This trip gives us the opportunity to know two of the regions of Spain with the highest tradition and recognition in gastronomy and wine, the Basque Country and Rioja. We will start visiting one of the Basque capitals, Bilbao. The city has managed to combine tradition and modernity and has become one of the references in art and avant-garde, with the Guggenheim Museum as a standard. The coast near Bilbao, with the Urdaibai Biosphere Reserve, will bring us closer to the nature of this beautiful region. In our trip, we will visit the Rioja wine region. Its famous wines are a reference in Spain and throughout the world and their wine tradition and history will surprise you. Our last destination will be San Sebastian, « the pearl of the sea. ». A visit to this charming Belle Époque resort built around a crescent-shaped bay will show you why it has been admired by so many for so long. And we can´t finish our trip without a visit to Gipuzkoa inland, where the art in food and Basque gastronomy started.
Bilbao International Airport (Google Map)
3 Hours Before Flight Time
Wine & Gastronomy guided tour. Discover the different wine regions and their gastronomy. Top level restaurants and hotels and premium wineries.
Transfer to Bilbao where we meet with our local guide who takes us on a tour of both the old town, Casco Viejo, and the new city. The crown of the art world is the Guggenheim Museum, which houses art from all over the world. We´ll share a “pintxos” dinner with our guide in the Old Quarters restaurants, as the locals do.
Transfer to Urdaibai Biosphere Reserve with spectacular wetlands that teem with life. There, we will visit a txacolí winery. Enjoy a wine tasting and a tapas light lunch. Afterwards, we drive in a panoramic tour of the Basque coast. In the afternoon visit the Bizkaia Bridge, UNESCO World Heritage Site. We´ll have a nice dinner next to our hotel in a historical restaurant in Bilbao.
After breakfast, we will depart to San Sebastian, the Pearl of Cantabrico. We will have a walking city tour to the Old town and will have the opportunity of a curated visit at the San Telmo Museum and have a panoramic view from Mount Igeldo. At evening we´ll share dinner in a restaurant near our hotel.
We´ll have today a tour in Inland Guipuzcoa to discover this incredible and mounting area. A visit to a dairy to see and taste how its famous cheeses are made. In the afternoon, a panoramic tour in Gipuzkoa coast, stopping at the charming villages of Getaria and Zarauzt. At evening, a visit to a cider house and afterwards dinner in the cider house in a traditional Basque way.
After breakfast, we leave San Sebastian and drive through the Sierra Cantabria to Laguardia in Rioja wine area. Our local guide will show us the town on a guided tour and get into an underground centenary cellar and taste its wines with cheese and chorizo. Afterwards, you will discover the wine history in the wine museum. At evening enjoy a delicious dinner with Rioja wines in our hotel.
We enroute the Rioja alta area to its heart, Haro. In this town, we can find the eldest and prestigious wineries in Rioja. We will know Haro in a walking tour with a local guide and visit an iconic winery in Barrio La Estación with wine tasting. You can enjoy a stroll in the town. In the evening, transfer to Laguardia and enjoy a Rioja gourmet dinner near our hotel.
Transfer to Bilbao airport and departure to our home.
