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.
Our journey begins with a gastronomic experience of show cooking in a private cooking club which dates back to the 1920’s. Here we to learn how to make and then enjoy traditional Navarran dishes.
Food: Lunch or dinner
Travel: Pamplona
Sleep: Heart of Pamplona Apartments
We travel into medieval Navarra. We stroll a portion of the Saint James Way by Puente de la Reina and make a stop to admire the iconic eleventh century Romanesque bridge over the Arga River. We stop again for “almuerzo” (late morning snack) in the medieval village of Artajona, with its high defensive walls and towers. Our journey continues to the stunning church-fortress in Ujué, voted Navarra’s most beautiful village in 2018. At a restaurant tucked into the winding cobblestone roads, we can enjoy the delicious local specialty migas de pastor – “shepherd’s bread crumbs.” We go on to Olite to receive a private tour of the Olite castle, one of Spain’s more interesting castles, followed by a private wine tasting at the winery next door.
Food:Breakfast, lunch and dinner
Travel: Puente de la Reina / Artajona / Ujué / Olite
Sleep: Heart of Pamplona Apartments
The Saint James Way is a twelfth century pilgrimage route the foundations of which are even more ancient Roman roadways. We travel to Puente de la Reina and on to the winery, Castillo de Monjardin, for a wine tasting experience. We journey southwest through vistas of seemingly endless vineyards and olive groves to the last town in Navarra on the pilgrimage route, Viana. Here we will have a late lunch in an asador (a grill house) where the chefs specialize in grilling everything over wood fires, giving you mouth-watering plates of red peppers, lamb chops, and massive T-bone steaks.
Food:Breakfast and lunch
Travel: Viana / Puente de la Reina
Sleep: Heart of Pamplona Apartments
We travel northward through the Baztan Valley, 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
Sleep: Heart of Pamplona Apartments
Our journey today takes us through charming Basque hamlets and villages to Aoiz, where Hemingway went each morning to take a dip in the Irati River. He described the water here as, “clear as light.” We follow his trail past the village of Aribe, where he would go to dream away the afternoons while trout fishing. We 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:Heart of Pamplona Apartments
After a fine breakfast, we’ll assist in arranging your transportation to the nearest airport or train station for your onward travels.
Food: Breakfast
Travel: Pamplona
* 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”.
