Day 1: Arrive Bilbao — Welcome to Basque Country
Arrive at Bilbao Airport, where you’ll be collected and transferred to your centrally located 3-star hotel. The rest of the day is at leisure to begin exploring this transformed industrial city. Stroll along the Nervion River to catch your first glimpse of Frank Gehry’s shimmering titanium Guggenheim Museum, or wander into the Casco Viejo (Old Quarter) where the ‘Siete Calles’ — the original seven streets dating to the 1400s — pulse with pintxos bars and local life. Evening welcome briefing with your bilingual tour leader, who outlines the exciting week ahead. Overnight Bilbao.
Day 2: Exploring Bilbao & Surroundings — Gaztelugatxe & Gernika
After breakfast, embark on a guided exploration of the Bilbao Estuary that transformed this former industrial port into a cultural powerhouse. View the Bizkaia Bridge (UNESCO World Heritage Site) — the world’s oldest transporter bridge, still carrying passengers and cars across the Nervion in its suspended gondola since 1893. Then journey into the Urdaibai Biosphere Reserve, a UNESCO-protected coastal paradise. The highlight: San Juan de Gaztelugatxe — the dramatic hermitage-topped islet connected to the mainland by a winding stone bridge of 241 steps. Game of Thrones fans will recognize this as Dragonstone from Season 7. Continue to the colorful fishing port of Bermeo, the Basque Country’s most important fishing harbor, where you’ll enjoy a guided pintxos tasting — sampling these bite-sized culinary masterpieces paired with local txakoli white wine. Afternoon: visit Gernika, the historic town immortalized by Picasso’s anti-war masterpiece. Explore the Casa de Juntas (Assembly House) and stand beneath the sacred Tree of Gernika, where Basque leaders have sworn oaths since the Middle Ages. Return to Bilbao for a guided walking tour of the Casco Viejo and the elegant Ensanche district. Overnight Bilbao.
Day 3: Biarritz & Saint-Jean-de-Luz — French Basque Coast & San Sebastian
Today you cross the border into France to explore the elegant French Basque coast. Morning in Biarritz, the glamorous seaside resort that became the summer retreat of European royalty in the 19th century. Walk along the Grande Plage, view the iconic Rocher de la Vierge (Rock of the Virgin) pierced by Napoleon III’s bridge, and admire the belle epoque architecture, including the magnificent Hotel du Palais (formerly Napoleon III’s summer palace). Then to Saint-Jean-de-Luz, a charming fishing port with a rich maritime history — this is where Louis XIV married Marie-Therese of Spain in 1660. Enjoy a tasting of the town’s typical sweet, the gateau basque (Basque cake with cream or cherry filling). Mid-afternoon: arrive in San Sebastian (Donostia in Basque), one of the world’s most beautiful cities. A walking tour introduces the elegant belle epoque buildings, the crescent-shaped La Concha Beach, and the Parte Vieja (Old Town) — ground zero for pintxos culture. Ascend Mount Igueldo by funicular for sweeping views of the bay, the island of Santa Clara, and the scalloped coastline stretching toward France. Check into your hotel. Evening free to begin your own pintxos crawl — the bars of Calle 31 de Agosto and Calle Fermin Calbeton are legendary. Overnight San Sebastian.
Day 4: San Sebastian at Leisure — La Concha & Gastronomic Paradise
Full free day in San Sebastian — the city that consistently ranks among the world’s top culinary destinations, boasting 16 Michelin stars (second highest per square meter after Kyoto). Morning: relax on La Concha Beach, consistently voted one of Europe’s best urban beaches, with its calm bay waters perfect for swimming. Alternatively, hike up Monte Urgull for spectacular 360-degree views and the English Cemetery, or cycle the promenade to the Peine del Viento (Wind Comb) — Eduardo Chillida’s iconic rusted steel sculptures embedded in the rocks at the bay’s western end. Afternoon options: visit the San Telmo Museum for Basque history and culture, explore the Aquarium with its walk-through glass tunnel, or simply hop from bar to bar in the Old Town sampling pintxos — from traditional gildas (olive, anchovy, and guindilla pepper on a skewer) to avant-garde Michelin-starred miniature creations. Evening: dress up for dinner at one of San Sebastian’s famed restaurants — whether a traditional sidreria (cider house) serving txuleton steak and cod omelet, or a cutting-edge tasting menu at one of the city’s Michelin-starred establishments. Overnight San Sebastian.
Day 5: Return to Bilbao — Coastal Villages & Basque Culture
Morning departure from San Sebastian, but not before one last stroll along La Concha’s elegant promenade. The journey back to Bilbao follows the stunning Basque coastline, with stops at charming fishing villages. Visit Getaria, the picturesque harbor town famous as the birthplace of Juan Sebastian Elcano (the first man to circumnavigate the globe) and home to the Balenciaga Museum. The town’s grilled fish restaurants overlooking the Cantabrian Sea are legendary. Continue to Zarautz, where surfers ride the Atlantic waves along the Basque Country’s longest beach, and Zumaia, where the dramatic flysch rock formations — geological strata tilted vertically by tectonic forces — create one of the world’s longest continuous rock strata exposures. Arrive in Bilbao by late afternoon. Evening: explore Bilbao’s pintxos scene around Plaza Nueva in the Casco Viejo — the 64 arches of this neoclassical square house some of the city’s best bars. Overnight Bilbao.
Day 6: La Rioja Wine Region & Vitoria — Medieval Villages & Rioja Alavesa
Journey south into La Rioja Alavesa, one of Spain’s premier wine regions at the foot of the Sierra de Cantabria. Morning: guided walking tour of Laguardia, a perfectly preserved medieval hilltop village founded in the 10th century. Enter through its fortified gates, wander the narrow cobblestone streets, and discover why this was once a strategic defensive stronghold of the Kingdom of Navarre. Visit the Church of Santa Maria de los Reyes with its remarkable polychrome Gothic portico. Then, a guided tour and wine tasting at a traditional Rioja bodega — descend into ancient underground cellars (calados) carved into the rock beneath the village, where wines age in oak barrels in the cool darkness. Learn about Rioja’s classification system (Crianza, Reserva, Gran Reserva) and taste the region’s signature Tempranillo-based reds, with their characteristic balance of fruit and oak. Afternoon: continue to Vitoria-Gasteiz, the political capital of the Basque Country and one of Spain’s greenest cities. Enjoy a panoramic tour including the beautifully preserved medieval old town (declared one of Europe’s best-preserved historic centers) and a tasting of typical Basque sweets — vasquitos and neskitas — at an artisan chocolatier. Return to Bilbao. Evening: farewell group dinner at a traditional Basque restaurant. Overnight Bilbao.
Day 7: Depart Bilbao
After breakfast, transfer to Bilbao train station or airport for your onward journey. Depart with a deep appreciation for the Basque Country — a land of dramatic coastlines, medieval villages, world-class cuisine, and a culture entirely its own.
