Private French Basque Country Food Tour from San Sebastian

Meeting point

Departure

09:00, daily except Mon; scheduled year-round (operator schedule, seats confirmed at checkout)

Pickup

Hotel pickup from 104 pickup points (104 pickup points listed by the operator, 104 of them hotels)

Operator

Ikusnahi Tours; booking and payment are completed on Viator

1. Hendaye

   Getting up early to embark on a gastronomic adventure through the Côte Basque, one of the most picturesque areas of the Atlantic coast, shouldn’t be too difficult. Likewise starting the day by heading to San Juan de Luz to visit a cheesemaker.

   Pass by, no stop
2. 2
   The ‘affineur’ is the person who, once the cheese is received from the producers, stores it until the piece reaches its point of maturity, suitable for sale

   In Saint Jean de Luz we’ll try a selection of cheeses specially ‘refined’ by our affineur and pair them with – of course - a good French wine from Irulegui.

   30 min · Admission included
3. 3
   Protected by a bay, Saint Jean de Luz is a peaceful summer and fishing village

   We’ll visit the Maison Adam pastry shop where, in 1660 (!) they created the famous ‘macaron’. At the same time, a certain Johannès de Suhigaraychipi, a French corsair who captured more than 100 British, Dutch and Spanish ships, was sailing through the area.

   10 min · Admission included
4. 4
   We’ll also talk about this on our walk through town, while we visit the Church of St

   John the Baptist, a church with spectacular polychromed woodwork and miniatures of ships that remind us of just how appreciated miracles of the sea were back in the day.

   20 min
5. 5
   Phare de Biarritz

   Biarritz is many things: Europe’s gateway to surfing in the mid-50s, one of the pioneers of beach tourism (they started promoting it 200 years ago!) And one of the most desired places to see and be seen. We’ll walk along the promenade admiring the sea and the sumptuous hotels until we reach the 44-meter-high lighthouse.

   5 min
6. 6
   Mercado Les Halles

   We’ll visit the colorful market of Les Halles to take the pulse of daily city life and get in touch with the greatest that France has to offer: its cheeses, charcuterie, and bakeries / patisseries. If you've waited the whole trip to do your gastro shopping, this is the time. We’ll stop at the best bar in the market, try the famous Arcachon oysters, prawns, and escargots (if you’re one who, like us, not only dares to eat them, but adores them) and we will accompany it with a prodigious Bordeaux white wine (what Bordeaux isn’t wonderful, eh?).

   45 min · Admission included
7. 7
   Hondarribia

   We’ll finish the route on the other side of the border, beyond the Bidasoa river. The last (or the first, depending on how you look at it) city on the Spanish coast is a privileged place with sea, river, bay, mountains, a fishing district that is at the forefront of world cuisine (says the New York Times!), and a medieval walled neighborhood (with streets not suitable for heels) at the top. In Hondarribia we’ll try some of the best pintxos in one of the most prize-winning restaurants, and with a full stomach we’ll be able to discuss the differences between Basque-French and Basque-Spanish cuisine. We doubt you’ll ever find a reason for such a juicy discussion. Conclusion: we’ll return home with a full stomach and a wide-open mind.

   1h 15m

About this tour, from the operator