Spain

Gourmet & Art Tour of Basque Country & Catalunya, Spain

 

October • 9 days / 8 nights

 

Visit two very different regions of Spain, the Northeast Coast and the East Coast—Bilbao and San Sebastián in the heart of Basque Country, famed for its chefs and imaginative cuisine, and Barcelona featuring Catalan cooking, a blend of Mediterranean and classic French. The Wine Regions are dramatically different, producing exceptional wines from indigenous varietals. The tour is escorted by Sarah Banks of Saranjan Tours and our colleague in Basque Country, Gabriella Ranelli. The group is limited.

 

Arrive Bilbao. Transfer to San Sebastián, the Pearl on the Bay of Biscay. Hotel check in. The beautiful Playa La Concha is on your doorstep.  City Tour. Visit concludes at the Aquarium: Welcome Reception, Wine &  Pinxtos/Tapas among the Fish. Overnight: Hotel Londres, sea view room   R

 

Breakfast. Morning Market visit to purchase foods for tonight’s cooking class. Departure for Eduardo Chillida Sculpture Park & Musuem. Continue into the countryside for a Basque farm visit and Cider house lunch. Return to San Sebastián for free time. Evening Cooking School. Demonstration, followed by a wine tasting and dinner. . Overnight: Hotel Londres, sea view room   B L D

Breakfast. . After breakfast  lecture by a guest from the local Hemingway Society. Afterwards, depart for Hemingway Country, including stops in St Jean de Luz and Hondarribía.  Lunch at Agorregi, run by Chef Gorka Arzelus, voted best young Spanish chef in tandem with Andoni Adriz. Vertical wine tasting before lunch. Free evening in San Sebastián to explore the old quarter, famous for its gourmet pintxos/tapas. . Overnight: Hotel Londres, sea view room   B L 

 

Breakfast. Hotel check out and transfer. City Tour of  Bilbao, powerhouse of the Basque economy; continue to the world-renowned Guggenheim Museum designed by Frank Gehry, for a tour with an art historian.  Sit down to lunch in Bersateguí’s Guggenheim Restaurant—pre-arranged Group Tasting Menu. Transfer to the airport for the early evening flight to Barcelona. Hotel check in is followed by free time. Your hotel is in the heart of the Gothic Quarter. . Overnight: Hotel Catedral   B L

Breakfast. Depart the hotel for a stroll through the Gothic quarter and into the gentrified Born and Ribeira districts, with their chic shops and galleries. . Continue to the Boquería Market before transfer to our local Cooking School for a demonstration and lunch. After lunch, continue on a city tour by bus, with a stop at Gaudí’s work in progress, the Sagrada Familia Cathedral and the park he designed for his patron Güell.   Finish the day in a Cava/champagne bar, a chance to sample the local bubbly Enjoy a free evening in the city that never sleeps. Overnight: Hotel Catedral   B L

Breakfast. This morning visit two of the city’s great museums—the Miró and the Museum of Catalan Art. Afterwards enjoy a free afternoon. Rendezvous this evening for dinner at  historic  Set Portes, home to the city’s best paella. Overnight: Hotel Catedral   B D

Breakfast.  Depart the city for the Costa Brava.  Tour the extraordinary Salvador Dalí house at Port Lligat where he lived with Gala.  Transfer to Figueres, site of Dalí’s whimsical museum, dedicated to surrealist art. Light lunch before time to visit the collection. Return to Barcelona with a stop at Pals, a walled medieval village dedicated to arts and crafts.  Free evening.
Overnight: Hotel Catedral   B L

Breakfast.  Departure for the beautiful, rolling vineyard country of DO Penedès, with its walled medieval towns, wineries and ancient monasteries.  Tour and Tasting at two distinct wineries producing sparkling and still wines. Bid farewell to Catalunya over lunch at a Catalan farmhouse amidst the vineyards.  After lunch, visit the historic Poblet Monastery, one of the great monuments of Spain before returning to Barcelona. Farewell drinks & tapas.  Overnight: Hotel Catedral B L

Breakfast. Transfer to airport for flights to USA. B

 

INCLUDED: Hotels or similar, with breakfast Meals per itinerary in restaurants or similar, per itinerary Fully escorted tour w/English-speaking guide Classes, visits, private tastings Local guides for some monuments Entrances Porterage 1 full size case/pax Flight Bilbao-Barcelona	PRICE: On request No scheduled departures Custom groups only 4 pax minimum

 

 

Contact us for smaller or lorger groups. All prices subject to currency fluctuation adjustment.