Classic tour in the basque country

Group Tours in The Basque Country

Classic Tour

The itinerary of our classic tour is not fixed and we adapt our tours to the season and above all to your taste. The tour is classic in the sense that we try to get a balance of coast, mountain, good food and local culture. The following is an example of a successful tour in 2010.

Day 1 - Arrival and settling in.

Many people arrive mid week taking advantage of cheap from Stansted to Bilbao with Easyjet. You will be collected at the airport and taken to Altzuste Landetxea. Approximately 45min trip Altzuste. On arrival you will have time to unpack and settle into this wonderful family run bed and breakfast before heading for the local restaurant and enjoying "el menu del día".

After lunch we will take a stroll round the village of Artea calling in at the excellent Ethnographic museum which documents life as it used to be in rural Euskal Herria.

Day 2 - Izki Natural Park.

A lifetime wouldn’t really be sufficient to fully explore this vast natural space. The park includes some spectacular limestone mountains with extraordinary formations. Mountains rise to around 1000m and are nearly all easily accessible to someone of average fitness.

This region is densely forested, the Pyrenian Oak (Quercus pyrenaica) being the predominant species. The forested region comprises more than 7000 Ha and is considered the largest oak forest in Europe. This biosphere supports an enormous amount of wild life. Griffon vultures (Gyps fulvus) abound and it is not uncommon to see groups of up to fifty wheeling in the air. *commonly seen birds in Euskadi.

The limestone geology has been shaped by the passage of water and we will introduce you to spectacular canyons with secluded pools of crystal clear water.

On the way home we will stop off at the local butchers to pick up a few links of chorizo and morcilla and of course a bottle of unlabelled Rioja.

Day 3 - Vitoria.

(The Capital Of Euskal Herria).A thirty minute drive sees us in Vitoria where we make a leisurely bicycle tour of the city, its plazas and parks. After working up a keen appetite we call into “El Siete” for a leisurely lunch and a bottle of Rioja. Later we take a wander through the medieval old town and a tour of the Cathedral of Santa Maria. This cathedral has been painstakingly restored while during the process its doors have remained open to visitors. It is a fascinating and ever evolving tour. The site gained fame in recent years owing to its appearance in the “The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett.

Vitoria is home to the International Festival of Jazz which takes place in July and there is a strong tradition of music here. There are often concerts and events to be taken in be it an improvised Jam Session in “El Abuelo” or a concert in El Parral.

We’ll keep you well informed of what’s happening and are always keen to introduce you to things as and when they arise.

Day 4 - The coastline of Bizkaia.

A short drive takes us through some spectacular mountain scenery and down to our first port of call, Gernika.

This town occupies an iconic position in Basque culture as it was here that Spanish and German troops carried out the worlds first aerial bombardment of a civilian target during the civil war. The town was immortalised by Picasso in his painting “Gernika” which depicts the raid.

In ancient times the lords of Vizcaya held meetings under the Gernika Oak tree. Although the original tree died in 2004 the tradition is carried on by one of its offspring and the President of the Basque country is sworn to office under this tree.

From Gernika we can call in to the painted forest of Oma This is a curious and ever evolving work of art by the Basque artist Agustin Ibarrola. Alternatively we can swing westwards into the Urdaibai Biosphere reserve. This beautiful estuary is home to a huge variety of sea birds and has some spectacular beaches.

For lunch sea food would be the order of the day and there are many good restaurants in Mundaka which lies at the mouth of the Urdaibai estuary. Mundaka is world renowned for it surfing with truly monstrous waves rolling in of the Bay of Biscay.

Our trip continues westwards along the coast and our last port of call is San Juan de Gaztelugatxe

This chapel is to be found at the top of a rocky promontory and makes a spectacular spot to watch the sun going down.

Day 5 - Bilbao.

Bilbao is situated at the mouth of the Vervion river.It is a city of enormous contrasts and the Bilbainos are famously and justifiably proud.This is a city whose fortunes were made in the ship building and steel industries. Economic changes in the 90’s forced the Bilbainos to reinvent themselves and with the arrival of the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao has become one of the most important cultural and artistic centres in Europe. Relics of their industrial past