The Basque Country

Bilbao, San Sebastian & Alava

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This example itinerary from

$5,000pp

7 days

Highlights

Join the surfers of San Sebastian and learn how to catch a wave 
Let a local food expert take you on a tour of the pintxos bars
Wine tasting in the world famous Rioja region
Learn what makes this region’s cider so unique
Visit the Peggy Guggenheim in region’s capital Bilbao

What’s Included

7 nights Bed & Breakfast 
Wine Tasting, Cider Tasting & Tapas Tasting 
A surf lesson
Car hire 
International Economy class flights

Example Itinerary

Day 1-3 Day 3-5 Day 5-7

Day 1-3

Bilbao, Spain

A bite-sized city with a mighty art collection
Staggering architecture worth exploring on foot for the day

An art lovers paradise headed up with the Peggy Guggenheim Museum, full of her private collections treasuries to fawn over.

Begin your holiday in Bilbao where you’ll spend two nights at the Gran Hotel Domine. As with all great city hotels, location is paramount and style is a happy consequence – this property ticks both boxes. In the heart of Bilbao, you’ll only need to roll out of bed to enjoy the various artistic delights, famous and less well-known. We can arrange specialist guides so you need not worry about missing the real highlights. For wine enthusiasts, sample some of the boutique wineries and we’ll leave it up to you to choose which producer is best.

Day 3-5

San Sebastian, Spain

An old coastal city with more Michelin stars than anywhere else in the country
A stay at the most luxurious and celebrated hotel in the city

Towards the French border lies the coastal town of San Sebastian, famous for its pintxos bar, food and laid back atmosphere.

Continue on to San Sebastian for two nights at Hotel Maria Cristina. Positioned bang on the river, this hotel is hard to miss and easy on the eye inside and out. Spend an afternoon with a specialist food guide weaving your way around the old town; dine on anchovies and blueberry jam, slabs of world famous cheesecake or simply the most delicious croquettes you’ll ever eat. After a private surfing lesson with the locals you’ll work up ample appetite for your evening meal. With an overwhelming choice of Michelin star restaurants, we can guide you in the right direction.

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Day 5-7

Álava, Spain

Stay in an art museum with a vineyard on your doorstep
Let a sommelier take you wine tasting in the countryside

Finish exploring the quaint fishing villages dotted along the Basque Country’s beautiful coastline and head into the rolling hills of the countryside.

Finish in Rioja, another part of Europe celebrated for its wines and in our humble opinion, rightly so. Here you’ll spend two nights at Hotel Marques de Riscal, a hotel not only famous for its modern striking design but for housing the region’s oldest winery. After tasting their own vintage, we can arrange driver guides so you can sample some other independent makers in the area. Visit a Basque cider house to discover how this local tipple is brewed and enjoy lunch with the cider making family. Eventually, it’ll be time to roll home.

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The Johnsons

I thought we were asking for the impossible, but Molly delivered an amazing Spanish adventure, covering three cities seamlessly. Everything was exactly at the right pace for us to take in the sites without feeling rushed, and plenty of time to sample the tapas!