We offer you an unforgettable experience in one of the most traditional places in Northern Spain.The Basque Country is a land with spectacular nature. It is home to many nature parks declared biosphere reserves, astounding beaches and beautiful coastal destinations, like San Sebastian, Zarautz, San Juan de Gaztelugatxe and Getxo. It has one of the world’s best cuisines, where you can taste its wines and famous “pintxos”. They are small dishes of haute cuisine offered in bars and many restaurants, created by some of the best chefs of modern Spanish cuisine. This is an authentic trip, where we will visit amazing story towns, interact with the locals and get to know their traditions and customs. 

A place where architecture and culture go hand in hand, with such extravagant buildings such as the Guggenheim Museum or the spectacular Suspension Bridge (UNESCO World Heritage Site), breath-taking castles and palaces, as well as their ancestral culture. All of them make Basque Country the perfect place for an authentic experience, where you can enjoy nature, gastronomy and culture.We aim to provide the most authentic, spectacular and responsible hiking in the Basque Country.Every route we offer includes some incredible landscapes and a unique environment. With our expert guides, we will make sure to accompany you at all times throughout the Cities and the Treks, as well as showing and advising you on the best gastronomic and cultural places of interest.We will introduce you to Bilbao’s surroundings, its museums and culinary centres

ARRIVAL AND GIPUZKOA – RURAL HOTEL

Pick up at the Bilbao airport and transfer to the rural hotel in Gipuzkoa coast.Today we will visit San Sebastian city , a reminder of the beautiful Belle Époque in the decades before the First World War.

Seeing the beauty of San Sebastian (walking tour) , hitting the most delicious “pintxos” spots along the way, sipping velvety wines. The Cathedral Buen Pastor, Located on the square by that name, it was built in 1897 in the Gothic style.The old city, it is probably one of the most characteristic areas of San Sebastian and a center of attraction and fun. It is worthwhile to wander through its streets and taste the typical ”pintxos”.During your tour, you will enjoy the best “pintxos” (small dishes of haute cuisine offered in bars and many restaurants, an explosion of wonderful colors and flavors, strictly for gourmets) while your guide, tells you some tasty stories about the culinary habits of Donostia. (2 pintxos + 1 rioja or txakoli wine cup).

“El Peine del Viento”: This famous sculptures by Eduardo Chillida is located at the end of the beach Ondarreta. The sculptures are embedded in the rocks just a few feet left over the sea.

The Concha Beach is special in itself, as has been proven by its winning of the TripAdvisor Traveller’s Choice award for the best beach in Europe and the sixth-best beach in the world. We highlight the beautiful railing that surrounds the promenade ,It was created at the beginning of the 20th century by the architect Juan Rafael Alday.After the visit, you will have free time to continue knowing the Pearl of the Cantabrian Sea.Friendship dinner at a typical Basque cuisine restaurant in rural hotel.Accommodation in Rural Hotel.

GAME OF THRONES HIKING TOUR: FLYSCH TREK + CIDER LUNCH

Coastal walk through an environment that is one of the most valuable treasures of the entire Basque Coast, a three hour walk with spectacular sea views and towering cliffs, where Game of Thrones was filmed.

The Earth, like the trunk of an old tree, preserves records of past events. Deciphering your way through the Earth’s history reading the landscapes, rocks and fossils is a fascinating adventure.The Basque Coast UNESCO Geopark, a treasure trove of different chapters in the history of the planet and human beings, and other natural and cultural features, takes us on an incredible journey of discovery, a fascinating journey through geological time and our history.

New worlds are waiting to be discovered in the Basque Coast Geopark, starting with the Flysch and the Karst, followed.Pick up and transfer to Astigarraga, in our private vehicleYou will be taken to a typical cider house lunch or “Sagardotegi”, at one next to San Sebastian, where you will be initiated in the “Txotx” rite. Going to a “Sagardotegia” to taste its menu is an ancient and very traditional event among the people of the Basque Country.

The traditional cider house menu has to offer some basic dishes. Cod omelette,, chorixo, cod with peppers, beef ribeye, cheese and nuts for dessert and Kupela cider.Cider is part of the Basque tradition. Cider growers tend their apple trees throughout the year so that, in the fall, the best fruit is ready for harvest, a process they do by hand before selecting the best apples. Traditional cider is aged in the bottle for three months before consumption.This authentic Basque ritual is an opportunity to immerse yourself in our culture and become part of it. The staff, the caring chefs and the knowledgeable “txotxeros” (the people who open the barrels) are at your service.

THE “TXOTX”

“Txotx” is the action of opening the tap of the “kupela” or barrel to serve the cider in the glasses. Therefore, when we are in a cider house eating the traditional menu, all the diners get up to the scream of “txotx!”. Because it means that the person in charge of the cellar is going to open one of the “kupelas” or barrels. At that moment, everybody, glass in hand, leave the table to stand in line and, in an orderly manner, place their glasses under the tap, one after the other, so that not a single drop of the cider is wasted. Thus, until the last of the retinue is served and the “kupela” is closed.Return at the hotel. Accommodation.

SURFING TOUR AND MEDIEVAL TOWN : BIARRITZ (France) + HONDARRIBIA

Transfer to Biarritz. The town is comprised mainly of grand houses used by the wealthy as summer retreats. It has an upscale feel to it that is balanced off nicely with a more relaxed and easy-going surf culture that has a long history here. This interesting contrast forms part of Biarritz’s identity.A couple of hours: free time in Biarritz: shopping, walking, beach time… Optional: surfing class.

Lunch menu at Hondarribia. The medieval village of Hondarribia is located on the Basque coast and is situated on the border with France. It is full of perfectly manicured houses with colorful wooden balconies.With its maze of cobble-stoned streets, the Old Town begs to be explored.Originally it was a fortress built at the end of the 10th century by King Sancho II of Pamplona. Today, it is known as the “Castle of Carlos V” due to the extension and restoration works ordered by Charles V in the sixteenth century.Return to the rural hotel. Accommodation.

GIPUZKOA TO BILBAO

In our private vehicle, transfer to a rural and authentic hotel, close to Bilbao. We will visit the city and introduce you Bilbao’s surroundings; the Guggenheim Museum, The Casco Viejo (Bilbao’s Old Town and one of its most charming areas), and the seven major streets which make up this area are great for exploring.

The district of Bilbao La Vieja, not to be confused with the Casco Viejo, or Old Town, lies across the river. Ten years ago it was a down-at-heel area, but today it’s Bilbao’s hipster district, which has been likened to Brooklyn’s Williamsburg. Free time for lunch in Bilbao La Vieja (hipster district).

Free Time to explore the city: Shopping at the art deco-stye La Ribera Market is quite an experience. With over 10,000 metres squared of space, it’s Europe’s largest indoor food market and comprises many food stalls, selling everything from cheeses and cured meats to fresh fish and olives.Bilbao is filled with many amazing feats of architecture, which you’ve probably seen pictures of, but seeing these immense structures in person is something else. Some of the best include Frank Gehry’s Guggenheim, Santiago Calatrava’s Zubizuri Bridge, Philippe Starck’s Azkuna Zentroa, a cultural and leisure centre, and the art nouveau Campos Eliseos Theatre.

Return to the Rural Hotel. Pintxos cooking class(the dinner will be the pintxos cooked by the group). Accommodation.

THE WINE AND MEDIEVAL TOWNS TOUR : LA RIOJA

Today you will make a trip through the best wineries in Spain. You will participate in a guided tour, visiting two incredible wineries and vineyards. From Bilbao, we will travel to Rioja. The first winery is a really beautiful and traditional cellar, that it has spectacular views and a large collection to taste, here you can try the wines directly from the barrels. Wine tasting.

Then, you will visit an ancient and familiar winery with drafts and caves from the 16th century in Briones, hand-in-hand with its owners; an ancient and familiar winery. We will taste the wine into the caves, and we finish with a typical Rioja’s menu, always with the relaxed and familiar atmosphere that a traditional and emblematic place like this one offers. You will walk through incredible landscapes of vineyards and medieval villages. Accommodation in rural hotel in Rural Hotel near Bilbao.

VISIT THE URDAIBAI BIOSPHERE RESERVE + GAME OF THRONES COSTAL ROUTE (SAN JUAN DE GAZTELUGATXE) AND FISHING VILLAGE.

Can you imagine a route that takes you on a passage through history and shows you beautiful views? We will visit the Urdaibai biosphere reserve and iconic areas such as San Juan de Gaztelugatxe, a particularly charming spot in the town of Bermeo.

After Game of Thrones ride, we will visit Bermeo, one of the most important fishing towns in the Basque Country. The beautiful old harbor is an area with narrow houses painted in a range of colors. There are also several bars around the harbor and this is where the local people are left to drink and eat some pintxos. During your stay in Bermeo, you will interact with the locals and their old Basque language. We also recommend that you go for a walk through its steep old part and, if you are interested, it is possible to visit the museum dedicated to the lives of the arrantzales (Basque fishermen) located in Ercilla Tower.

Gaztelugatxe has been the scenario of pirates covens and legends and it is no coincidence that it accumulates titles of “most voted wonder” or “most valued” enclave by travellers from around the world. Do not forget to ring the hermitage bell three times in order to attract good luck and chase away evil spirits.The long and steep staircase that connects the island to the coast can be rather challenging, nobody knows its actual number of steps but everyone agrees that the climb is more than worth it. Above you awaits a picturesque hermitage and spectacular views over the wild Cantabrian sea that has carved cliffs, tunnels and impossible arches in the island.

Free time for lunch. After the lunch, we will return to the rural hotel through the Reserve of Urdaibai, Farewell dinner in a Txakoli Winery. Typical Basque menu with Txakoli. Accommodation in Rural Hotel

WHAT’S INCLUDED:

• 7 days / 6 nights – double rooms accommodations – in boutique hotels and rural hotels

• 6 breakfasts

• 1 cider lunch and rite of Txotx

• 4 typical Basque lunches

• Pintxos cycling tour: 2 pintxos and 1 wine (txakoli or rioja)

• Walking tours of Bilbao, Hondarribia, Biarrtiz, Bermeo

• Walking ling tour of San Sebastian

• Pintxos cooking class

• Hiking of San Juan de Gaztelugatxe steps

• Delicious and authentic Basque/Spanish meals

• Explore Basque’s world famous Gastronomy

• Entrance to Guggenheim Museum Bilbao

• Visits 2 wineries: 2 wine tasting

• Lunch at the ancient winery “txoko”

• Private ground transportation throughout Basque Country, France and La Rioja

• Bilbao Airport pick-up upon arrival

• Tour lider/guide all of the trip. Expert in nature – specialized license.

• Personal recommendations for optional activities

• Taxes always included, never hidden fees, & NO blackout date