Basque, Bilbao & La Rioja

Escorted Tour

Basque, Bilbao & La Rioja

Price from €1179 pps

Available Dates

Select available date to book this holiday. Prices are per person and based on two people sharing.

Contact us

Phone us on 01-8434734

Explore the culture & cuisine of the Basque Country Join us on this 8-day escorted holiday to the Basque Country – home to some of the world’s finest food, beaches & avant-garde architecture. Enjoy fascinating guided excursions and enjoy time to relax and sample the cuisine that this region is so famous for!

Day 1 – Bilbao

Arrive at Bilbao airport, transfer to the hotel. Guided walking tour of Bilbao.

Day 2 – Guggenheim Museum

Breakfast at your hotel. Walk along the historic Nervión River to visit the world-famous Guggenheim Museum – hailed as the most important structure of its time when it opened in 1997, Frank Gehry’s Guggenheim Museum Bilbao has changed the way people think about museums. Its collection spans from the mid-20th century to the present day, concentrating on post-war painting and sculpture in America and Europe. The collection includes key works by significant artists including Anselm Kiefer, Willem de Kooning, Robert Motherwell, Gilbert & George, and Richard Serra. Enjoy a free afternoon in Bilbao to explore this exciting city of culture.

Day 3 – San Sebastian

Breakfast at your hotel. Full day excursion to San Sebastian. Enjoy a guided walking tour of the old town & La Concha beach promenade – one of the finest city beaches in Europe. The Basque country is renowned for the quality of its food, with San Sebastian flying the flag for its haute cuisine. You’ll have free time for lunch where as well as superb restaurants, you’ll also have the option to visit the Pintxo bars. Pintxos (the Basque word for tapas) are a cuisine in miniature found in bars all over the city.

Day 4 – La Rioja & Santo Domingo

Breakfast at your hotel. Full day excursion to La Rioja – renowned for the quality of its wine production – with wine tasting. Spend time in Haro, the wine capital of the region. Visit Santo Domingo on the Pilgrim Road. Be sure to ask the meaning of the town’s motto: “Donde cantó la gallina después de asada” (where the roast chicken still sang!) Here you’ll have the option of doing a 6km stretch of the Camino de Santiago.

Day 5 – Guernica & Bermeo

Breakfast at your hotel. Full day excursion to Guernica – the historic and symbolic centre of the Basque country. The town is known throughout the world due to the painting by Pablo Picasso that bears the same name. The painting shows the suffering and tragedy that Guernica endured on 26 April 1937 when German & Italian air forces bombed the town, destroying everything but a few buildings. Thankfully though, the two most important symbols of Guernica – the Biscayan Assembly & the Guernica Tree – both survived. Visit the intriguing San Juan de Gaztelugatxe whose origins are shrouded in mystery. Reputed to be a 9th or 10th-century hermitage, it is connected to the mainland by a man-made bridge. Stop at the coastal town of Bermeo – one of the most important fishing villages in the Basque Country. The town has a long maritime tradition and, for centuries, the Bermeotarras were famous whalers.  A visit to its beautiful old port is a must!

Day 6 – Burgos

Breakfast at your hotel. Full day excursion to Burgos with a guided tour of this medieval city including a tour of its Gothic Cathedral – a UNESCO World Heritage site. Enjoy free time in the afternoon for personal sightseeing and shopping.

Day 7 – Free Day

Breakfast at your hotel. Free day in Bilbao to relax & unwind or to see more of this fascinating city, your Tour Manager will help with various options for this day.

Day 8 – Return Home

Breakfast & check out of your hotel. Transfer to Bilbao airport to return to Dublin.
  • Return flights with Aer Lingus from Dublin to Bilbao including taxes & charges
  • Professional tour manager & executive coach transfers
  • 7 nights at the 4* Occidental Bilbao with breakfast included daily
  • Walking tour of Bilbao
  • Walking tour of River Nervión
  • Walking tour of San Sebastian
  • Rioja Winery Tour with wine-tasting
  • Guided tour of Burgos & its cathedral
  • Visit to Santo Domingo de la Calzada on the Pilgrim’s Road of the Camino
  • Optional 6k walk on the Camino
  • Plenty of free time for sightseeing, shopping and relaxing
 

Booking Remarks

  1. Price based on 2 sharing including all airport taxes & charges
  2. Single room supplement €349pp. If you are travelling alone and are willing to share a twin room with another group member of the same sex, we will do our best to accommodate this request although it cannot be guaranteed
  3. Price includes 1 standard piece of hand luggage. Checked-in luggage is available to purchase prior to travel – prices may vary.
  4. Non-refundable / non-transferable deposit of €250pp required at time of booking
  5. Balance due 10 weeks before departure
  6. Optional insurance available from €37pp (terms & conditions apply)
  7. City taxes may apply, payable locally at your hotel
  8. Flights, taxes, hotels, prices & itinerary subject to change
  9. Booking terms & conditions apply 
Airline From / To Flt. No. Depart / Land Approx. Flt. Time
Aer Lingus Dublin / Bilbao EI 748 13:00 / 16:15 2h 10m
Aer Lingus Bilbao / Dublin EI 749 16:55 / 18:05 2h 10m

All flight times are local and subject to change

 

Local Time in Bilbao

GMT is never adjusted backwards or forwards. Ireland is on GMT between mid-autumn & the beginning of spring. Daylight saving time (BST) is GMT+1.


GMT+2

BST+1

Why Book with us?

  • Irish owned & operated and have been in business since 2003
  • Experienced and professional staff
  • 24-hour emergency service
  • Professional guides
  • Licenced by the Commission for Aviation Regulation, TA 0533

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Do you have any questions?

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