Barcelona, as a starter course, then mosey to the coast of San Sebastian. Traveling with teenagers who might not savor the top foodie restaurants – we have the ultimate solution. Exhaust them with all day activities and you head out at 10 pm for divinely decadent gastronomy.
A sampling: arrive airport and transfer to your private yacht and sail to San Sebastian, heading East, passing the fabulous rock formations along the coast of Sokoa, arrive in front of the bay of Saint Jean de Luz, once the Corsair’s capital of the Basque Country. Entering La Concha bay from the ocean will give you a totally different perspective of San Sebastian, the same one that the ancient fishermen had, every time they returned home after a glorious fresh fish catch! Private transfer to Hotel Maria Cristina.
Once freshened up, indulge in an Insider’s Private Pintxos Tour in San Sebastian. To every resident of San Sebastian, the terms “pintxos” conjures up images of mouth-watering delicacies, from simple eats to highly elaborate haute cuisine creations. Such is the fervor of the residents of San Sebastian for its gastronomy and pintxos. Every year the city stages competitions in which all the bars seek to create the tastiest, most original pintxos. Winners proudly proclaim their plaques outside their doors, and many establishments are renowned for one dish above all others.
With almost one hundred bars to choose from, knowing where to go and what to order only comes with experience and local knowledge. Your host for the evening has plenty of both, and together you can enjoy an evening of fine food and good company. It’s a must-do experience in San Sebastian.
Next morning, for the active members of the family, enjoy a mountain biking experience in the Basque countryside outside San Sebastian. For those who prefer to take it easy, we can arrange a stroll through the town, with a focus on specialty stores, local markets and shops.
After a quick turnaround for the bikers, it’s time to get together and indulge further with the Basque Gastronomy. A Special Basque Experience – Private Cooking Class in a Gastronomic Society. Explore Basque cuisine, in a venue usually closed to outsiders. Basque men gather at sociedades gastronómicas to cook, eat, drink, sing, and socialize. (Until recently, women were excluded.) These clubs have nurtured the Basque culinary tradition, resulting in the current proliferation of top restaurants in and around San Sebastian. It is estimated that over 160 sociedades gastronómicas co-exist and we offer exclusive private access to the most prestigious gastronomic society of them all.
Your host and instructor is a young, yet very accomplished chef working is his native city. He is often called upon to cook lunches and dinners for San Sebastian’s elite. The mayor is frequently in touch requesting that he prepare meals for his distinguished guests. You will spend the morning cooking traditional dishes and discussing Basque cuisine. Once prepared, you will enjoy the fruits of your labor for lunch accompanied by local wines in the society’s very egalitarian and modest dining area.
Next morning, either spend the morning at leisure or with our guide visiting the sights of the city you haven’t seen yet OR we recommend the following for all the family… at the end of which an authentic Basque experience awaits you.
Hiking the Basque coastline. This wonderfully inviting hike takes you from the heart of San Sebastian to the fishing village of Pasajes de San Juan. As you climb up the Monte Ulia overlooking the city, the views of the city and its spectacular location become more and more glorious. Behind the beautiful beaches and the historic center of San Sebastian, you’ll be able to appreciate the mountainous landscape of the Basque Country that many talk about, but few are able to enjoy first hand.
From the stunning vistas of the city below and mountains on the horizon, you’ll then turn away from the city and follow a picturesque route that hugs the rugged coastline and which remains surprisingly unspoiled. You’ll pass a striking area of rocky cliffs inhabited by seagulls, your guide will point out medieval ruins and the remnants of defense posts that were carved out of the rock during the War of Spanish succession in the 19th century. After a little over 3 miles, you’ll come to La Plata Lighthouse, named by the sailors who were struck by its silver tone when viewed from the sea. Head down into Pasajes de San Pedro, a large fishing harbor and where your hike finishes. You can either take a taxi back to San Sebastian with your guide or take the launch across the short stretch of water to Pasajes de San Juan and enjoy a fine lunch with views overlooking the water. This village boasts a colorful cluster of 18th- and 19th-century astride the channel to the sea. The village boasts history too; General Lafayette set out from here to aid the American Revolution and Victor Hugo spent the summer of 1843 here writing his Voyage aux Pyrenees. Highly recommended and much more than just a good walk.
In the afternoon, why not head to the beach, it’ll be hot and la Concha beach is the perfect spot to hit the waves in San Sebastian.
Surfing – Apart from having one of the most beautiful bays in the world, Bahía de la Concha, the city has a love affair with surfing and tons of infrastructures for the visiting surfer, professional, amateur or beginner.
Kayaking – head out into the Bay of Biscay for some kayaking, revel on a warm sunny day and with your English speaking guide, you can get your arms in action and enjoy the views of San Sebastian from the water.
Stand up Paddle – the latest craze and you can do it here too.
This evening, head out for Pintxos as a family or head to another of the Europe’s best restaurants….
A whole range of options for the rest of the week:
- Excursion to Bilbao including a Private tour of the Guggenheim Museum
- Full Day Customized Wine Tour of La Rioja. Head to La Rioja’s traditional wine capital Haro. Your first winery of the day is one of the historical wineries in Rioja, dating back to the second half of the nineteenth century. It has remained in the same family throughout many generations with Don Rafael Lopez de Heredia and his sons and daughters currently steering it successfully into the 21st century. Astonishingly, as you will see, the family absolutely insists on and firmly believes in employing traditional methods in all facets of the wine making, including their very own in-house cobblers or barrel makers – a sight to behold! Indeed, tradition oozes from every nook and cranny here, very unique in every way. And who’s to blame them, their trademark wine, the famous Viña Tondonia, has an avid base not only in Spain but worldwide, and it remains one of the few wineries still producing aged white wines. The tour takes you through a labyrinth of underground caves excavated in the rock, home to more than 15000 oak barrels used for aging their wines. A fascinating visit which culminates in the stunning new reception area, where you can enjoy a short tasting of two of its most emblematic wines.
- Following the Lopez de Heredia, it is time for a complete contrast and an opportunity for you to experience contemporary trends in La Rioja, not just in wine making but also architectonically. You will continue to one of Spain’s most modern and innovative wineries, Ysios. Designed by the Spanish architect, Santiago de Calatrava, the winery takes the form of an extraordinary, curving and rippling shape, not untypical of Calatrava’s other projects but viewed in the reflection of the water moat that runs astride it, one can see the shape of six barrels sitting against the backdrop of the wavy Cantabrian mountains.
Your guide will take you though all the processes including the carefully monitored stainless steel tanks whose temperature is controlled by a constant stream of water bathing the exterior of each. As for the end product, the wine, judge for yourself in the magnificent tasting room overlooking the vineyards.
Following Ysios, it is time for lunch in either one of the nearby traditional restaurants, or at the restaurant at the other masterpiece of architecture; Frank Gehry’s newly designed Marques de Riscal winery.
After lunch, enjoy a short stroll around Laguardia, one of the most perfectly preserved medieval villages in Spain, a medieval hill hamlet (called “villa” in Spanish), reminiscent of Tuscan hilltop villages. It is surrounded by an ancient wall, and has a delightful jumble of cobbleston streets lined with “Tabernas”, wine shops, palaces, and cafes.
It is also home to the third and final winery visit of the day at the Bodegas El Fabulista de Laguardia, a subterranean wine cellar six meters beneath the historic home of Félix María Sánchez Samaniego, the famous Spanish fable writer.
And at times, you’ll think the El Fabulista is part of a fable. Its two large vats in the entrance are not for decoration. It is here that every year, all the grape harvest is trodden and crushed under feet. Heading down the narrow stairs underground, visit the caves used for fermentation and processing of the wine. Finally, enjoy a final tasting of the young reds produced here, in the good company of one of the family owners or the winery manager.
- Full Day Excursion to Biarritz. After breakfast your guide/driver will meet you at your hotel and together will discover the wonderful Basque coast. You may head to Biarritz and discover the French Basque area just across the border. Biarritz, the “king of beaches and the beach of kings”, ever since Eugenie de Montijo and her husband Napoleon III made it the favorite resort of the European aristocracy. The most diverse of architectural styles combine here, much in the same way as quiet families mingle with festive surfers on the beaches. Because surfing, which hit the Basque coast in 1956 with an incredibly rejuvenating effect, rapidly became a tradition here in its own right, on level terms with the fandango (a dance) or the sardinade (a delicacy).
You may continue to Saint-Jean-de-Luz. Like in Biarritz, fishing is a thriving tradition. Obviously, sailors no longer hunt whales or sail to Newfoundland, but the ports are still full of color and activity. Saint-Jean-de-Luz has some beautiful architectural pieces, notably the Maison Louis XIV and the Maison de l’Infante, which provide a reminder of the period spent by the Sun King in the town when he married Maria-Theresa, the Spanish Infanta in 1660. And to find out more about the Basque world (from the pelota game to linen craft via history and legends), just go to the Eco-museum of Basque Tradition.
On your way back to the Spanish border, you will stop in Hondarribia. Wander through Hondarribia’s old town, visiting the restored sixteenth century gothic church of Santa María de la Asunción and the 10th century castle, now a parador.
- Private Touring of the Basque Coastline including Getaria &/or a Txacoli Winery. This can be modified to make it much more “family friendly”. Focus on authentic experiences but to conclude the trip, finish in a similar fashion the way you started (opt for sailing transfer to San Sebastian) and actually sail from San Sebastian to Getaria.
Last, but by no means least, although closed to the public, we are able to set up a private visit to Chillida-leku, the open-air museum a few miles south of San Sebastián. Here, views the works of one the Basque Country’s most famous sons, Eduardo Chillida.
You must be logged in to post a comment.