If you are thinking about visiting San Sebastian, do not miss this culinary tour to the hidden gems of the northSan Sebastian hosts numerous festivals, including an important jazz festival and a star-studded film festival. As one of the rising stars of haute-cuisine, San Sebastian and the surrounding area boasts the greatest concentration of Michelin recommended and starred restaurants in the world. The lively nightlife and hundreds of pintxo bars give this area an incredible atmosphere. The beaches are covered during the day as people sunbathe and swim out to floats with waterslides or take up surfing in the generally forgiving waves. Sailboats and fishing vessels line the ports, and waves crash, sometimes rather spectacularly, on the rocks lining the coastal front of the city. One might wonder if they have, in fact, landed in a paradise.
As Black Tomato turns twenty, we’re proud to reflect on two decades of uncovering the ideas, destinations, and emotions that have shaped the way we travel.
As Black Tomato turns twenty, we’re proud to reflect on two decades of uncovering the ideas, destinations, and emotions that have shaped the way we travel.
As Black Tomato turns twenty, we’re proud to reflect on two decades of uncovering the ideas, destinations, and emotions that have shaped the way we travel.
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As Black Tomato turns twenty, we’re proud to reflect on two decades of uncovering the ideas, destinations, and emotions that have shaped the way we travel.
As Black Tomato turns twenty, we’re proud to reflect on two decades of uncovering the ideas, destinations, and emotions that have shaped the way we travel.
As Black Tomato turns twenty, we’re proud to reflect on two decades of uncovering the ideas, destinations, and emotions that have shaped the way we travel.
Pamplona is synonymous in the mind of non-Spaniards with its world-famous San Fermin festival, also known as the Running of the Bulls. This fiesta with its explosive party, non-stop music, dancing, drinking and eating, is steeped in traditions going back centuries, of which the bull run, or encierro is only one. This festival is not to be missed, as it is truly the experience of a lifetime and leaves many people mind-blown in its wake.
Pamplona’s other claim to fame is as a major stop on the Camino de Santiago, as it winds down from the border of France in the Pyrenees and starts its march across the north of Spain to Santiago de Compostela. Pilgrims flow through the center of the Old Town, following the yellow or gold shell symbols you can find among the cobblestones. Their presence gives an authentic connection to living history. But Pamplona is a delightful city to visit all year round. With hundreds of bars and restaurants serving up world-class fare, and plentiful and delicious Navarran wines, the atmosphere in the streets is always sparkling and fun. You never know when a charanga band will go by belting out rousing traditional music, or when the main square will be covered in people dancing the traditional Navarran dances.
Historically, Pamplona was the capital of the Kingdom of Navarra and played an extremely important role in the formation of modern Spain. Because of its strategic location on the way over the Pyrenees and into France, it has been the site of many fascinating sieges and military campaigns over the centuries. This is why visitors can still marvel at the imposing 16th century defensive walls encircling the Old Town. Pamplona also has a magnificent Gothic cathedral (with a Neoclassical façade) in the center of the Old Town with beautiful relics and art work within, including the sepulcher of Charles III and his wife Eleonor. Pamplona also has several museums, including the Museo de Navarra which covers Navarran history from prehistory on up through the modern era with plenty of interesting art and artifacts. Though bullfights are only held during San Fermin, visits can be made to the imposing bullring where a guided visit will take you backstage to see how everything works behind the scenes. As a perfect base for exploring the rest of Navarra, and at the foot of the Pyrenees, Pamplona is overall so much more than just its world-famous festival.
Santiago de Compostela is the endpoint of an epic spiritual journey, the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage. All routes lead here; it’s the gathering point of pilgrims from all over Western Europe and even farther afield. Even without a spiritual dimension, it is a deeply moving moment when people arrive at the end of their quest, often after weeks of walking across the north of Spain. Blistered, bleary from sleeping in dormitories and aching all over, yet accompanied by their fellow pilgrims, lifted by the joy of accomplishment, and buzzing with excitement, the pilgrims walk into Santiago de Compostela, one of the holiest cities in Europe, and the air is filled with this energy. There is nothing quite like it anywhere else.
As a visitor, there is plenty more to absorb here than as simply a holy destination. Alive with its legends and mystique, a beautiful city surrounded by green fields and hills, Santiago is a pleasure to visit even in a non-pilgrim capacity. As the capital of the autonomous region of Galicia, it has a different feel from the rest of Spain. With its Celtic influence apparent in the music wafting across the squares and a local character defined by the weather and the sea – more akin to the shores of Ireland or Wales than to the southern provinces – Galicia is extolled as one of the finest, most unexplored areas of Spain to see, and Santiago makes the perfect starting point.
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The countless bars and restaurants specialize in delicious piles of fresh seafood and local wines, and as with most cities in Spain, there is a lively atmosphere at night, a beautiful center, and plenty of museums, such as the Cathedral Museum and the Pilgrim Museum, and the Museo do Pobo Galego – which gives a glimpse into the traditional Galician way of life with displays of architecture, fishing, agriculture, bagpipes, and traditional dress. Santiago de Compostela is another wonderful Spanish city among so many that the north of Spain has to offer.
If you are considering coming to the north of Spain and you would like to walk the Camino de Santiago pathway, we suggest you join one of your TOP Camino tours either on foot or by bike with Northern Spain Travel. Indeed Santiago de Compostela is one of the 4 Best City Destinations in Northern Spain
For those who enjoy rich and varied gastronomy and culinary traditions and at the same time reveal the true character of northern Spain we recommend the Northern Spain Travel Luxury Experiences tours that take you into the heart of the region visiting secret culinary gems hidden deep in the North of Spain.
