The route is booked. The neighborhoods are chosen. Now it's time to get specific. Here's how I'm thinking about each day across all three cities — not a rigid schedule, but a framework for living like a
local while still seeing what I came to see.
San Sebastián: Oct 26 – Nov 2
7 nights · Gros neighborhood
Day 1 — Arrive via Bilbao
Land at Bilbao Airport and take the Bizkaibus A3247 directly to San Sebastián (~1 hour, ~€7 — no
need to go into Bilbao). Settle into Gros, shake off the flight, and walk Zurriola Beach at sunset. Surfers
out year-round. Let the Atlantic do its thing.
Day 2 — Monte Igueldo
Take the historic funicular up for panoramic views of La Concha bay. Go early before the tour groups
arrive. On a clear morning this is the view that makes you understand why people move here. Walk
back along La Concha beach into town.
Day 3 — Gros in the Morning, Old Town in the Afternoon
Spend the morning in the neighborhood — café, surf culture, no agenda. Head to Parte Vieja after
lunch. The pintxo bars start setting out their spreads by 12:30 PM. Wander the narrow streets and get
oriented before the proper crawl.
Day 4 — The Pintxo Crawl
If the afternoon is clear, hike Monte Urgull before dinner — easy 20-minute climb with views over the
whole city. Then: the pintxo crawl. Start at 7:30 PM (bars aren't ready before then), one or two pintxos
and a txakoli per bar, move on. Budget 4–6 bars through Parte Vieja.
Day 5 — Market Day
La Bretxa market is open Monday–Saturday, 8 AM–8 PM. Go early for the best pick of txangurro,
idiazabal, and fresh fish. Buy ingredients and cook something at the apartment. This is the whole point
of staying in a neighborhood.
Day 6 — Happy Birthday: Gau Beltza
71 in San Sebastián during the Basque Halloween. Start the morning quietly on Zurriola Beach. End
the evening in Parte Vieja as it transforms — locals in full costume, the old town completely alive. This
is not a tourist version of Halloween. Gau Beltza is the real thing.
Day 7 — Train to Nice
One last coffee in the old town. Then the train south.
What I'm eating all week: pintxos (obviously), txuleta, txangurro, idiazabal, and as much txakoli as is
reasonable.
Nice: Nov 2 – Nov 9
7 nights · Libération neighborhood
Day 1 — Arrive and Get Lost
Drop the bags and wander Vieux Nice with no map and no agenda. Let the ochre walls and narrow
alleyways disorient you in the best way. This is the orientation.
Day 2 — Chagall, Then Matisse
Start at the Marc Chagall National Museum (closed Tuesdays — plan accordingly). Budget 1.5 hours.
Then take bus #5 up to Cimiez for the Matisse Museum. The park outside is beautiful for a picnic
afterward. The Nice Museum Pass (€15) covers both.
Day 3 — The Promenade
Walk the full Promenade des Anglais, end to end. Grab one of the famous blue chairs, face the
Mediterranean, and sit with it. This is the life I'm considering. Let that land.
Day 4 — Train des Pignes
Depart from Nice-Ville for the mountain railway into the Alps-Maritimes. Tickets are cheap (€5–10).
Entrevaux or Annot are worth the ride — a completely different world from the coast, and a reminder
that the French Riviera is more than its waterfront.
Day 5 — The Slow Day
Marché Libération opens at 7 AM Tuesday–Sunday (closed Mondays). Go early. Buy something for
breakfast. Eat it at a café table nearby. Spend the rest of the day with a book. This is the day I find out if
Nice fits the way a regular Tuesday would feel.
Day 6 — Day Trip (Open)
Monaco is 20 minutes by train. Menton is 35, quieter, and often overlooked. Cannes is 40. Or stay in
Nice and go deeper into the old town. The morning will point somewhere.
Day 7 — Train to Madrid
Head to Nice-Ville for the connection south. Check Ouigo or TGV options — the rail route via the coast
and into Spain is one of the better train rides in Europe.
What I'm eating all week: socca, the real salade niçoise (no lettuce), pissaladière, petits farcis, daube
niçoise, and rosé that costs less than coffee back home.
Madrid: Nov 9 – Nov 13
4 nights · the bonus round
Not part of the recon — just because I'm already over there and Madrid is Madrid.
Day 1 — Arrive
Head straight to Plaza Mayor. Get a beer under the arches. Then dinner at Mercado de San Miguel, a
block away — tapas, jamón, vermouth. Open until midnight. Good first-night feed.
Day 2 — The Prado + Retiro
Book Prado tickets in advance and arrive at opening. Budget at least three hours — Velázquez and
Goya are the anchors. Afterward, decompress in El Retiro Park, a short walk away. Find a bench by the
lake and watch the city breathe.
Day 3 — Reina Sofía
Guernica is here. In person it's massive and genuinely moving. The museum is closed Tuesdays, so
plan this for any other day. Free entry evenings if you want to return. Late dinner somewhere in
Lavapiés or La Latina — Madrid doesn't really eat until 9:30 PM.
Day 4 — One Last Walk, Then Home
A final morning in Retiro before the airport. Then Honolulu.
What I'm eating: everything. Madrid is the bonus round.
Key Logistics to Remember
- Bilbao → San Sebastián: Bizkaibus A3247, ~€7, no need to enter Bilbao
- La Bretxa Market: Closed Sundays
- Matisse + Chagall Museums: Both closed Tuesdays; Nice Museum Pass (€15) covers both
- Marché Libération: Closed Mondays, open 7 AM–1 PM all other days
- Reina Sofía: Closed Tuesdays
- Spain dinner times: 9–10 PM. France: 7:30 PM is fine. Adjust accordingly.
- Cash: Keep €50–100 on hand. Cards work almost everywhere, but markets are markets.
Two cities. One decision. The plan is in place. Now we go find out which one feels like home - All the stops, mapped out — zoom in to explore each city.
