Basque Country

What is and isn`t included:

Trip price includes accommodations (double occupancy), meals (all breakfast, lunch and 5 of 7 dinners), all entry fees except where noted in the itinerary, pre-departure information, experienced guides (Nancy & Jose), support vehicle, all transportation during the trip. Airfare to Spain is not included nor is trip & health insurance or transportation to the starting point (Bilbao) and from the ending point (San Sebastián).

Daily Itinerary

Day 1 - Bilbao
After a brief introduction and presentation of the week’s program we’ll take a walking tour of Bilbao, a city founded 700 years ago. We’ll set off from the hotel and walk back in time through Bilbao’s different districts representing its different eras – growth and wealth of the Industrial Revolution, the narrow, twisting streets of the historical quarter nicknamed the Siete Calles district (named for the seven streets that divide the area). We’ll walk the winding streets passing the gothic Cathedral of Santiago. We’ll then walk along the Nervion River to the Guggenheim Museum. En route we pass the pedestrian Zubi Zuri bridge designed by the world-famous Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava.
At the Guggenheim we give you free time to explore architect Frank Gehry’s fascinating building and its collections which have given a completely new face to Bilbao’s waterfront. We’ll enjoy our first sampling of Basque Cuisine at dinner tonight. Walking distance: 2.8miles /4.5 km

Day 2 - Axpe
AxpeWe shuttle to the center of Euskadi to the Urkiola Nature Park located in the mountains around Durango. Nicknamed the little Switzerland, the park boasts a stunning limestone range of green pastures and majestic, craggy peaks whose crowning glory is Anboto (1330m/4362ft), the mythic dwelling place of the Basque country’s most important pre-Christian deity, Mari, aka the Dama de Anboto.
Today we’ll cross this enchanting range inspired by the legends and its magnetic beauty and walk to our lodging, a beautifully restored caserío (traditional Basque farmhouse) in the small village of Axpe.
There is one steep, hard descent in this section. This picturesque village is set within a deep and narrow, wooded valley at the foot of the Urkiola mountain range.
Tonight’s fare will emphasize the inland farmers’ hearty meals. 7 mi/ 11.5km With optional add-on 9.3mi/15km

Day 3 - Axpe
AxpeFrom our lodge we’ll set off to explore the wooded countryside around the village.
We walk to another caserío to learn about the life of a local shepherd and spend the morning with him and his sheepdog ‘Hari’.
We’ll learn about production of local cheese and cuajada (junket).
After our morning’s visit, you can choose to return to the hotel and enjoy a quiet afternoon in this valley famed to be Donde el silencio se oye (Where silence is heard) or continue hiking a very scenic, aerial walk through the park and along the base of two peaks visible from our hotel.
Dinner on your own tonight.
You might want to try the Michelin rated Casa Exteberri famous for its grilled foods down in Axpe. 1.9mi/3km With optional add-on 5.6mi/9km

Day 4 – Deba
ZumaiaWe head north from Axpe to the impressive coast with its memorable seaside roads hugging the abrupt coast interspersed with small towns and beautiful sandy beaches.
We start from the seaside town of Zarauz and we’ll walk east up into the coastal hills through the highly scenic txakolí district. Txakolí is the wine par excellence of the Basque Country – a fruity, young white wine. We’ll walk through the high hills enjoying fantastic views of the coast and inland mountains as the trails wind through the vineyards. En route we stop in a family-run winery where we’ll visit the winery, learning about the history of wine production in this area and have a tasting. We continue walking to our picnic. Afterwards you’ll have the option of continuing the coastal route to Zumaia (and then shuttle to the hotel) or returning directly to the hotel. Dinner tonight at the hotel. 5.9mi/8km With optional add-on 7.1mi/11.5km

Day 5 – Deba
ZumaiaToday we will take a fascinating coastal hike along one of the geological wonders of the world called the Flysch Trail. To orient us to the route we’ll start our visit in the Flysch Museum and then set off on the hilly route (with several steep ascents) that takes us back into millions of years of geological time opened up to us on the exposed cliffs like the pages of a book. During part of the route we coincide with the thousand year old Camino de Santiago pilgrim’s trail which led European pilgrims along the coast on their long journey west towards Santiago de Compostela. After the picnic you have the option of walking back to the hotel in Deba or to return by van. You have the rest of the afternoon and evening to relax on your. 6.5mi/10.5km With optional add-on 9mi/14.5km

Day 6 – Along the Bidasoa River
French Basque CountryEn route to our trailhead in Sare, France, we'll drive through lovely French Basque villages and get a taste of the Basque Country on the other side of the border. Today we make an exciting journey into the past passing three sets of caves as we walk from France over the border to Spain.
Over the course of thousands of years, the caves have been whittled out of the limestone massif that forms this stretch of the Western Pyrenees.
We’ll walk through rolling farmland along ancient smuggler’s paths that were used most recently to help Jews flee from Nazi occupied France. We pass the Sare caves which were occupied some 45,000 years ago by human ancestors.
Sheep and semi-wild horses, pottoks, graze in these hills as the wooded trail heads over the border to the Spanish caves at Zugarramurdi (Navarra) where a witch hunt in the 1620s left the local populations of Urdazubi and Zugarramurdi with only one-fifth of its residents.
The supposed witches were said to meet in the caves for their covens (akelarres). The last caves in Urdazubi overflow with natural sculpture - stalactites and stalagmites formed by the process of karstification - water acting upon limestone. We enter the earth’s innards and witness the work of water on stone over the course of hundreds of thousands of years.
After our walk we’ll shuttle back along the Bidasoa River and spend the night in our charming restored historical building and enjoy more delicious regional cuisine. 6.2 mi/10km

Day 7 –San Sebastian
San SebastianWe’ll drive to one of the Basque Country’s most beautiful natural ports, Pasai Donibane. Oozing historical charm, with its galleried waterfront homes, this attractive village is where Victor Hugo lived and wrote 'Alps and the Pyrenees' in 1843. From here we’ll take a magnificent coastal trail which leaves the village along a steep, ascending trail past a picturesque lighthouse which protects the entrance to the harbor.
The undulating trail enters forests, soars along the cliffs and transports you back in time to the days when the hillside, Uliamendi, was used by local whalers to spot the great sea beasts approaching the coast.
Our destination is the beautiful city of San Sebastian arguably Spain’s most attractive and romantic urban setting. Among its charms are: three spectacular beaches, its expansive bay leading out to the ocean, the hilly contours framing the city, the wooded Monte Urgull crowned with the ruins of a castle and its very appealing early 20th century architecture funded by turn-of-the-century nobles who came here in droves to enjoy the temperate climate.
On our way into town we’ll wander the streets of the old quarter, enjoy its maritime walkway, look for the more than 100 types of lamp posts decorating the city and then wind up at our hotel. Here we’ll find the Basque cuisine at its best ! We’ll enjoy our farewell dinner in this culinary mecca ! 6.2mi/10km