The Best of Northern Spain - Tour Overview

This adventure through Madrid and the Basque country is a doorway into the delights that Spanish food has to offer and the variety of cultures, traditions and landscapes that make up the richness of this country.

We will explore Spain's stylish and lively capital, Madrid. We’ll visit the famed Prado Museum, home to paintings by El Greco, Velazquez, Titian, Raphael, and many others! And we’ve curated the best Tapas bars to introduce you to Spain’s world-famous culinary tradition.

We will visit the enchanting city of Toledo with its mixture of Christian, Moorish and Jewish history, discovering why Toledo was so important for the history of Spain.

Next, we’ll dive into the Basque country, the greenest region of Spain and home to a proud and independent people. We will experience their unique culture, language, and modern culinary excellencies.

San Sebastian, famous for its beauty and known for being one of the worlds best foodie destinations, will be our first stop. No visit to San Sebastian would be complete without a food tour to discover the famed pintxos, the Basque version of tapas.

One of the most fun evenings will be when we have dinner at a private Gastronomic Society.  Throughout San Sebastian, there are private kitchens where groups of friends get together to cook together and eat around a big table.  These venues have helped to cultivate and preserve the Basque Country’s traditional culinary heritage. You can only go if you are a member or if you are invited by one.  We’ve been invited! We can even help with the cooking!

We’ll go exploring small, charmingvillages in the North and even jump over the French boarder for lunch in Saint Jean de Luz, a fishing village at the mouth of the Nivelle River. It’s not often that you have the chance to enjoy lunch in France and dinner in Spain!

Then we will head west to Bilbao; along the way we shall stop in the town of Guernica where ancient Basque kings met under the town's sacred tree and where the violent events against the civilians of the town in 1937 inspired Picasso's famous painting.

Our bookend museum tours (the Prado in Madrid and the Guggenheim in Bilboa) offer you the chance to see two of the most iconic museums in the world in one trip! As always, our last night will be full of fun, amazing food and many fond memories!