basque country
day-by-day itinerary
bordeaux
01
Our tour begins in the lovely town of Libourne where we’ll pay a visit to one of the smallest, but most interesting, wineries we work with. Two years ago we bought our own barrel from this winemaker for a private small project. Maybe we’ll do it again!
Following a small local lunch where the truck drivers eat near St. Emilion, we’ll load into the van for 2.5 hour drive to Bayonne. That’s where we’ll check in to the Hotel des Basses, our base for the next two nights.
Prior to dinner we’ll have a walk along the Nive river, stop for a tasse à moustache at the chocolaterie Puyodebat, and have a general Basque introduction on foot. We’ll finish the day by draining a few bottles of wine over some traditional recipes at Bouchon Basque.
espelette
02
Following a morning walk around Bayonne, we’ll make our first essential stop on this tour in the village of Espelette. Famous for its red peppers, PIment d’Espelette, which hang in decoration throughout the village, we’ll visit a small producer and learn a little more about them. Originally from Mexico, this prized pepper is protected with an AOC label.
We will lunch at the fantastic 1-star restaurant Choko Ona, and then have a short walk around this gorgeous and pedestrian-friendly Basque village where we can also visit the seigneurial castle built in the year 1000, destroyed in the Thirty Years’ War, rebuilt, then bequethed to the inhabitants of Espelette in 1694.
We’ll return to Bayonne in search of a simple dinner of cheese and it’s famous ham.
sare & ainhoa
03
We’ll check out this morning pretty early and take a 40-minute drive to Sare, where we’ll board the train de Rhune and climb to nearly 1000 meters for a fantastic view from the Pyrenées of the pays Basque all the way to Landes. Then, climbing even higher, we’ll go for a mountain lunch at Maison Hordago.
After a leg stretch to burn a few calories, we’ll descend to the little known, unspoiled village of Ainhoa. The old village was founded in the 13th century. We’ll walk along its main street lined with traditional white-washed houses trimmed with red, blue, and green timbering. We will stop at the medieval church, and visit Its small, but unusual cemetery dating from the 16th and 17th centuries.
Our lodging for the next two evenings will be in St. Jean de Luz at La Reserve. After we check in, we’ll stroll the ocean-side promenade and stop for an apéro and some small plates at one (or two) of the many cafés or bars in this charming beachside town.
irouleguy & st. jean pied de port
04
A great wine day on deck, as we drive to heights of the Pyrenées to learn about Basque country’s only AOC wine—Irouleguy. Following a visit with a small producer, we’ll drive to St. Jean Pied de Port. Since the 12th century the village has been the starting point of passage for thousands of pilgrims headed toward Santiago de Compostela, some 466 miles west. It is the last stopover on the camino in France before embarking on the mythical crossing to Roncesvalles, Spain. We’ll stroll through the old town’s cobblestone streets, visit some of its shops and have lunch, riverside.
In the late afternoon we’ll search for the village of Cambo-les-Bains and visit Villa Arnaga, one of the earliest examples of neo-Basque architecture. It was the home of Edmond Rostand, the playwright who wrote Cyrano de Bergerac. After contracting pleurisy, he moved to Cambo with his family and built the house of his dreams. The exquisite home contains trompe l’oeil, Art Nouveau motifs, and frescoes by fashionable painters. French and English gardens surround the 15 hectare estate.
Dinner will be in Cambo and will surely be one of the great culinary treats of this trip.
St. Jean de Luz & irun
05
We’ll have returned late on the previous evening, so we’ll start nice and slow today with a self-directed morning, a late breakfast, a spa treatment (if you want) or walk along the coast. We’ll check out, and drive back into the mountains for a visit to the Grottes d’Isturitz et Oxocelhaya, one of the most important prehistoric sights in the Basque region. Tools, paintings, and other relics, including a musical instrument, have been found here dating back 40,000 years. We will walk through the underground stretch of the Abéroue River and the amazing stalagtite and stalagmite cave formations.
This will be our final stop in French Basque country, and from here we’ll cross the border and head into Spain. Lunch starts later here of course, and we’ll kick it off at a traditional Asador in the town of Irun, just over the border from Hendaye.
After lunch we’ll make the 1-hour drive to San Sebastian and check in at the …. and fill our evening with a pintxo crawl around the city’s old quarter.
san sebastian
06
Today, we’ll be guided by a local. We’ve chosen a San Sebastian “insider” to parade us around this fantastic city, take us places off the beaten path, find some culinary treats, dive into some history, and hopefully make a new friend.
Cheese/wine/fish/history/pintxo/cider/art… the whole shebang.
Maybe we’ll intersect somewhere that evening, but this Saturday night is then your own to explore in San Sebastian.
Getaria & logroño
07
We’ll depart San Sebastian after a liesurely Sunday morning, and load up for a village hop along the coast. The target for today will be “small fishing village for an amazing lunch.” Doing it at a winery, and in service of finding a whole grilled Turbot will be the play.
Following a liesurely mid-afternoon meal we’ll take a turn toward the finish line of our tour with a 2-hour drive to Logroño in the Navarra region. We’ll stay in the city center at…. and once we’re settled in we’ll make a beeline for the incredible Calle Laurel.
Our target: 12 Pintxo bars over 3 hours!
la rioja
08
Our last day should be one to remember. We’l check out in the morning and pay a visit to one of our favorite new wineries in the Rioja Alta where we’ll get a vineyard tour, a history lesson, and a fantastic wine tasting.
The winemaker will be our lunch guest and we’ll finish this tour in style.
Following lunch we’ll make the 3-hour drive to Madrid and you’ll be dropped off wherever you need to be.
Adios! Au revoir!