Pamplona-Bilbao
Exciting and eventful tour, incuding the to the heart of the Basque Country- Bilbao, fashionable Atlantic resort Zarauz and participation in the celebration of San Fermin in Pamplona.
The price of tour and variants of accommodation:
Group package (group of 25 pax)starts from 930 euro for 1/2 DBL BB in 2* hotel accomodation. Please, request yout personalised quote for your group or family, specifying preferable dates and the type of accomodation.
1 day
Arrival at the airport of Bilbao (BIO). Meeting with the guide. Transfer to the hotel of Bilbao. Accommodation at the hotel. Night at the hotel.
2 day
Breakfast at the hotel. Walking tour of Bilbao. When they talk about Bilbao, they mean Guggenheim Museum. We will show you that this colorful and unusual city with more than 700-year history have much to be proud of (apart from the work of Frank Gehry). During the excursion, you will visit the ancient regions of Bilbao: the famous quarter of seven streets, St James Cathedral, St. Anthony Parish and St. Nicholas Church, one of the greatest roofed markets of Europe “La Ribera”. You will also see the masterpieces of architecture of the end of XX – the beginning of XXI century. On the boardwalk of the Nervion river, you will find the main attraction of the city– the famous Guggenheim Museum.
Free time.
3 day
Breakfast at the hotel. Today we leave Bilbao and go to the unique natural corners of the Basque Country –the coast of the Bay of Biscay and the nature reserve Urdaibai. We will see the unusual Castillo de Butron and Castillo de Arteaga (the castle of French empress Eugenia de Montijo). Both castles are closed to the public, so we’ll just have a look at it. Then we will visit the most beautiful place of the Basque Country – islet of Gaztelugatxe with the chapel of the Х century –San Juan de Gaztelugatxe, shrouded in mystery and legends. We will visit the enchanting fishing town of Mundaka and the spiritual center of the Basque Country- Gernika-Lumo (the city represented in the picture of Pablo Picasso “Guernica”).
At the end of our excursion, we will visit the winemaking company producing the traditional high-quality Basque wine Txakoli. We will learn about the grape variety, used for the production of the wine, its flavoring and aromatic characteristics and taste a few samples in combination with the local delicacies: aged Basque cheeses and prosciutto on the terrace with a panoramic view.
Transfer to the hotel of the coastal resort town of Zarauz. Accommodation at the hotel. Night at the hotel.
4 and 5 day
Breakfast at the hotel.
Free days for the beach rest and visiting the main attractions of the historical center of Zarauz –the city built in the beginning of the XIII century by the King of Castilla Fernando III, and the adjacent cities Guetaria (founded in the XIII century) and Ayo. You can get to these cities by going down the boardwalk. We advise you to visit the Fashion Museum of Cristóbal Balenciaga (a native of Guetaria), History and Art Museum (located in the watchtower), the Church of Santa Maria la Real, botanical garden with its unique collection of plants from all over the planet, rest on the sandy beach of Zarauz –the widest and the longest beach along the coast of the Basque Country. You can also devote a day for visiting San Sebastian (located 15 km from Zarauz) –the pearl of Atlantic coast of Spain.
*At will, we can organize the group or individual transfer to San Sebastian and/or provide the guide services (additional charge).
6 day
Breakfast at the hotel. Today we go to Navarre. We will visit Palacio Real de Olite –the cradle of the Kingdom of Navarre, known from the novels of A. Dumas. The castle represents the ensemble of 3 buildings: Old Castle, New Castle and chapel; it is one of the greatest castles of medieval Europe.
Accommodation at the hotel. Free time. Night at the hotel.
7 day
Early breakfast at the hotel (06:00). We will see how the sun rises over Pamplona and plunge into the holiday atmosphere, praised by Ernest Hemingway in the novel “Fiesta”. During the short visit to Pamplona, we will know about the roots of the holiday San Fermin in Pamplona, rules of behavior during the running of the bulls and traditions of “fiesta”. Upon arrival in Pamplona, we will take the place on the balconies of the streets facing Plaza Consistorial. From here, you can watch “ensierro”–the running of the bulls and desperate braves.
After the end of the race, we will walk along the streets of the old city, described in the novel of Hemingway, stop at the cafe “Iruña” and the hotel “Montoya”. Then we will go on the unusual excursion around the city and see the city with the eyes of the writer who admires Pamplona, see the Cathedral of Santa Maria Real of the XIV century, St. Nicholas Church and Basilica de San Saturnino (both were built in the XIII century), Basílica de San Ignacio de Loyola, the city fortifications, bullring, medieval bridge over the river Arga: Santa Engracia, Miluse, Magdalena and San Pedro, St. Peter’s Basilica (which was used as a residence of Navarre kings, and later- as a residence of the bishop of Pamplona).
Evening transfer to the hotel of Olite. Night at the hotel.
8 night
Early breakfast at the hotel. Transfer to the airport of Bilbao. End of the tour. Return flight.
The price of tour includes:
– guided transfer “airport-hotel/ hotel- airport”,
-7 nights +7 breakfasts in the hotel of the chosen category,
-full transport and excursion service included in the tour program,
-watching “ensierros” from the balcony during the feast of San Fermin in Pamplona (drinks and light snacks are provided),
Additional charge:
-entrance tickets to Castillo Real de Olite (4.5 euro) and the other museums and excursion objects,
-tasting of Txakoli wines in combination with the local delicacies (18 euro),
-lunch and dinner during the tour.
