14 days / 13 nights
Casual
Fully Guided
Rioja
Kingdom of Navarra
Basque Country
Hi there active travel lovers! Welcome to Northern Spain Travel where every journey offers you a chance to travel deep into the region, off the beaten path to places only a local would know, while providing you with luxury comfort, unforgettable food and wine, and exquisite care. Join one of our 2024 Walking & Wine journies through the Rioja, Navarra and the Basque lands. Our 14 day journey for small group journeys offers four departure dates. We are passionate about walking and gastronomy, and our experienced travel designer team has been cooking up a storm to create authentic encounters, immersive experiences that will generate both curiosity and enthusiasm. Let this culturally rich region of Spain and its people surprise, engage and inspire you.
This enchanting territory and our immersive tours are well worth the discovery, and we can make your vacations unique and memorable, so come and join us on one when it’s optimal for you.
June 8, 2024
August 11, 2024
June 8, 2025
August 11, 2025
We customize to fit with fabulous experiences, the comfort of great accommodation, out-of-this-world gastronomy and a chance to discover this spectacular region.
Bilbao is famous for its Guggenheim museum, modern architecture and has won many international awards for it´s transformation in the last century from an industrial river-port city to a thriving art, architectural and cultural centre. We will transfer from the airport to the hotel. We will regroup in the afternoon for a meet and greet at the hotel.
Food: Meet and greet cocktails
Travel: Transfer from Bilbao Airport to your hotel
Sleep: Hotel ****
Day 2 – We will transfer from Bilbao to the capital of the wine region, Haro, in the Rioja wine region. We will visit this quaint town, then enjoy a sitdown lunch at a traditional family-run Rioja restaurant which specialises in roasted lamb, followed by a private visit to the restaurant’s underground wine cellars, before we transfer to your accommodations. We will regroup for an entertaining dinner in a local family winery.
Food: Breakfast, lunch and dinner
Travel: Bilbao / Rioja
Sleep: Boutique Hotel ****
We will enjoy a walking day among the vineyards and cereal fields from the medieval village of Cuzcurrita, passing by the majestic Castle Cuzcurrita to Sajazarra Castle. We will walk the pathway known by locals as the Virgen de Cillas pilgrimage to the Santa María de Cillas Hermitage. We will enjoy a Michelin Star recommended restaurant for lunch, followed by an exclusive opportunity to open an old age wine in their underground cellars (wines will date back to the 1950s). Afternoon pleasures include a private visit to the most complete wine museum in the world, Vivanco Cultura de Vino, then we transfer to your accommodation. We will regroup for an entertaining dinner in a local family winery.
Food: Breakfast, lunch and dinner
Travel: RIoja
Sleep: Boutique Hotel ****
We will enjoy a morning hike among the vineyards of la Rioja to where we will enjoy a mid morning vineyard experience and lunch in gorgeous winery vineyards, where you will enjoy a hands-on wine growers experience, followed by wine tasting and an aperitif. This is followed by a private winery visit and sit down for lunch. We transfer to relax at the hotel. We will regroup for a relaxing informal in-house dinner.
Food: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Travel: RIoja
Sleep: Boutique Hotel ****
We will leave your accommodations on foot and enjoy a morning walk through gorgeous vineyards. Today’s theme is ‘in search of Dolmens,’ whereby we walk to 3 legendary examples of 6000 year old architecture in the middle of nature. We will enjoy a mid morning picnic with views of the Rioja Alavesa. We will visit and have lunch at a family winery. Afternoon pleasures include an inhouse show cooking experience on “how to cook a Spanish paella”.
Food: Breakfast, lunch and dinner
Travel: Rioja
Sleep: Boutique Hotel ****
We walk a portion of the pilgrimage pathway, Camino Ignaciano, to the medieval fortress town, Laguardia. The Ignaciano Way, recreates the path that Ignacio de Loyola made in 1522 from Loyola-Azpeitia to the city of Manresa, Catalonia. We will have the chance to see a dolmen, an example of this type of 6000 year old architecture in the middle of nature. Upon arrival at Laguardia, we will visit an ancestral underground wine cellar. This family-run winery has been making artisanal wines for more than 500 years. We will enjoy a sit down tasting menu at a Michelin Star recommended restaurant. Laguardia is perched on top of 300 cellars carved out of the rock and is a delightful town to discover and shop on your own in the afternoon. We regroup to return to the hotel to relax.Enjoy dinner on your own.
Food: Breakfast, lunch and dinner
Travel: Rioja
Sleep: Boutique Hotel ****
We are off to Navarra, our jewel in the raw province of Northern Spain, and walk a portion of the spectacular Urbasa mountain range. We will visit a family owned, Basque Navarre sheep cheese farm, taste and learn about the elaboration of their award winning Idiazábal cheese (Silver Award World Winner). We will transfer to the capital, Pamplona, check into the hotel and regroup for a walking tour of this historic city, including the running of the bulls course, followed by dinner in the lively streets of the historic quarter with pintxos (what we call tapas) and wines in the lively historic quarter.
Food: Breakfast, lunch and dinner
Travel: Rioja / Navarra
Sleep: Hotel Pamplona****
Enjoy the city on your own. Today you take a break and feel free to shop, walk the gorgeous medieval city or enjoy a promenade along the five kms of city walls. We would be happy to make lunch or dinner reservations for you.
Food: Breakfast
Travel: Navarra
Sleep: Hotel Pamplona****
We spend the morning hiking in the province of 5 Villas and Baztan we like to call the Tuscany of Spain. Our route consists of a walk through the picturesque Navarre countryside and villages, admiring potokas, a Navarre breed of ponies, and the local woolly sheep breed, Latxas. Before lunch, we will enjoy the warm waters of a salt spring mountain spa session, followed by lunch in an outstanding lunch in a Michelin Star recommended restaurant. We will transfer to the Basque Country. We will check into the hotel in San Sebastian, then regroup for a get your bearings tour of San Sebastián. Enjoy dinner on your own.
Food: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Travel: Navarra / Basque Country
Sleep: Hotel San Sebastian****
Enjoy the city on your own. Today you take a break and feel free to shop, walk the gorgeous Concha Bay or enjoy a beachfront spa session. We would be happy to make lunch or reservations for you. We will regroup in the evening for a pintxos tour in San Sebastian’s historic quarter.
Food: Breakfast
Travel: Basque Country
Sleep: Hotel San Sebastian****
We will hike the Basque coast along the Camino de Santiago from San Sebatian to Pasajes. Upon arrival, we will visit the Basque Whaling Museum. Find out how Basque fishermen first sailed across the ocean to North America. We have a mid-morning snack in a local fisherman’s tavern paired with a refreshing glass of cider, then we take a traditional ‘txalupa’ across the tidal river and visit the other side of this peculiar port town and where our Michelin Star recommended restaurant awaits us. We will transfer to your hotel in Hondarribia which is within walking distance from the main boulevard. Afternoon pleasures include a historic walking tour of Hondarribia. The atmosphere in the historic quarter is fabulous and the locals are very social and enjoy top gastronomy. The evening is yours to enjoy in town on your own. We would be happy to make lunch or dinner reservations for you.
Food: Breakfast
Travel: Basque Country
Sleep: Hotel Hondarribia****
We will hike a portion of the Basque coast along the Camino de Santiago to Getaria and visit a stellar winery that produces the local txakoli white wine, then continue to the Getaria port and historic quarter to enjoy two foodie experiences. We will visit an anchovy factory, followed by an octopus fisherman’s experience, where you will meet one of the last octopus fishermen families on the Basque Coast, watch how to cook octopus & enjoy a recently caught Cantabrian octopus paired with regional Getaria white wine at the fisherman’s workplace. We will transfer to Hondarribia. The afternoon is yours to enjoy on your own. We would be happy to make lunch or dinner reservations for you.
Food: Breakfast
Travel: Basque Country
Sleep: Hotel Hondarribia****
We transfer to Bilbao and enjoy a morning walking tour of Bilbao in the old town walking the ‘seven streets’, cathedral of Santiago and La Ribera Market, followed by a private tour of the Guggenheim including entrance tickets to the Guggenheim and lunch at the Guggenheim Bistrot cafe. We will regroup for a farewell dinner celebration with a sit down meal in the historic quarter of Bilbao.
Food: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Travel: Basque Country
Sleep: Hotel Hondarribia****
We will transfer you from the hotel to the Bilbao Airport.
Food: Breakfast
* NST itineraries may be subject to slight route changes, hotel substitutions, and other modifications.
Alma Pamplona is an active travel friendly hotel. Modern and avant-garde, has its own personality, which seeks to surprise. This quiet enclave is where we luxuriate in the Spa and Treatment center, and chill at the gastro bar after a morning of activity.
Hotel Tayko is located in the center of Bilbao, about 70 meters from Arriaga Theater and the Plaza Nueva, among other points of interest, is in walking distance. But, best of all is that Tayko Hotel is a lifestyle hotel with 54 rooms with prime views of the Ria (estuary) or Merced Street.
Hotel Sercotel Calle Mayor is a four star hotel in the capital of the Rioja province. This design hotel occupies an 16th-century mansion in the historic center of Logroño. Traditional warm stone and authenticity with a modern interior. This charming hotel is in the heart of Logroño. The hotel offers a dinner menu that is adapted to seasonality and that is of course, accompanied by one of the most incredible wine lists you will ever encounter.
Stephanie, the dynamo of our organization, is a Canadian who has fallen in love with this region of Spain. She is enterprising, innovative and has an endless amount of energy to design unique outstanding travel plans, making her passion her profession. She has the firm conviction that until the product standards are exceptional, they should not be offered.
“Our goals are two: one is to dazzle our visitors and another is to share with them what we find so extremely enchanting about this region of Spain”.
Oliver is our greatest ambassador of Pamplona. Oliver has it all: charm, conversation and deep knowledge of his Basque culture. You will feel like you’ve made a new friend during one of his energetic tours. Oliver is always on the beat searching for the perfect pintxo and exciting, outside-the-box experiences. He is dedicated to designing the most exclusive events for our guests, such as the Hemingway to the Basque Coast tour, or a walking tour of the Running of the Bulls course with an international bull runner. He knows the all the best destinations and activities on the off-the-beaten cultural track.
“This is our essential hallmark that sets us apart from any other events agency”.
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At Northern Spain Travel we tailor design journeys to fit your travel goal. Fill out the form below to get started and Steph and her team will reach out and make your dream journey come true.
Walking
You love to hike and are not afraid of a little sweat and some good uphills.
Our trip may include 12-15 km (7-10 miles) a day on various grades of terrain on a diversity of surfaces. Expect steeper climbs with phenomenal views and mountainscapes.
Biking
You love to bike at home regularly and can handle some sweat.
Our trip may include 40-60 km (25-40 miles) a day on rolling terrain with a few longer climbs rewarded with views and high points you will not want to miss.
Walking
You enjoy longer hikes with an incline or two and don’t mind pushing it a bit. Our trip may include around 6-12 km (4-8 miles) a day of walking on mostly flat terrain with a couple steeper but non-sustained climbs.
Biking
You ride your bike at home and are comfortable on a bike for a few hours. Our trip may include 40-60 km (25-40 miles) a day on mostly flat terrain and will include inclines and the occasional sustained climb.
Walking
You love to push yourself and can handle a longer hike with some sustained inclines and steep uphills. Our trip may include 10-15 km (6 -10 miles) on terrain that can be quite hilly and rolling with a few steeper climbs thrown in for good measure. The views will blow you away.
Biking
Test your mettle on off-the-beaten-paths that will stun and delight, along with legendary cycling routes in the north of Spain. You are an avid rider who loves to push themselves and enjoy the challenge of a big climb or sustained inclines. Our trip may include over 60-80 km (37 – 49 miles) a day in rolling hills with frequent climbs and even longer options available. You will be the master of your universe.
Walking
You like to go on walks at home but nothing that works up a sweat. Our trip may include around 5-10 km (3-6 miles) a day of walking on mostly flat terrain, with an occasional hill on well maintained trails or walkways.
Biking
You are in decent shape but don’t habitually ride a bike at home. Our trip may include 30-50 km (20-30 miles) a day on mostly flat terrain with a few small and achievable inclines.
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Your activity level will be exactly where you want it. Our itineraries are designed to accommodate everyone. For guidance, we have labeled each trip according to its activity level from Casual to Expert with four fitness grades.
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