BASQUE COUNTRY – 8 DAYS – SUMMER 2025

Meeting at the airport and flight to Bilbao. Arrival and departure for our final destination, the once royal resort of San Sebastián. Check-in at the hotel and later we will take a first walk, for a first contact, in the historic center of the city, to taste some of the famous pintxos accompanied by the local txakoli wine in the many bars/restaurants located in its narrow streets.

After breakfast we will start our city tour. We start our walk in the city from Miramar Park and then we go up to Monte Igueldo where we will have a panoramic view of the city and the amazing La Concha beach. Going down we will see the Comb of the Wind, a sculpture at the edge of the bay by the famous Basque sculptor Eduardo Chillida. Then we will wander through the city of San Sebastián where we will see the City Hall (former casino), the Cathedral, the bridge over the Urumea River, closed and open squares, the famous Maria Christina Hotel, the Victoria Eugenia Theater and the modern Music Hall - Kursaal conference center. Then free time in which we are invited to indulge in the gastronomy of the city.

After breakfast we depart for France and specifically for the French Basque Country, first we will stop at the beautiful Saint Jean de Luz and from there we will end up in Biarritz. Magnificent buildings, beaches, famous visitors and surfers from all over the world make up the puzzle of the secular resort on the border with Spain. A basic choice of the Russian aristocracy until the year 1917 which left its mark with the Russian Orthodox church opposite the famous Hôtel du Palais a palace - hotel that adorns the Spa. Walk and time for food, coffee and for anyone who wishes to visit the Musée de la Mer museum. Free afternoon in San Sebastián.

After breakfast we depart for Pamplona, ​​the capital of Navarra, which Ernest Hemingway made famous for the San Fermines festival which takes place from July 7 to 14. It is the famous running of the bulls in the historic center of the city, a route that we will also walk during our visit and will end up like the bulls in the city's Arena. Free time and we depart for our final destination, Vitoria. Vitoria-Gasteiz is the capital of the Basque Country. The city was declared <> for 2012. Arrival and check-in at the hotel. Later we will walk through its historic center where we will pass by the Plaza de la Virgen Blanca, the Cathedral of Santa Maria and Plaza España, the classic covered square of the city.

After breakfast we depart for the Rioja Alavesa region, which is famous for its wine production under the Rioja PDO, the internationally famous and oldest in Spain. Free time and we depart for our final destination Bilbao. Check-in at the hotel and later a first contact with the historic center.

After breakfast we will depart for Gernika where we will have the opportunity to visit the village which was made famous by the painting - Symbol of World Peace by Pablo Picasso with the same title. Its theme is the bombing of the city during the Spanish Civil War and specifically in 1937 by the Condor Legion of the Luftwaffe which was in the service of the Frankish troops. There we will be able to visit the convergence hall of the representative assembly of Vizcaya and the historical symbol which is the tree of Gernika where from the eleventh century to the present day local feudal lords, kings and presidents of the Basque Country swear respect to its laws. On our return to Bilbao we will visit the masterpiece Guggenheim Museum of Modern Art located along the Nervion River. Which since 1997 has been the crowning achievement of the transformation of the city of Bilbao from a highly industrial city to a city of services and tourism. Bilbao has managed to "marry" the old neoclassical buildings, highlighting them, with the modern architectural constructions of the famous architects Norman Foster, Frank Gery, Calatrava, Isozaki and Fillip Stark. Afternoon free.

Breakfast and we recommend an optional excursion to Cantabria. Departure for Comillas where we will visit Gaudí's Capricho, one of the few architectural works he has done outside of Catalonia. Then we will go to Santillana del Mar (the city of three lies) where we will visit the Altamira museum and research center, which is a replica of its cave, which contains important historical cave paintings. Then time for lunch in the picturesque Santillana del Mar. Then we will visit the Magdalena Peninsula where it is a municipal park in which there is also a royal palace - summer residence with spectacular views of the Cantabrian Sea and the city of Santander, capital of the autonomous community of Cantabria. Return late in the afternoon to the hotel.

Breakfast at the hotel and transfer to the airport and flight to Athens.