7 days / 6 nights
Casual
Private Group
Kingdom of Navarra
The Wine Regions
The Basque Country
Hidden Gems of the North is a one week culinary adventure into the heart and soul of the region and consists of day trips out of Pamplona, the capital of Navarra. We venture off-the-beaten track to discover rare treats such as the renowned Iberian Basque ham and the fine wines of the Navarra wine region. We sample some of Rioja’s famous and most beloved wines at exclusive and beautiful wineries. Following in the footsteps of American writer Ernest Hemingway, we dine on freshwater trout ‘a la Navarra’ in the Pyrenees by the Irati River. Stopping in a fishing village along the way to San Sebastian, we enjoy the exquisite seafood of the Basque coast.
April through November
● Sample some of the Rioja’s famous and beloved wines at world-renowned wineries.
● Dine in Michelin-starred restaurants, and authentic, out-of-way taverns.
● Savor a 14-course sampling menu of Basque Iberian ham at the Euskal-txerri farm.
● Revel in San Sebastian’s lively food and wine-filled nightlife.
● Follow in Hemingway’s footsteps into the Pyrenees to his favorite tavern.
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.
April through November
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.
We begin with a walk through the charming cobbled streets in the heart of the historic quarter to discover 2000 years of history and culture. Learn about the running of the bulls, then go bar-hopping to try the region’s famous and delicious pintxos. We re-group for an evening gastronomic experience of cooking in a private gastronomy club which dates back to the 1920s. Learn how to make, and then enjoy, traditional Navarran dishes.
Food: lunch and dinner
Travel: Pamplona
Sleep: Heart of Pamplona Apartments
Our journey brings us to medieval Navarra with gastro-cultural stops along the way. Breakfast is in Puente de la Reina with a “café con leche” and a local pastry before visiting the beautiful 11th Century Romanesque bridge. Enjoy traditional cuisine in the southern village of Ujue, voted Navarra’s most beautiful village in 2018. To complete the day, we make a private visit to a gorgeous Navarran winery. Dinner is served in a medieval castle, which we later explore in a private visit.
Food: Breakfast, lunch and dinner
Travel: Olite / Ujué
Sleep: Heart of Pamplona Apartments
Today is all about wine in one of Spain’s most world-renowned and gorgeous wine regions. Heading to Haro we fill the day with visits to wineries hand-picked to give you the best view of the old and the new. Walk through winding ancient tunnels deep underground and see what the locals call the “Sistine Chapel of Wine”, and then visit a fast moving modern winery which pumps out wine to all corners of the world. Lunch is at another fantastic local restaurant in a rustic setting and the day ends by heading to the hotel designed by Frank Geary at the Marques de Riscal winery for one last wine with a view.
Food: lunch and dinner
Travel: Logroño / Haro
Sleep: Heart of Pamplona Apartments
Following in the footsteps of American writer Ernest Hemingway. Our Hemingway day is a visit to the Navarran Pyrenees. We walk out to his favorite trout fishing spot on the sparkling Irati River near Aribe. We travel to Burguete to the very hotel Hemingway stayed at when he came up here to relax. We visit his room, kept the same as when he stayed there, and have lunch in the dining room he describes in The Sun Also Rises. We finish the afternoon with a drive up to Roncesvalles to see where the Camino de Santiago in Spain begins.
Food: Breakfast and lunch
Travel: Burguete / Roncesvalles / Irati Forest
Sleep: Heart of Pamplona Apartments
Today we head inland to the Baztan Valley, considered by many to be the most beautiful regions of the north. We travel through a magical beech forest and pass by grazing cattle and latxa sheep on our way to the San Miguel Hermitage where San Miguel is said to have slain the dragon high on the mountain top. We stop at a Basque Iberian pig farm, and have a 14-course sampling menu of their mouth watering products. The route take us through winding hills and valleys through an idyllic landscape of picturesque white-washed Basque farm houses. An afternoon of bliss awaits in the salty hot springs spa and an early dinner in a Michelin recommended fusion cuisine restaurant.
Food:Lunch and dinner
Travel: Elgorriaga
Sleep: Heart of Pamplona Apartments
We head to Pasajes, a pretty fishing village and port on the Basque coast, where we will visit a remarkable Basque whaling ship museum. Then we will eat lunch at the best local seafood restaurant with views right on the water. After lunch, we embark on our own private antique schooner to sail on the Atlantic along the coast to San Sebastian while sipping cava. Once docked in the gorgeous Concha Harbor, dive in and have a swim in the clear blue water. Later, we go on a pintxo crawl through the atmospheric Old Town of San Sebastian to sample their world-class gastronomy.
Food: lunch and dinner (pintxos)
Travel: Pasajes / San Sebastián
Sleep: Heart of Pamplona Apartments
* NST itineraries may be subject to slight route changes, hotel substitutions, and other modifications.
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”.
