BASQUE COUNTRY AND RIOJA: Discover Bilbao, San Sebastian in a small group!

Group tour in the Basque Country and Rioja: adventure tour from Bilbao via Rioja to San Sebastián - culture, architecture, wine, pintxos and culinary delights
 

On this group tour in the Basque Country, you will experience Bilbao, San Sebastián and the Rioja wine region from their tasty side!

In the Basque Country, immerse yourself in the pintxo culture on a culinary city tour in Bilbao, discover San Sebastián and the fishing villages on the picturesque rocky coast while tasting the sparkling white wine Txakolí and enjoying a sumptuous lunch in a cider house.

In Rioja, you will explore the famous wine culture and taste the best Rioja wines at winegrowers such as Marques de Riscal: from the vineyard to the cellar to the tasting - the Rioja wine tastings are accompanied by the delicious peasant cuisine typical of the Rioja wine region.

Bilbao is the gateway to the Basque cultural universe: with the Guggenheim Museum as a major international symbol, it is a city that is an unsurpassed example of urban change on a global scale, but which has also retained a number of characteristics that make it absolutely unique and the perfect start to a Basque Country tour!

History, culture, the most beautiful cities, pintxos and of course great wines - that's our group tour in the Basque Country and Rioja.

Group tour Basque Country: Arrival in Bilbao and pintxo tour to lick your fingers

Day 1:

Your Basque Country and Rioja group tour begins with arrival at Bilbao airport and transfer to the modern 4-star hotel in the city centre. The hotel is located just a few minutes from the riverside and only 15 minutes from the Guggenheim Museum and Bilbao's old town.

In the evening, your guide will be waiting to take you on an atmospheric pintxos tour (a must for every visitor to Bilbao!) through the capital of the Basque Country by the sea.
 

A pintxos tour in Bilbao with several stops will get you in the right mood for your Basque Country round trip.

You will sleep heavenly well in your city hotel, the 4-star Hotel Abano, which is located right in the center of Bilbao, next to the Jardines de Albia and parallel to the Ledesma pedestrian zone (famous for its pintxo bars).

In Bilbao, it makes perfect sense to stay in a city hotel right in the center - so you can easily explore the city on your own in your free time.

Group tour Bilbao: the fascinating Guggenheim Museum

Day 2:

After breakfast, you will set off on a city tour in Bilbao: The tour starts with a walk through the old town, where you can discover the lively streets, enchanting squares and charming corners. You will visit the City Walls of Bilbao, the Gothic Cathedral of Santiago, the Plaza Nueva, the Church of San Anton and the ancient ruins on which the city is built, not forgetting the bustling Ribera Market, whose roots date back to the 14th century.

A city tour in Bilbao brings you closer to the contrasts between history and modernity in this fascinating city.

Afterwards, you will walk to the more modern parts of the city, including of course the riverside with the highlight of the Guggenheim Museum, which was designed by American architect Frank O. Gehry and is just as impressive on the outside as its works of art on the inside, which you will of course also marvel at on the guided tour.

The late afternoon and evening are at your leisure.
 

On the group tour in the Basque Country, you will visit the Guggenheim Museum.

Group tour Basque Country: Discover the famous wine region, Rioja with Laguardia

Day 3:

After breakfast, set off for the wine region of Rioja.

An absolute highlight awaits you halfway there: the terraced salt valley of Añana is absolutely unique. It is one of the oldest salt extraction sites in the world and it is believed that the "white gold" has been continuously extracted here for around 7,000 years. It consists of hundreds, if not thousands, of salt pans, wooden platforms, springs, canals, wells and deposits. The ancient brine wells are inhabited by a unique crustacean called Artemia Parthenogenetica. The brine flows through the wooden channels and platforms and the salt is extracted by solar evaporation. The salt is considered to be of the highest quality and is particularly praised by Michelin-starred chefs around the world for its intensity, which lingers much longer in the mouth. The salt water springs contain 210 grams of salt per liter, seven times more than seawater!

The salt valley of Añana is one of the cultural highlights on our round trip from Bilbao to Rioja

Afterwards, we head directly to Rioja Alta to a historic bodega. It was born out of the passion of a family of winegrowers who have been dedicated to growing and producing their own wines for more than four generations, with wine cellars dating back to the 16th century. Today you will have the opportunity to go on a mini-trek in the vineyards to learn more about viticulture and, above all, the individual varieties with their visual differences already in the vineyard.

Autumnal view of Laguardia on the group tour in northern Spain in the Rioja region.

Rioja wines: Crianza, Reserva and Grand Reserva tasting - this experience is also part of your round trip in Rioja

Afterwards, you will head to the winery to learn about the ageing of the wines Crianza, Reserva or Gran Reserva - you will better understand what the individual designations on the Rioja wines mean. After all the theory, of course, the practice should not be neglected. At the riojan farmer's lunch with chorizo and potato stew and tender lamb chops, the bodega's wines will be paired with the individual courses.

A Riojan national dish is the "chuletas" - tender lamb ribs that will melt in your mouth.

After lunch, a short digestive walk on foot in Haro is on the agenda. Haro is one of the most important wine towns in the Rioja Alta region with its numerous wineries, including some world-famous bodegas. After the walk, you will be taken to your accommodation for the next two nights in Rioja.

Haro is considered one of Spain's wine towns and should not be missed on a group trip to the Rioja region.
 

The 4-star design hotel Viura is located in the small wine village of Villabuena de Álava in Rioja Alavesa, the Basque part of Rioja. In the evening, you have some free time and can explore the small wine village on foot. Incidentally, you can have an excellent dinner at the hotel or book a massage in the small spa.

The rooms at the Design-Winzerhotel Hotel are modern. You are just a few minutes' walk from the center of the town or the vineyards.

Wine trip Rioja Alavesa: Marqués de Riscal, romantic wine villages and breathtaking landscapes!

Day 4:

After breakfast, you willdiscover the beauty of Rioja Alavesa. You will drive to a small family bodega, Bodega Otsatsu, which is quite inconspicuously surrounded by many a wine giant. The hospitality and warm hospitality and the fantastic quality of the wines are really impressive!

36 hectares of vineyards, divided into 50 microplots, which are mainly located in Samaniego at different altitudes and with different orientations in the shelter of the Cantabria-Toloño mountains, have an almost perfect microclimate to thrive. The calcareous clay soils and the meeting of two climatic zones as different as the Atlantic and the Mediterranean make this the perfect place to grow high-quality vines. And this is exactly what you will taste at the end of the tour in the winery during the tasting of three single-vineyard wines and you will also be able to try the extra virgin olive oil from the winery's own cultivation with a few snacks.

Afterwards, you will head to the world-famous wine village of Laguardia, whose history you will learn about on a guided tour on foot. You seem to travel back in time to the Middle Ages in the old town with its narrow alleyways, stone walls and historic palazzi. But at least as interesting is the church Santa María de los Reyes with its ornately decorated portal from the 17th century, which is perfectly preserved and absolutely unique in Spain in this quality. Of course, this is also on today's "must-see list."

Laguardia, together with Elciego, is the most famous wine village in Rioja Alavesa and enchants visitors with its medieval flair and fantastic wines.

After the walk in Laguardia, it's just a few minutes by bus to your lunch stop in a family-run restaurant with a view of the vineyards and many a famous Rioja bodega. While you have experienced the more traditional side of Rioja so far, the second half of the day is dedicated to the elegant soul of Rioja Alavesa. You will enjoy a 4-course tasting menu, which may feature local ingredients, but you will see and taste that the approach of the three chefs is much more modern.

Rioja cuisine can also be lighter and more modern - as you will discover with a delicious tasting menu. © La Huerta Vieja Restaurants

The last "wine date" in the Rioja part of our northern Spain round trip awaits you at a special winery: the owners have created a temple of modernity here. Here, not only the wine, but also the architecture is the focus of every visitor's attention. The design bodega of Marqués de Riscal is an architectural feast for the eyes and it is no surprise that it has already been voted the second best bodega in the world for winery visits several times by the "World's Best Vineyards Award". With corrugated titanium sheets that grow into the sky like vine shoots, the bodega looks like a spaceship that has landed. After a tour of the winery, you will taste three signature wines from the bodega, accompanied by snacks.

An institution in Rioja Alavesa! The Bodega Marqués de Riscal.

Transfer back to the hotel in the late afternoon.

Trip to San Sebastian: the culinary pearl of the Basque Country!

Day 5:

After breakfast, you will check out in Villabuena and embark on the last stage of our delicious group tour in the Basque Country and Rioja to the elegant city by the sea, San Sebastián. But before you reach the coast, you will make a very important stop as you pass the village of Idiazabal , which is famous for its sheep's cheese production and you will no doubt have enjoyed this raw milk specialty during the tastings of the last few days. Just a few minutes outside the village is the Gaztañaditxulo family's small farm and cheese dairy. You will get to know the producers themselves - the four-legged and the two-legged ones, learn how the cheese is made and then taste the cheese in its young and smoked form. The tour then continues towards San Sebastián

Of course, we will take a break at Igueldo Mountain, which is the first stop through the province of Guipuzkoa on the way to San Sebastian - from here you can enjoy thebest view of the city with its picturesque bay.

San Sebastián is the last destination of the group tour in northern Spain and a delicious finale.

After the panoramic stop, check-in takes place in a beautiful 4-star hotel just a few minutes' walk from the beach and the old town.

You will continue to explore this enchanting city on a walk through the old town, truly the most authentic quarter of the city. In this area, you will find a Gothic church and a Baroque basilica just a few meters apart, next to a square that was once a bullring (hence the many balconies), narrow streets full of atmosphere or the "Baserritarras", where the best vegetables in the city are sold. Afterwards, you will have free time for a leisurely lunch and to enjoy the promenades, beaches and the city.

Your 4-star accommodation in San Sebastián is just 5 minutes from the sea and has a fantastic rooftop pool.

San Sebastián is famous for its first-class beaches, in particular the famous "La Concha" beach, which is lined with an elegant promenade. The city also has an impressive old town with narrow streets, historic buildings and a lively atmosphere. The city also hosts various cultural events, including the renowned San Sebastián Film Festival, which attracts international film stars and directors every year.

Pamper yourself with an afternoon on the beach in San Sebastián - there's plenty of time for that on our Basque Country group tour.
 

In the evening, you will be taken to a Basque "Txoko" where you will cook and chat with a Basque.

Private dinner with cooking in a Basque "Txoko"

It doesn't get more Basque and authentic than this, because a "Txoko" is a traditional Basque club or association that is mainly dedicated to the enjoyment of food and drink. These clubs are widespread in Basque culture and have a long history. The term "Txoko" comes from the Basque language and means "place" or "location". In a txoko, friends, family members or community members usually meet to cook, eat and spend time together. The members of a Txoko are often passionate amateur cooks and gourmets, and they take the preparation of meals very seriously. A central element of a Txoko is the communal kitchen, which is equipped with all the necessary appliances and utensils to prepare meals together. The dishes prepared in a txoko are traditionally Basque and based on fresh, seasonal ingredients.

Today you'll be helping to prepare three pintxos, a typical fish or seafood dish and a Basque dessert.

Txokos are usually not open to the public and you can only enter as a guest of a member. You're all guests today, of course, and pitch in as if you're part of the club, which means setting the table, cooking, serving and clearing away.

Cooking and eating in a Txoko is one of the most authentic experiences you can have in the Basque Country. © San Sebastian Pintxos Tours

Discover the Basque coast, secluded fishing villages and the sparkling pleasure of txakolí and cider!

Day 6:

After breakfast, set off to enjoy the traditions of the Basque coast, starting with Zumaia. It is located in a privileged place on the coast of Guipuzkoa, on the shores of the sea and the bay, at the point where the Urola and Narrondo rivers meet. Here you can also see a flysch - these are cliffs with a history dating back over 60 million years.

The Basque coast is wildly romantic and will cast a spell over you on our group trip near San Sebastián and Bilbao.

Continue to Getaria, a picturesque fishing village and birthplace of famous personalities such as Juan Sebastián Elcano and Cristóbal Balenciaga.

The next stop is the tasting of Txakoli wine with a few typical Basque specialties in a winery. Txakolí is a sparkling white wine characterized by its young fruity note and captivates with its tart, floral and intense citrus aromas.

However, don't fill your stomach too full, because for lunch you'll go to a sidreria - a cider house, which couldn't be more typical of the Basque Country. The food here is hearty and you will of course take part in one of the Basque traditions par excellence:"TXOTX" - this is the independent "tapping" of cider from the barrel, where you have to prove your skill.

So that you can discover San Sebastián on your own, the late afternoon is at your disposal. The last evening, however, you will be treated to an extraordinary dinner, which will be the conclusion of a great round trip in the Basque Country.

The Basque Country is a true paradise for lovers of fish and seafood and you can taste it on our gourmet trip to the Basque Country

Hasta luego Basque Country! Return flight from Bilbao

Day 7:

After breakfast, you will return to the airport in Bilbao and have to say goodbye to your fellow travelers and the many flavours of the Basque Country and Rioja group tour - certainly with many memories in your luggage!