6 days / 5 nights
Casual
Fully Guided
Semi guided
Kingdom of Navarra
This gastronomy journey offers day trips out of Pamplona through Navarra’s prettiest landscapes, while enjoying the finest food and wine on offer. Discover off-the-beaten track culinary experiences while indulging in genuine relaxation. The backdrop is one of the most magical and culturally rich areas of Spain, home of medieval castles, fantastic wineries and rustic villages.
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.
May through November
We customize dates and desires, so you can most enjoy the comfort of great accommodation, out-of-this-world gastronomy and a chance to discover this spectacular region.
We transfer you from the Pamplona or Bilbao Airport to your hotel. Our journey begins in Pamplona with a tapas (what we call ‘pintxos’) and wine tour in the historic quarter of Pamplona. Here we learn how to make and then enjoy traditional Navarran dishes.
Transfer: Bilbao to Pamplona
Food: Lunch or dinner
Travel: Pamplona
Sleep: Hotel**** or Heart of Pamplona Apartments
We travel into medieval Navarra. We will see some of the most impressive examples of regional medieval architecture, and visit the beautiful Monastery of Leyre, cradle of kings, with its well preserved underground burial crypts of Navarran royalty. If you are interested in attending the early morning Gregorian chants mass – sung by the Gregorian monks in the monastery we would need to be at the monastery. We transfer to the 10th century Castillo de Javier, where Navarra’s patron saint, St. Francis Xavier, was born and lived in the 16th century. Our journey then continues on along the Navarre Wine Route taking in a short walk through vineyards and olive groves starting at the ruins of the 11th Century Romanesque village Abaiz and on to the astounding 1st and 2nd Century Roman ruins of Santa Criz. These Roman ruins, tucked away in an area of low lying mountains, are considered to be among the best conserved Roman ruins in Navarra. We will be accompanied by Ivan Lopez, winery owner of Bodegas Caudalia and will have the opportunity to enjoy one of his exquisite Caudalia wines among the Roman ruins. We then visit his Michelin star menu boutique winery, Bodegas Caudalia, where we enjoy a wine and aperitif. Our next stop is for a sit-down meal in medieval Ujué, considered to be one of the most picturesque hilltop villages in all of Spain. We dip our spoons into the famous regional migas de pastor – Shepherd’s crumbs – and lamb chops, among other specialities of the house. High quality regional wines accompany this gourmet meal. The visit to Ujué concludes with a stroll to the historic Ujué Fortress Church. We transfer to Olite. Afternoon pleasures include a visit to the Olite castle (the castle that inspired the Disneyland logo). Transfer to Pamplona. Enjoy the rest of the late afternoon evening on your own in the historic quarter of Pamplona.
Food:Breakfast and lunch
Travel: Javier / Ujué / Olite
Sleep: Hotel**** or Heart of Pamplona Apartments
We walk a portion of the Camino de Santiago Frances, with a stop in the town of Puente la Reina. Our trails ends at the most prestigious winery in Navarra. We enjoy a visit by 4×4 of the vineyards + wine tasting, and a light lunch of their wines and iberian hams. We will transfer to Pamplona. We will stroll through the charming cobbled streets in the heart of the historic quarter of Pamplona to discover 2000 years of history and culture. Pamplona is one of the top cities in Spain for gourmet eating. Dinner begins with a show – cooking class with Chef Nacho Gomara, chef and owner of Restaurant Verdurarte. We enjoy a very special insider’s treat to learn the art of cooking vegetables and other local Navarre products. You can roll up your sleeves and pitch in or simply relax and enjoy the club with a fine wine in hand. Then we sit down, enjoy what he has prepared for you with views of the Pamplona Baluarte. Tops! Get ready for a night walk in Pamplona’s historic quarter. Learn about the running of the bulls, Hemingway’s history with this town, and other historic spots.
Food:Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Travel: Pamplona / Puente de la Reina / Navarre Winery
Sleep: Hotel**** or Heart of Pamplona Apartments
We travel northward through the Cinco Villas region of Navarra, which is considered by many to be the most beautiful region of the north. We pass through a magical thousand-year-old oak forest and through pastures where cattle and “latxa” sheep graze contentedly. The route takes us up a slowly rising, winding mountain pass that brings us to a truly idyllic landscape of green pastures, rolling hills, and picturesque white-washed Basque farm houses. From here we travel on to the town of San Esteban where we enjoy the salty hot springs spa and early dinner in a Michelin recommended country-style restaurant.
Food:Lunch and dinner
Travel: Baztan Valley, Navarra
Sleep: Hotel**** or Heart of Pamplona Apartments
Our journey today takes us through charming Basque hamlets and villages where Hemingway went each morning to take a dip in the Irati River. He described the water here as, “clear as light.” We take a stroll along the river bank where he would go trout fishing to disconnect. We will continue on into the lush foothills of the Pyrenees, travelling close to parts of the Saint James Way until we reach Burguete, where Hemingway stayed when he came to the area for relaxation. We visit the little hotel he slept in, and even visit his actual room, which the family has kept the same all these years. We sit down to an authentic Hemingway-style lunch in the dining hall where he would eat his meals. We visit the Roncesvalles Colegiata, where most pilgrims begin their St James Way walk in Spain.
Food:Lunch and dinner
Travel: Roncesvalles
Sleep: Hotel**** or Heart of Pamplona Apartments
After a fine breakfast, we will transfer you to the Pamplona or Bilbao Airport
Food: Breakfast
Transfer: Pamplona or Bilbao Airports
* 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.
Located in the center of the capital of the province of Navarra, Heart of Pamplona Apartments are ideal for visitors to Pamplona, Navarra or the Basque Country. HOP apartments are located right by all the necessary services for a pleasant stay. They are silent corners in the middle of lively streets, in the most popular areas of restaurants and bars.
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”.
