|
|
San Sebastián Tour
offered by supplier M19632 (view this supplier profile)
Key Information:
Tour Duration: 5
day(s)
Group Size: 1
- 10
people
Destination(s):
Spain
Specialty Categories:
Food & Wine
Season: September - October
Airfare Included: No
Tour Customizable: No
Minimum Per Person Price: 1410 US Dollar (USD)
Maximum Per Person Price: 1920 US Dollar (USD)
|
|
Join us in San Sebastián, Spain’s culinary epicenter. Known as Donostia in Basque, it is one of Spain’s jewels. A pintxos bar-hopping tour for sampling San Sebastián’s famed pintxos–small tapas–, a private cooking class, a day-long Rioja wine region tour and a costal hike in the Basque Country hills combine to make this a memorable four-night culinary trip.
The cuisine in northern Spain’s Basque country is widely regarded as the best–or close to it–of the Peninsula’s varied cuisines. The Basque chefs were responsible for the culinary revolution of the 1970s, not unlike France’s nouvelle cuisine movement. San Sebastián boasts more Michelin-starred restaurants per capita than any place on earth. You will experience the Basque genius on a pintxos tour and in a private cooking class in the old part of San Sebastián.
The Basque Country borders the Spain’s famous Rioja wine region. A day-long excursion to the Rioja region introduces you to some of the famous labels of this region, as well as to the traditional cuisine. The last day you will find yourself walking along the scenic verdant Basque coast, and enjoying a Spanish picnic lunch. The Gourmet San Sebastián trip is a perfect way to enjoy the best of the region. Pintxos, Basque cooking, Rioja wine, the scenery. And the Guggenheim Museum, designed by Frank Gehry, is in Bilbao, a short distance from San Sebastián.
Tour Itinerary:
Day 1: Private transfer from airport or train station to your hotel in the center of San Sebastián. Your room has fabulous sea views. You will have time for a stroll along San Sebastián’s famed La Concha beach. As evening falls, your guide picks you up for a private pintxos (tapas) tour in the atmospheric Old Town.
Day 2: Today you will explore Basque cuisine in a venue usually closed to outsiders. Basque men gather at Sociedades gastronómicass to cook, eat, drink, sing and socialize. Until recently women were excluded from the “cooking societies”. These clubs have nurtured the Basque culinary traditions, resulting in the current proliferation of top restaurants in and around San Sebastián. It is estimated that over 160 Sociedades gastronómicas co-exist in the area. We are priviledged to offer you private access to the most prestigious gastronomic society of them all. Accompanied by your guide and translator you will enter and learn about the society from the inside.
Your host and instructor is a young accomplished chef working in his native city. He is often called upon to cook lunches and dinners for San Sebastián’s elite. You will spend the morning cooking traditional dishes and discussing Basque cuisine. Once prepared, you will enjoy the lunch you have made accompanied by local wines in the Sociedad’s very egalitarian and modest dining area. The evening is at your leisure. You may choose to dine at one of the seven Michelin-starred restaurants here, including Akelare, Arzak, and Martín Berasategui.
Day 3: Full-day excursion to La Rioja, Spain’s premier wine region, with a private guide. You will enjoy traditional riojan cooking for lunch, and return to San Sebastián in time for a dinner of pintxos or dinner at one of the many outstanding restaurants.
Day 4: Coastal walk. Walk from the heart of San Sebastián to the fishing village of Pasajes de San Juan. As you climb Monte Ulia, your views of the city and the surroundings become increasingly glorious. From the stunning views of the city below and the 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 and our 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. Head down to Pasajes de San Juan, a large fishing harbor where your walk finishes. You either take a taxi back to San Sebastián with your guide or take the boat across the short stretch of water to Pasajes de San Juan and enjoy a picnic lunch or lunch in a restaurant with views overlooking the water. Pasajes de San Juan is an attractive town with a cluster of 18th and 19th century houses near the channel to the sea. It was here that Victor Hugo spent the summer of 1843 writing his Voyage aux Pyrenees.
Day 5: Private transfer to airport.
Tour Dates: September 29 - October 3
Notes:
Airfare is not included in the tour price.
Prices:
- 2-3 people Call for prices
- 4-5 people $1920
- 6-8 people $1710
- $380 single supplement.
Also see tour packages in:
Europe
Spain
Local Culture
Food & Wine
Email it to a friend:
Click here to email this vacation to a friend
|
|
|
|
, ext: 19632
