Spanish Basque country – ESB 2025

Itinerary – Spanish Basque country

Sun. 21 Sept: ARRIVAL – Join Zarautz
Pick up in Bilbao airport (flight Aer Lingus EI748 – arriving in Bilbao at 17:30), welcome by your guide and transfer to Zarautz to your 2* family run hotel Alameda.
Zarautz is an ideal place to stay in Euskadi (Spanish Basque country). Surrounded by an unspoiled coast and inland countryside, it has a nice size. You will find plenty of shops, restaurants and tapas bars, the longest beach of the region famous for surfer, and ideal to dip your feet into the water after a day hiking! It easy accessible to cosmopolitan San Sebastián or Bilbao and is a perfect place to get a feel for coastal Basque culture.
Dinner included.
Mon. 22 Sept: WALK – Around Zarautz – Coast and vineyards hills
For your first day you will walk from the hotel, along the beach of Zarautz to the old iron mine dock and great views to the whole bay of Zarautz. Then you will enjoy a fabulous walk from the beach of Zarautz (the largest of the Basque country) to Getaria along the coast and then a loop walk around Getaria in the middle of the txakolis vineyards (white wine very dry and a little acidic!).
Breakfast, picnic lunch and dinner included.
Tue. 23 Sept: WALK –  Pagoeta Natural park and mountains
After a short 30 min bus transfer you will enjoy a mountain walk in a very beautiful Natural Park. Many marked paths offer many walking options, small villages allow you to take a break. As you walk, you will come across Dolmens, caves and domestic fauna (indigenous cows and Pottoka ponies). The Reserve, whose name in Basque refers to the abundance of beech trees, consists of an abrupt terrain, ranging from just 50 m above the Cantabrian Sea to 714 m at the summit of Monte Pagoeta. The strongest walkers can also walk up to Refugio Amigos del Hernio (1050 m) offering 360° views all around.
Breakfast, picnic lunch and dinner included.
Wed. 24 Sept: WALK – San Sebastian walk
In the morning we will get by public transport to Pasaia along the coast. We will stop first by Victor Hugo’s house. We then will take a small local boat across to the other side of the estuary. The walks start with an ascent of lots of stone steps (part of the pilgrim way), then the trail undulates through forest (pine trees) and along the coastline with sea views. From there you will enjoy a superb coastal walk finishing in San Sebastian. The views coming down to San Sebastian are stunning. For those in the group who still have energy it is possible to climb up to Mount Urgul the hill dominating the whole bay of San Sebatian (La Concha).
Breakfast, picnic lunch and dinner included.
Thu. 25 Sept: Free Day
Many options are available on the free day.
Getaria (Accessible by bus): Visit the church and explore the old city walls. Sunbathe on the sandy beach. Visit the incredible Cristobal Balenciaga museum of fashion, the church San Salvador, or just wander around the fishing port!
San Sebastien (accessible by train or bus): Visit this stunning city, the “playa de la Concha”, the playa de Gros with its surfers. The guests can only fall in love with this city and its three main centres of action (lively, the centro Romantico, and the surfer side).
Bilbao (accessible by train or bus): Possibility to visit the town and the Guggenheim museum.
Breakfast included. Picnic lunch and dinner not included.
Fri. 26 Sept: WALK – Aralar Mountain range – Txindoki
We will take a bus inland to climb the mountain range of Aralar. The area is dominated by the iconic mountain Txindoki, the highest peak of the area at 1346 m. This summit is sometimes called the Basque Matterhorn due to its pyramid shape and the wild limestone landscape around it. From the summit there are great views and if the weather is clear you can see the Pyrenees and the sea.
Breakfast, picnic lunch and dinner included.
Sat. 27 Sept: WALK – Orio – North Coast of Zarautz
For your last day you will enjoy another splendid coastal walk on the north est side of Zarautz. After a short transfer by bus to the fishing village of Orio, you will walk up to Kukuarri (377 m) , offering splendid views over the Ocean, before coming back down to Orio. For the fastest walkers possibility to return to the hotel on foot following a lovely track along the coast and a finish on Zarautz beach.
Breakfast, picnic lunch and dinner included.
Sun. 28 Sept: FAREWELL!!!
Spend the morning at your own pace in Zarautz before a transfer to Bilbao airport to match Aer lingus flight EI 749 leaving Bilbao at 18h10.
Breakfast included.