Tour description
Best of Barcelona & The Basque Country Gourmet Tour
This private Best of Barcelona & Basque Country gourmet food, wine & cultural tour includes all of the must-see culinary spots of northern Spain. In cosmopolitan Barcelona enjoy the mouth watering Boqueria market and in San Sebastian the incredible variety of pinchos on offer! Experience guided city tours with Catalan & Basque food tastings, eat at humble but great local haunts and at the chef’s table of first class Michelin starred restaurants. Escorted by our Officially Licensed charismatic guides, take in the spectacular architecture along Barcelona’s Gaudi route and Bilbao’s state-of-the-art Guggenheim museum. The elegant beauty of San Sebastian’s Concha Bay and the rugged, but breathtaking northern coast of the Basque Country will astound you! Come see, eat and discover the best of northern Spain on this tour with us!
DAY 1 BARCELONA
On arrival at Barcelona Airport to start your private food, wine and cultural tour, our chauffeur will be awaiting you with a luxury vehicle ready to transfer you to your 4* boutique hotel. Located in the vibrant Barcelona Gothic Quarter, the hotel is near to all major sights but at the same time on the port front. The rooftop terrace bar and pool provide an astonishing view of the city as well as the port, and your lovely room looks out onto the harbor. A representative of Gourmand Breaks will meet you for a welcome drink, and together you will discuss your personalized itinerary for your Best of Barcelona & The Basque Country private gourmet tour. Apart from having available your Online Personal Travel Webpage, you will be handed your Personal Travel Journals containing all your itinerary details and plenty of suggestions for restaurants and free time activities. Our excellent guides and chauffeurs will attend you throughout your tour with us and you will also have our 24/7 back office assistance, for anything you might need.
Barcelona has a long and ancient history, but the city was replanned, with its medieval walls demolished in 1854; as the modern and eclectic place visited today. Over the next sixty years, much of modern Barcelona was built, its architecture funded by the bourgeoisie and designed by Antoni Gaudi and his Modernista contemporaries, Lluis Domenech and Josep Puig. On this first evening in Barcelona you might want to simply relax and unwind after your journey, otherwise we have several dinner recommendations for Barcelona’s best restaurants or informal tapas places nearby.
Tour in a nutshell: Chauffeured transfer from Barcelona airport. Welcome meeting with your Gourmand Breaks tour representative. Overnight in a 4* palace hotel overlooking the port in Barcelona.
DAY 2 BARCELONA
This morning our charismatic Officially Licensed guide will await you at your hotel. Together you will beat the queues as you enjoy a private guided visit to Antoni Gaudi’s incredible architectural feat, La Sagrada Familia. Following, you will visit La Boqueria market, Spain’s largest marketplace, which is a display of the brightest and most delectable foods Spain can offer. Our expert guide will lead you around the best booths and you will taste some of the most delicious local seasonal produce at one famous La Boqueria bar, frequented by celebrities. Continuing your private walking tour through the Gothic quarter of Barcelona you will see Barcelona Cathedral, Sant Jaume Square and the amazing Santa Maria del Mar Church. Next you will taste some of the best Spanish cheeses at an artisan cheese shop, paired with Priorat wine. For something sweet, your tour will stop at the oldest venue in Barcelona for dried nuts, fruits, nougats and chocolate. This quaint store, having specialized in roasting coffee beans and nuts for over 150 years, is still decorated with its original furniture and wood-burning stove.
Your private Barcelona food & wine tour will be rounded off with a light lunch at one of the best delicatessens in the city! Produce includes Spain’s best ham & cold meats, local preserves of wild tuna, anchovies, or clams and a selection of the best Spanish olive oils, etc. In addition there are English speaking sommeliers on hand to guide you through more than 6000 wines. The rest of your afternoon will be free to enjoy as you wish. Prior to leaving you, your tour guide will be happy to provide suggestions for your free time; discover the best areas and places to eat, shop and explore!
Tour in a nutshell: Private guided tour of Barcelona. Gourmet food & wine tastings. Overnight Barcelona.
DAY 3 BARCELONA
Barcelona is yours for discovering solo today! Aside from the many suggestions in your Personal Travel Journals, our Barcelona tour guide will have given you further sightseeing ideas yesterday. Maybe you wish to see some more of Gaudi’s fantastic architecture: Parc Guell is located in uptown Barcelona and is one of the most beautiful icons of the city of Barcelona. On the Passeig de Gracia, in Barcelona’s center, you can see other famous works of Gaudi’s including his famous Casa Batllo and la Pedrera. This is one of Gaudi’s main residential projects and one of the most imaginative houses in the history of architecture. This building is more a sculpture than a building! Maybe you would like to take advantage of Barcelona’s shopping, or stroll along the beachfront of Barceloneta to enjoy the relaxed ambiance?
If you wish, we can also include in your tour with us a Spanish cooking class today, where you will first meet with the chef to learn about the local produce and subsequently head to the market to buy the ingredients required for your class. It’s then off to the cooking school where, on chef’s instructions, you will prepare lunch which you will then be able to enjoy with local wines. Alternatively, we can arrange for you a private wine tasting with our local expert, including some of the top Spanish wines from the best Spanish wine regions. We have many suggestions for excellent restaurants in Barcelona to suit your mood of the moment, whether it’s an informal dinner you are looking for, or a Spanish Michelin star experience to add to your gourmet tour.
Tour in a nutshell: Free day in Barcelona. Optional Barcelona cooking class / Spanish wine tasting. Overnight Barcelona.
DAY 4 SAN SEBASTIAN
Early this morning our chauffeur will await you in a luxury car to transfer you to Barcelona train station for your first-class train journey to San Sebastian; the heart of the Basque Country. In San Sebastian you will check into your luxury seaside hotel, one of the best in the city and with the best beach front location. The famous La Rioja wine region is on the way to San Sebastian, so if you are keen to learn more about Spanish wine, we can always include some La Rioja winery tours and tastings in your Best of Barcelona & The Basque Country tour.
In the late afternoon our officially licensed San Sebastian tour guide will await you and escort you on a private gourmet & cultural tour of San Sebastian. This wonderful “beach in the city” is renowned as the best city to eat in Spain! Our tour guide will show you around all the most interesting parts of San Sebastian, where you will be privileged not only to go to the best bars, frequented by local foodies, but also to sample the specialties of each place, accompanied by the best Txacoli wine. Although tapas were invented in Andalucia they have been perfected in San Sebastian, and here are known as pinchos (pintxos). Each bar is bursting with so many different and creative pinchos, that Spanish tradition suggests having one or two and a wine in one bar, before moving on to the next! This is why we call it tapas-hopping! Of course you will be able to try a glass (or two…) of the best local Txakoli wine!
Tour in a nutshell: 1st class train tickets from Barcelona to San Sebastian. Private guided tour of San Sebastian. Tapas meal & wine. Overnight in a 4* luxury hotel with sea views in San Sebastian.
DAY 5 SAN SEBASTIAN
Today you are free to discover San Sebastian at your leisure. Aside from the many suggestions in your Personal Travel Journals, our San Sebastian tour guide will have given you further sightseeing ideas yesterday. If you are feeling adventurous why not climb Monte Urgell for some amazing views over San Sebastian and the surrounding Basque Country? At the top of this hill you will also see the remains of the walls and canons from San Sebastian’s military past and, guarding the city, stands the Sacred Heart statue (Cristo de la Mota). It’s no Rio de Janeiro, but this giant statue of Christ measures over 12 meters tall.
San Sebastian is known as a stylish city and an image-conscious one, so it is stuffed with high-end shops. Peruse La Parte Vieja (the old part of town) for cool boutiques filled with quirky designer gear. Stop, as the locals do, to get your strength back at one of the numerous bars and restaurants with a little glass of Txakoli wine and the odd ubiquitous pintxo! You may like to head out of the city and have a chauffeured tour of the Basque Country’s scenic coast and its rugged seaside villages. We can also arrange for you a fun cooking class with our chef from one of the Basque Gastronomic Societies, to discover why the Basque Country has become a foodie mecca! This evening, you can revisit some of the authentic San Sebastian bars you visited with our tour guide, or you may wish to dine in style at one of the many Michelin star restaurants of the Basque Country. Prior reservations are necessary and we will be delighted to assist with a booking.
Tour in a nutshell: Free day in San Sebastian. Overnight San Sebastian.
DAY 6 BILBAO
The art and culture-loving port city of Bilbao is your next destination! Our chauffeur will transfer you to Bilbao where you will first have a panoramic tour of the city, before checking in to your 5* modern hotel, situated opposite the amazing Guggenheim Museum. You have tickets for the Guggenheim Museum later today, so take your time as you explore the works of art in this spectacular building designed by Canadian-American architect Frank Gehry. The museum features permanent and visiting exhibits of works by Spanish and International artists. Why not stay for lunch at the Museum and enjoy a tasting menu paired with wines at Michelin-starred Nerua? This chic, modernist restaurant is under the direction of chef Josean Martinez Alija. Needless to say, the nueva cocina vasca (Basque nouvelle cuisine) is incredible and the ever-changing menu includes mouth-waterers such as Iberian pork meatballs with carrot juice and curry. Even the olives are vintage classics: all come from 1000-year-old olive trees! We will be delighted to make a booking for you.
Afterwards take a stroll through the atmospheric old town of Bilbao, with its worn facades, bars, restaurants and shops. At the heart of the Casco are the original seven streets, Las Siete Calles. In the middle is the 19th-century arcaded Plaza Nueva, a rewarding pintxo haunt. The Gothic Cathedral de Santiago, has a splendid Renaissance portico, once the scene of medieval markets and civic meetings. For dinner, do as the locals do and experience delicious, typical food in the center of the old town. We have a wonderful pinchos- hopping route for you to experience the best and most authentic bars in Bilbao.
Tour in a nutshell: Chauffeured transfer. Panoramic Bilbao tour. Bilbao Guggenheim Museum visit. Overnight in a 5* luxury hotel in Bilbao.
DAY 7 DEPARTURE
This is the last day of your Best of Barcelona & The Basque Country private gourmet tour. After checking out of your hotel, our chauffeur will be waiting to transfer you to Barcelona airport for your onward journey.
We do hope you will join us for this enticing and mouth-watering tour of northern Spain! Our insider knowledge ensures that you will enjoy some of the very best food, wine and cultural experiences that Barcelona and the Basque Country can offer. It will be a truly memorable vacation!
Please note: If your onward journey is from Barcelona or Madrid Airport you may like to extend your tour with a couple of extra nights in the city of your departure or even include La Rioja Wine Country en-route.
Tour in a nutshell: Chauffeured transfer to Bilbao Airport.
Tour quotation
Best of Barcelona & The Basque Country Gourmet Tour Quote Request
We are excited that you are considering joining us on one of our fabulous custom-built tours of Spain, Portugal, SW France and/or Italy! Please fill in the form below and we will happily provide you with a non-committal initial quote for the sample tour itinerary chosen.
In case you would prefer us to build a personal tour proposal for you from scratch, please e-mail us at [email protected] and we will be delighted to start working with you on your personal and very special travel itinerary with us.
Tour in a Nutshell
Taste and see the best of Barcelona, San Sebastian & Bilbao
Enjoy private tours of world-renowned architectural sights
Experience trendy foodie spots, gourmet food & wine tastings
Best chauffeurs, first class trains & top guides
7 days/6 nights, boutique 4* and 5* hand selected hotels
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