7 days / 6 nights
Casual
Small Group
Private Group
Kingdoms of Navarra
The Wine Regions
The Basque Lands
Hidden Gems of the North is a one week culinary adventure into the heart and soul of the region 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, May, June, July, August, September, October, November
● Sample some of the Rioja’s famous and beloved wines at exclusive 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.
This enchanting territory and our immersive adventure tours are well worth the discovery, but if you really want to find out how to make your vacations unique, special and memorable, you will have to join us on one.
April, May, June, July, August, September, October, 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.
Our journey begins 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. Take time to explore the hotel or the town of Pamplona before re-grouping for an afternoon 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: Breakfast, 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 in Puente de la Reina calls for a café con leche and a local pastry before we taking photos on the beautiful 11th Century Romanesque bridge that crosses the Arga River. We make a cultural stop in Artajona, the backdrop of the 1976 film Robin and Mary starring Sean Connery and Audrey Hepburn. 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 an exclusive Navarran winery. Dinner is served in a medieval castle, which we later explore in a private visit. There will be time enough to meander on your own through the castle’s spectacular courtyards and royal chambers.
Food: Breakfast, lunch and dinner
Travel: Olite / Ujué
Sleep: Heart of Pamplona Apartments
Our Hemingway to the Rioja Wine Region is a day trip into the world-renowned wine region of La Rioja. We follow the footsteps of Hemingway to the wineries he loved most. Become an expert on Rioja wines as we visit three exclusive wineries for a wine tasting experiences Iberian ham and cold cuts. We sample some of the best wines in the region in charming, authentic bodegas, some of which Ernest Hemingway enjoyed on his many visits to the region, like Bodegas Franco-Españolas winery founded in 1890, and where Hemingway enjoyed their premium wines in 1956. We lunch at a gorgeous fourteenth century convent now turned four star hotel in Haro. As Hemingway once wrote, “I learned to understand Cézanne much better and to see truly how he made landscapes when I was hungry.”
Food: Breakfast, lunch and dinner
Travel: Logroño / Haro
Sleep: Heart of Pamplona Apartments
Here we find ourselves traveling along a portion of the Saint James Way and the famed Irati forest, following in the footsteps of American writer Ernest Hemingway. Our Hemingway day is a delightful visit to the Navarran Pyrenees. We visit his favorite trout fishing spot on the Irati River near Aribe, a place you can imagine spending the afternoon daydreaming away. 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. After a delicious home-cooked lunch, Pamplona awaits us. Dine on your own, venture out to sample the world-renowned pintxos paired with spectacular wines and revel in the lively and exciting atmosphere.
Food: Breakfast and lunch
Travel: Burguete / Roncesvalles / Irati Forest
Sleep: Heart of Pamplona Apartments
We discover the hidden culinary gems of central Navarra with a seasonally inspired expedition, to savor regional flavors from the rustic to the rare. We venture off the beaten track to discover the renowned Basque Iberian pork, sought after by Michelin star restaurants around the world. We go deep into a country landscape that will stimulate your appetite, as well as your sense of adventure. Today’s journey takes us to a hermitage perched at the top of the legendary mountain San Miguel de Aralar. Then we travel to learn about the Euskal-txerris, the free-range, acorn-fed Basque Iberian pigs which are one of Spain’s best kept secrets. This is followed by a fourteen course sampling menu of this amazing pork product, then, later, a digestif at a quaint neighbouring cider farmhouse. We save the afternoon for relaxation in yet another hidden treasure of this region: the natural salty hot springs spa at the hotel Elgorriaga, where we offer you a half hour massage.
Food: Breakfast, lunch and dinner
Travel: Lekunberri / Leiza / Elgorriaga
Sleep: Heart of Pamplona Apartments
For a late-morning treat on our way to the Atlantic coast, we try what is considered to be the best tortilla de patata of Navarra in the quaint Navarran village, also known as the Venice of the Mountains. Our day trip on the Atlantic coast continues with a visit to a magnificent Basque whaling boat museum and then a light lunch at the best restaurant in the fishing town of Pasajes. Our afternoon is completed as we visit the top gastro bars in San Sebastian to enjoy what they do best – the delicious bite-size wonders called pintxos, and perfectly paired wines.
Food: Breakfast, lunch and dinner
Travel: Lesaka / Elgorriaga / San Sebastián
Sleep: Heart of Pamplona Apartments
After a fine breakfast, we’ll assist in arranging your transportation to your onward travels.
Food: Breakfast
Travel: Pamplona
* 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, 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 northern 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 bedazzle our visitors and another is to share with them what we find so extremely enchanting about this region of Spain”.
Oliver is our public relations ambassador of Pamplona. Oliver has it all; charm, conversation and more knowledge than anyone about Pamplona. 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 out of the box experiences. He is dedicated to designing the most exclusive events for our guest always with our added value, like Hemingway escape to the Basque coast, or a walking tour of the Running of the Bulls course with an international runner, as well as destinations and activities off the beaten cultural track and many more.
“ This is our essential hallmark that sets us apart from any other events agency”.
