Highlights:

 

• Receive a private visit of the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao.
• Visit Pamplona, home of the world famous Bull Run (San Fermin festival), with great nightlife, food and beautiful architecture
• Enjoy the culinary pleasures on the Basque coast from the rare to the rustic.
• Explore Bardenas Reales, a UNESCO site with a lunar like landscape offering stunning views
• Discover Olite, a beautiful, quintessentially Basque town in the centre of Navarra
• Enjoy wineries that offer fierce competition to the neighbouring Rioja region
• Trek in the legendary forests, as we go into Navarra mountain ranges and enjoy stunning views.

 

Included:

 

• 4 Star minimum accommodation on a Bed and Breakfast Basis where available
• Meet and Greet at Airport
• Expert driver/guide
• Comfortable touring vehicle
• Local knowledge, recommendations and help with any bookings you want to make

 

 

Not included

 

• Flights - purchase your own flights
• Gratuities minimum recommended $20 per person per day
• Lunches and dinners not specified in the itinerary
• Insurance
• Personal expenses such as shopping, visas etc.
• Entrances to cathedrals and churches

 

 

Detailed Itinerary:

 

 

Day 1: Bilbao - Welcome

Arrival to Bilbao
Transfer from Airport to hotel
18:00 Welcome reception
Discover the city in your own free time

 

Day 2: Discover the Museums of Bilbao

 

Bilbao is famous for its museum Guggenheim, modern architecture and has won many international awards for its transformation last century from an industrial river-port city to a thriving art, architecture and cultural centre. Receive a private visit of the Bilbao museum Guggenheim, followed by lunch. We will enjoy a walking visit of the historic city center leaving the Bistro café. You will have the opportunity to visit the private social club La Bilbaina. We can provide you with a short list of restaurant options and make the reservations for you. Dinner is not included in this package.
12:30 Private tour of Guggenheim.
14:30 Lunch at the Guggenheim Bistro cafe
17:00 Walking tour of Bilbao. We walk back to the city center and end at your hotel.

 

Day 3: Pamplona - Show Cooking

 

Pamplona is one of the top cities in Spain for gourmet eating. We will enjoy a stroll in Pamplona’s historic quarter. Learn about the running of the bulls, Hemingway’s history with this town, and other historic spots, followed by a sit down lunch. We will regroup for a culinary experience, which is an evening at our private social club and form part of a local activity in the heart of the city. This will give you the chance to learn how to make a Spanish Paella.

09:30 Transfer to Pamplona
11:30 Check into hotel (Leave your baggage and enjoy the city)
12:00 Walking tour Pamplona
14:00 Sit down lunch menu
19:00 Regroup for a special Show Cooking + dinner.

 

Day 4: Navarra Mountain Range / Iberian Basque Ham

 

We enjoy a pleasant walk on paths running high in the mountains through beech tree forests, mythology, dolmens and legends under our footsteps, while soaking up the stunning views of the Aralar mountain range. We arrive at a twelfth century Romanesque sanctuary named for Saint Michael de Aralar, who was said to have slayed a dragon at that site. At a special local free range farm, find out why the Euskal-txerri, or Basque pigs, are a delicacy and one of Spain’s best kept secrets. We will sit down to enjoy a culinary extravaganza of Basque Iberian dishes, composed of a multi-course sampling menu. We transfer to Pamplona, check into the hotel and relax. We will regroup for a pintxos and wine experience in the city center

09:00 We pick you up and we transfer to Saint Miguel de Aralar, Navarra.
10:30 We walk a portion of Navarre’s beautiful region.// Visit the Menduliko caves.
13:30 Transfer to Pamplona and check into your hotel.

15:00 Lunch is in repsol sun Maskarada restaurant (Wines and other beverages not included)
18:00 Walking Running of the Bulls tour of Pamplona.

1. WALKERS: We walk through the elf-like forest of Saint Miguel de Aralar.
2. NON WALKERS We visit the nearby Menduliko caves, then regroup at the Saint Miguel
de Aralar hermitage sanctuary.

 

Day 5: Navarra Wine Route - Roman, Romanesque and Medieval

 

We will see some of the most impressive examples of regional medieval architecture, and visit the beautiful Monastery of Leyre, cradle of kings, with its well preserved underground burial crypts of Navarran royalty. If you are interested in attending the early morning Gregorian chants mass - sung by the Gregorian monks in the monastery we would need to be at the monastery. We transfer to the 10th century Castillo de Javier, where Navarra’s patron saint, St. Francis Xavier, was born and lived in the 16th century and enjoy a mid morning bite to eat. Our journey then continues on along the Navarre Wine Route taking in a short walk to the astounding 1st and 2nd Century Roman ruins of Santa Criz. These Roman ruins, tucked away in an area of low lying mountains, are considered to be among the best conserved Roman ruins in Navarra. We enjoy wine tasting and aperitifs in 2 signature wineries of Navarra. Afternoon pleasures include a visit to the Olite castle (the castle that inspired the Disneyland logo). Enjoy the afternoon on your own.
08:30 Pick up at hotel
09:15 Gregorian chants mass at Monastery de Leyre + visit of the monastery crypt
11:00 Visit Castillo Javier + mid morning bite to eat (local dishes) Traditional Navarre specialities
in Javier village for wine tasting and aperitifs
13:00 Roman ruins visit in the countryside + winery visit in Navarra paired with spicy Iberian
chorizo and local cheese.
15:30 Transfer to Olite
16:15 Private visit the Olite castle
18:00 Transfer to Pamplona

 

Day 6: UNESCO Desert + Hike

 

We transfer to the Bardenas desert that boasts unique formations and abruptly changing landscapes, forming canyons and plateaus moulded by a famous dry wind called the cierzo. The many layers of reds, golds, oranges and white reveal the erosion of clay, chalk and sandstone over many geological eras. Lunch is a “heavenly vegetables” Navarre menu, followed by a historic tour of Tudela. Enjoy the evening on your own.
09:30 Transfer to the Bardenas Reales UNESCO park.
11:30 Mid morning Informal Picnic stop for lunch in a shepherd's cabin in the desert.
13:30 Transfer to the historic town of Tudela .
14:00 Lunch is a lunch menu in Tudela.
15:30 Walking tour of Tudela.
18:00 Transfer to Pamplona.
1. WALKERS Our route consists of a walk across a portion of the Bardenas Reales UNESCO park (this will depend on the group level).
2. NON ACTIVE TRAVELERS Our route consists of stopping at two locations and driving through the desert of the Bardenas Reales UNESCO park.

 

Day 7 - Camino De Santiago: Bike ride + Wine

 

Transfer to Puente la Reina to visit the majestic Romanesque bridge, a symbol of the Saint James Way. The perfect location for a group photo! We either cycle, walk or tour from here. We will regroup at the Arinzano Winery to enjoy a visit by 4x4 of the vineyards, the winery and wine taste three Pago de Arinzano wines paired with iberian hams. We will transfer to Pamplona.
Enjoy the afternoon on your own.
09:30 Transfer to Puente la Reina
10:30 Active travel along the Camino de Santiago - Approx 18 miles / 30 km, elevation gain: 500
metres (distances are tailored to the group abilities)
13:30 Visit by 4x4 the vineyards + wine tasting + Iberian hams.
18:00 We transfer to hotel in Pamplona
19:00 Walking tour of Pamplona + pintxos and wine dinner. (3 pintxos and wines)

1. CYCLISTS / WALKERS We go along a portion of the Camino de Santiago Frances from Puente la Reina to Arínzano (20 kms approx). Our cycling route ends at the most prestigious winery in Navarra, the Propiedad Arínzano Winery.(transport for this group and others will be 1 or 2 NST vans and the minibus)
2. NON ACTIVE TRAVELERS We visit an Olive Oil Elaboration Museum, a visit to the Irache Monastery and if there is time, Artajona, walled town used in July 1975, as Nottingham, in the stories of the legendary Robin Hood starring Sean Connor. (Transport for this group and others will be 1 or 2 NST vans and the minibus).

 

Day 8: The Tuscany of Spain: Hike + Spa

 

We spend the morning in the province of 5 Villas, the Tuscany of Spain. We arrive at the family-friendly salt spring mountain spa and hotel for a dip into the warm waters for a salt-bath experience followed by lunch in an outstanding cozy local restaurant. We transfer to San Sebastian, check in to your hotel, then regroup for a pintxos and wine dinner in the bustling streets of the city.
08:30 Morning pick up at the hotel
09:30 Gorgeous hike in the 5 Villas region (7,2 kms, 210 meters altitude)
12:30 Salt Spring Mountain Spa Session + Spa bathrobe + thongs + swimming cap
14:30 Local Restaurant
16:30 Transfer to your hotel in San Sebastian
19:00 Regroup for a get your bearings tour of San Sebastain, followed by a pintxos and wines
dinner (3 pintxos and wines).
1. WALKERS Our route consists of a walk through the picturesque villages in the 5 Villas Province - the Tuscany of Spain, stopping for a bite to eat along the way, admiring potokas, a Navarra breed of ponies, and woolly sheep called Latxas.
2. NON ACTIVE TRAVELERS Once we drop off the walkers, we do a road trip through a
series of Navarre villages: Zubieta, Ituren, Santesteban.

 

Day 9: San Sebastian - Relax

 

Relax or we take you surfing the waves!!
Possible spa session in a nearby Spa (perhaps enjoy a massage :-) This item is not included in
the itinerary. 

 

Day 10: Coastal Day: Explore a Basque Fort

 

We will transfer you to Hondarribia. We hike through the beautiful scenery to a coastal 16th century fishing village at the point where the Bidasoa River meets the Atlantic ocean. We will hike from the Santuario de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe, Hondarribia to Pasajes. Upon arrival, we take a traditional ‘txalupa’ across the tidal river. We have a mid-morning snack in a local fisherman’s tavern for a glass of cider and a few of their specialties, and then visit a quaint
Basque Whaling Museum to find out how Basque fishermen first sailed across the ocean to North America. Afternoon pleasures include a historic walking tour of Hondarribia.
08:00 Pick up at your hotel in San Sebastian.
08:40 Hike from San Sebastian to Pasajes - a portion of the Camino de Santiago.(10 kms)

12:00 Visit to the small but quaint Basque whalers museum.
12:45 Lunch in an authentic Basque tavern.
13:30 Take the taxi boat to the other shore of Pasajes.
16:30 Historic tour of Hondarribia.
Transfer to San Sebastian
.
1. WALKERS Our route consists of a walk along the Camino de Santiago del Norte with
seascapes of the Cantabrian Sea from San Sebastian to Pasajes.
2. NON ACTIVE TRAVELERS We transfer later in the morning from San Sebastian to
Pasajes and begin the activities from here on foot.

 

Day 11: Return to Bilbao - Hike + Art

 

We transfer to the now iconic 10th century hermitage Gaztelugutxe, backdrop to the Game of Thrones series. Then off to Bilbao. Bilbao is famous for its museum Guggeneim, modern architecture and has won many international awards for its transformation last century from industrial river-port city to a thriving art, architecture and cultural centre. We will regroup for farewell wines and pintxos at the hotel restaurant.
09:00 Pick up at the hotel
11:30 Arrival to the Islet Gaztelugatxe + hike the Islet Gaztelugatxe
13:30 /14:00 Stellar Lunch on the coast
16:00 Transfer to Bilbao.
1. WALKERS It’s a fun walk to the islet to ring the famous bell, with the Atlantic crashing around you. Lunch will be in a 1850 rustic Basque style farmhouse at Eneperi Restaurant in Bermeo.
2. NON ACTIVE TRAVELERS We will drop off the walkers and visit two villages on the coast: Bermeo and Mundaka. Then return to Gaztelugatxe to retrieve the walkers.

 

Day 12: Farewell

 

Transfer from hotel to Airport