After breakfast at our hotel, we board our bus and head away from the coast, into the mountains, toward the lovely little town of Elizondo. We will stop on the way to visit a winery and its vineyards, and enjoy lunch at the winery restaurant. In the late afternoon we will continue on to Elizondo, have some free time for strolling after we check in to our hotel, and then meet up for evening pintxos in Elizondo.

We will spend the day getting up-close and personal with the self-sufficient rural economy of this little-known part of the Basque Country – everyone talks about how the ingredients are the key thing in the fantastic food of this region, so we’re going to the source. After breakfast at the hotel, we’ll take a picturesque drive further into the mountains to visit an award-winning sheep creamery for some delicious cheese and a lesson on cheese-making, and to learn about sheepdogs and sheep herding. We will have an amazing lunch at a restaurant that produces most of what we will eat. If weather permits, we will have a country walk after lunch. Later we will visit a mill that makes a traditional unleavened corn flatbread of the area, called a talos. Our day will end with more strolling and pintxos in Elizondo.

Today we will make our way back to the coast. But before we leave the mountains we will stop to visit the famous caves of Zugarramurdi for some unique local culture. Then, we will go to France! We will head to the nearby French Basque town of Espelette, to visit an Espelette pepper producer. Then on to lunch in the picturesque little French port town of San Juan de Luz, and a little strolling. Afterwards, we will return to Spain and our next two nights in the larger coastal town of Hondarribia, in the local Parador. We will stroll for pintxos in the evening.

Today, back on the Spanish side of the Basque region, we will visit an important market, which plays a strong role in the economy of the whole area and is filled with all kinds of local foods. Depending on the weather we might see a good variety of mushrooms, as well as perhaps catch a glimpse of a well-known chef or two. Then onward to enjoy an extremely traditional Basque product – hard cider! After a lovely lunch at the sidrería, we will make our way back to Hondarribia in the late afternoon, for some free strolling time in the town. In the evening, a light sampling of more local fare.

Spain is known around the world for the top quality of its tinned seafood, and today we will visit perhaps the most famous producer—Ortiz, in the nearby town of Ondarroa. We will learn about their processes, and enjoy a tasting of their products before our grilled-fish lunch in this lovely seaport town. After lunch, a little sea air will be just the thing, so we’ll take a short boat ride along the coast, to see the beautiful coastline and its unusual rock formations. We’ll stop for a snack – the small but very famous tapa of the region – octopus! And then back to San Sebastian; in the evening an optional pintxos-crawl, in a different neighborhood from last night, one known for a more modern style of pintxos, to contrast with last night’s more traditional style.

Before we say goodbye to San Sebastian you have the morning free to roam. We board the bus around noon, but will stop for lunch at the edge of San Sebastian at a highly rated, yet classic restaurant, before we head back to Bilbao. Free time to stroll in the evening, and then we will meet up for pintxos, to try a different set of places from the first night. We will say our farewells tonight, in case some of us don’t cross paths at breakfast in the morning.

Breakfast in the hotel; some of us will be leaving today, and others may be staying on for further explorations.