.dbus.eus). (All pages will be displayed in Spanish; only Dbus offers an English alternative.)

Bilbao is the only one of the three cities in the Basque Country with their own subway service. The Bilbao Metro (www.metrobilbao.com) can be paid for by buying a "Barik card" for €3 from either the Renfe station as you enter town via train, or at any Bilbao Metro station. Load money to the card as needed and simply tap upon entering a city bus or entering/exiting Bilbao Metro stations.

These Barik cards can be topped up to a maximum of €90 which will be more than sufficient for a few days in Bilbao even if you utilize the Barik card exclusively. You will find that the urban buses in Vitoria-Gasteiz and Donostia/San Sebastián accept the Barik cards, although they have their own contactless pay cards (in the case of Donostia/San Sebastián, they are called "Mugi cards", and in Vitoria-Gasteiz they are called "Bat cards". Only the Barik card works in all three cities.)

ALSA (www.alsa.com/en) operates intercity buses between the three major cities with journeys taking approximately 60-90 minutes each, costing roughly €10-€20 each way. (Barik/Bat/Mugi cards do NOT work on intercity buses, but the Barik card will work on the Euskotren between Bilbao and Donostia/San Sebastián, and the Mugi card in the other direction.) The intercity bus stations are different from the local buses and require going to specific intercity bus stations. In Vitoria-Gasteiz, their bus station can be found at Plaza Euskaltzaindia. In Donostia/San Sebastián, their bus station is located just to the east of Centro, at Pasadizo de Egia. The Bilbao Intermodal bus station is situated adjacent to San Mamés Stadium.

Speaking of the Euskotren (www.euskotren.eus/en), the E1 line connects Bilbao with Donostia/San Sebastián. These tickets can be paid for at the train stations with cash, credit card, or by the contactless pay cards such as Barik and Mugi described above.

Taxis are also an option; these are typically white sedans and minivans (in Bilbao they will have a red stripe down the side of the driver/passenger doors). Expect to pay at least €50-€100 between Bilbao and Vitoria-Gasteiz and over €100 each way for any other combination of the three cities.

On foot

The centers of all three cities are fairly easy to walk, although in the cases of Bilbao and Vitoria-Gasteiz, many sights are also farther afield, sometimes as much as a mile or two away. We recommend using public transport when available, especially in Bilbao where the Metro system connects the areas to the north of the city very well.