Trip Overview
It's a spectacle of sea and mountain in our Northern Spain sojourn. On the Basque coast at the Bay of Biscay, we'll encounter colorful fishing ports, rugged cliffs and windswept hills. Inland we'll have a thrilling journey through lush wine country with the Pyrenees looming on the horizon. Throughout our tour we'll be immersed in the vibrant culture of Spain's north region experiencing art, Spanish cuisine, Spanish wine and welcoming hospitality.
There's a new brilliance in Bilbao which has become a must-see destination on Spain's cultural circuit. With the advent of Frank Gehry's mesmerizing Guggenheim and other innovative architectural marvels boldly on display, Bilbao has stunningly merged its industrial past with an international artistic focus. We'll walk the cobblestone streets to delight in authentic culture and enjoy a pintxos tour for bite size Basque delicacies served with tiny glasses of beer, wine and cider. We'll also tour the Bilbao Fine Arts Museum to view works by El Greco, Murillo, Van Dyck, Gauguin, and Chillida, with incredible Basque art by Arteta and Iturrino, among other giants of the art world.
Euskal Herria, as the Basque land is known to locals, has a distinct language and a unique culture with food as a major focus in the Basque lifestyle. Marvelous recipes have passed down through generations ensuring the longevity of Basque cuisine. In the 1970s, New Basque Cuisine sparked a revival of Basque regional cooking using a bounty of local ingredients, lighter food preparations with a French influence and exotic combinations creating exquisite dishes. Today, trailblazing Basque chefs can now be found in the finest of Spain's restaurants.
Food purists abound in Basque and growing season is strictly observed with food cooked exactly to 'its point'. Our culinary tour will include amazing meals of simple, fresh fare with deep rooted recipes while in Basque Country. Seafood such as cod, hake, and bonito play a special part in Basque cooking along with mountain-pastured lamb and Iberian ham. Local beans, cheeses, eggs, mushrooms, corn, apples, peppers, and tomatoes are also prominently featured in dishes. Simply scrumptious!
We'll also travel to the lush heartland of Spain for the joyful Rioja Grape Harvest Festival with the famed crushing of the grapes. Other highlights include Pueblos de Europa Park featuring open air art sculptures by legendary artists Henry Moore and Basque native Eduardo Chillida; the Medieval center of the Basque capital Vitoria; historic monuments of Pamplona; and in Olite, part of the famous Navarre wine route, we'll have a wine tasting in the 15th century cellar Bodega Carricas.
The scenery is heavenly, the food is divine, and the Spanish wine is wondrous. We hope you'll join us for this marvelous feast and fiesta in glorious Spain.
Brief Itinerary
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You're in Basque Country - a culinary paradise and premier destination in Spain. With our English-speaking guide, we'll embark on a tour of Bilbao, the fascinating Spanish metropolis on the Gulf of Biscay. Over the last decades, Basque Nouvelle Cuisine has taken root which we'll experience at our welcome dinner in a lovely Bilbao restaurant.
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Today we'll explore the stunning Basque coast with our first stop in Getxo, home to Las Arenas where we will encounter Puento Colgante, the famous suspension bridge and small palaces and stately villas. In Bakio, we'll explore the cellars of a traditional Basque Txakoli winery; on the island of San Juan de Gaztelugatxe, we'll view a 10th century chapel; and tour the fishing port of Bermeo. In the Basque highlands, at Guernika, we'll visit famous Casa de Juntas and stroll Pueblos de Europa Park, featuring open air art sculptures by legendary artists Henry Moore and Basque native Eduardo Chillida.
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| Day Three: The Guggenheim in Bilbao and Pintxos Tour |
We start our day with a tour of the magnificent, avant garde Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, designed by American architect Frank Gehry. The Guggenheim in Bilbao displays masterpieces of modern and contemporary art that are beautiful and breathtaking. For lunch we'll have a 'Pintxos Tour,' known as the jewels of Spanish gastronomy. After lunch we visit Bilbao's Fine Arts Museum for a sweeping tour of classical, contemporary and Basque collections.
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It's an excursion to Vitoria today, a city of exceptional urban design. The Basque capital, founded towards the end of the 12th century, has a Medieval city centre with countless places of great traditional flavor and historic buildings. We'll tour the gorgeous Cathedral de Santa María which originated as a church-fortress at the beginning of the 13th century. We'll then continue our culinary tour with lunch at a Vitoria restaurant where we can sample traditional Spanish cuisine.
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Pamplona is the capital city of the Navarre province and legendary for the running of the bulls. It was also the favorite city of Hemingway. Our tour begins with the old hamlets of Pamplona, a series of medieval districts. In the central plaza we'll see the stately baroque façade of the City Hall, the Gothic church of San Saturnino, and Palace of Navarre. In the neighbourhood of la Navarrería, we'll view the Cathedral of Santa María la Real, a magnificent complex with Gothic and Neoclassic elements.
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Day Six: Navarre Wine Route
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We pay a visit in the morning to a traditional wine cellar in Olite, considered the capital of wine in Navarre and situated on the famous Navarre wine route. We tour the village of Najera to see the monastery Santa Maria la Real known as a burial place of Spanish kings. Santo Domingo de la Calzada and its network of Medieval streets, declared a National Historic Interest Site, will also be toured. We'll later enjoy dinner in Haro, based in La Rioja province, known for its fine red Spanish wine.
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Day Seven: Rioja Wine Museum
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Today is dedicated to the culture of wine with a visit to the Wine Museum in Briones. We'll also tour a nearby Spanish wine cellar accompanied by a wine tasting and lecture. After lunch will be the perfect occasion for a walking tour through the vineyards accompanied by a professional wine expert who will explain, among other things, the designation of origin La Rioja. During our walk we'll stop for a small aperitif then finish with a visit to another quality Briones wine cellar for a wine tasting.
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Day Eight: Rioja Grape Harvest Festival
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We arrive in Logroño for the famous Rioja Grape Harvest Festival during the traditional feast of San Mateo. We'll first tour the beautiful city of Logroño, the capital of La Rioja, situated on the River Ebro which is the prime wine distribution center. We'll then join in the Spanish wine fiesta to observe the the first must of the new harvest offered to the patron saint of La Rioja and experience festival fare including bull-running, pelota (ball) games, fireworks, neighbourhood music, dancing, regional Spanish cuisine and of course - Rioja wine.
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Transfer to the airport of Bilbao.
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