The Basque Pyrénées & Bilbao

Itinerary at a glance

Our tour of the Basque country meets in St-Jean-de-Luz (1 night), where we take an afternoon walk in this French resort and fishing village. Just north of the Spanish border, our seaside hotel reflects the water with its crisp blue and white tiles. The ancient pilgrim routes to Santiago de Compostela all converged on St-Jean-Pied-de-Port…and we visit this town with its singing church bells, too. In the afternoon, our hosts arrange a game of pelota (similar to jai alai) for us, then we settle in for the first of two nights at Saint-Etienne-de-Baigorry.

The next morning, we travel east into the heart of Basque country. On a countryside stroll in the rolling green foothills of the Pyrénées, we visit a local farmer and see how he makes goat cheese. One of our favorite footpaths takes us from Ustaritz, the first capital of the province, to Bayonne, where along the way we sometimes spot miniature wild horses and stand with one leg in Spain, the other in France. After an energetic outdoor day, we'll settle into a magnificent parador—the 10th century castle of Holy Roman Emperor Charles V—facing a cobbled square in Hondarribia (3 nights).

We'll explore the seaside resort of San Sebastián—enjoying its elegant corniche (beach) and a lunch of tapas. Other highlights include a downhill walk by the Bay of Biscay from Jaizcibel to the village of Pasajes San Juan. On our final day, we spend time at Bilbao's futuristic Guggenheim museum before parting company in the afternoon.