When I originally began to design our Northern Spain European vacation, I was overly excited about…read morediscovering San Sebastian. The scenic resort town is on the Bay of Biscay in Spain's mountainous Basque Country. There are two popular beaches also that one can enjoy either on the Bay or on the ocean. These beaches are bordered by a charming Bayfront boardwalk, and popular restaurants with creative chefs. Anyone that is not a seafood lover will have challenges eating in these popular restaurants. Most of our time invested in this fabulous city was in the Old City where we enjoyed pintxos and at one time an awesome cheese cake for desert. San Sebastián was surly well worth the visit. The magnitude of people and their energy draws out the dynamic appeal and absolutely wonderful culture of this delightful city.

This tour was simply the best travel and gastro experience in a long time! Our tour guide was top…read morenotch expert on authentic local Basque cuisine and culture. She catered to our dietary needs/preferences and customized the gastropub tour to fit our needs. I loved everything she had us try, not a single pintxo was anything less than superb (which by the way she ensured was freshly made for her tour guests once we arrived). I am still daydreaming about this experience and already planning my next visit in the near future.

Custom Tour 2 - 11 May 2025 We had used Basque Guides in…read more2024, for a shore excursion in Bilbao. That experience was so great, that we decided to hire them for multi-day tour of the Basque country. We had two main reasons for visiting the Basque country. 1. My wife's maternal ancestors are Basque and in fact come from a small town in the Basque country named Aginaga in Basque, Aguinaga in Spanish. 2. To visit wineries and taste wine in the Rioja wine region. We enjoyed the entire experience so much, that this review will probably become long and effusive but I hope helpful. We were joined on our tour by some great friends with whom we had traveled before. We stayed in three different cities in Basque country - San Sebastian, Briones, and Bilbao. First the hotels which were all recommended by Iker Bardaji, the owner of Basque Guides: 1. Lasala Plaza Hotel in San Sebastian for five nights - An adults only hotel perfectly located across from the malecón and in old town which is filled with amazing bars, restaurants, and shops. 2. Hotel Santa Maria Briones for two nights in the small town of Briones (population of 824) in the heart of Rioja. It is a small 16 room boutique hotel. You will never find better accommodations or friendlier staff anywhere. We wish we could have stayed longer. 3. Hotel Miro in Bilbao for two nights. The hotel is a very nice business/tourist hotel. Rooms are very good. But its main attraction is being directly across the street from the Guggenheim Museum. Our tours: San Sebastian - we spent five nights in San Sebastian which gave us time to venture out into the stunningly beautiful countryside especially along the seashore. The first day we took a comprehensive tour of San Sebastian The second day we headed off to the world famous city of Pamplona, know for the running of the bulls but we learned it was so much more. The next day we explored the French Basque country towns of Biarritz, Saint-Jean-de-Luz, and other small towns along the way. The following day, we explored the Spanish coastal cities of Basque country including the town of Aginaga from which my wife's maternal line immigrated. Then it was off to Rioja. Briones - we stayed at the amazing boutique Hotel Santa Maria Briones and ventured out from there to visit wineries and taste the amazing wines of the Rioja DOC. For those of you who are wine lovers, we visited Bodegas Murua, Bodegas Amaren, Bodegas Tritium, Bodegas Ollauri Rioja Conde de los Andes, Bodegas Luis Cañas, and Bodegas Gómez Cruzado. We tasted great wine, ate great food, and slept well both nights at an exceptional hotel. Bilbao - Our hotel was the Hotel Miró and it was a great location from which to venture out and around Bilbao. Of course, the main tourist draw to Bilbao is the Guggenheim Museum. It is well worth the visit. A word about Iker Bardaji, Basque Guides, and his guides. If you communicate with Iker about what you would like to see and do, Iker will put together a memorable tour for you. Until Iker and Basque Guides we had never had a tour company listen as carefully to what we wanted to accomplish, ask the right questions, and then craft such an amazing itinerary that delivered an experience we will always remember. Iker also hires excellent tour guides. The best of the best. Not only were they fluent in English which was important to us, but they were also extremely knowledgeable about the history, culture, and lifestyle of the region. We had the pleasure of working with several of Iker's guides - Gonzalo, Andoni, Jaime, Gorka, and Mateo. All were exceptional. If you only have time for a short peek at Basque country or if you have days to explore, Iker Bardaji and Basque Guides are the right choice.

MIMO Bites Experience is the most amazing culinary academy. My husband and I have been going every…read moreyear twice a year since 2020. The school has experienced lots of changes and all for the better. If you love to do something amazing and love to cook or eat this is definitely for you. The team is composed of very experienced chefs, who love to teach and go out of their way to create an unforgettable experience for you. Lara, the office manager goes out of her way to make you and your guests happy. While the classes are awesome, there is another side to the school, you can book the entire place for team building or team rewards, rehearsal dinner party, birthday celebrations, etc. If you go to San Sebastian, one of the most beautiful cities in Spain, make MIMO a stop on your journey. Enjoy your stay

Such a fun experience with friends - cooking together, learning about the history and enjoying good…read morefood

We had the good fortune of booking a city sightseeing tour with Keith the day before we left San…read moreSebastián - it was nothing short of fantastic. He was professional, unbelievably knowledgable, added great contextual information to the tour and the best part - it felt like we were seeing the city with a friend who wanted to help us get the lay of the land. Another plus- we had a tour of only 4 people which was really nice. We only left with one regret... We wished we had booked it much earlier- so we would have had more time to explore the city after being given not only the history but also all of the helpful local tips. Don't make the same mistake we did! Book before you go- I promise you won't be disappointed! My husband and I loved San Sebastián much more after seeing it from Keith's perspective!

This tour was amazing. Keith is so knowledgeable as well as personable. He knows his audience and…read moreprovides a wonderful experience! Learned so much and ate the BEST food!

From my first email to Kepa at Basque Cooltour, I knew we were going to have a great time. We knew…read morewe wanted to do the cider tour and the cheese tour, but we were also looking around San Sebastian/Bilbao area for a jamon tour. I emailed Kepa about the possibility of putting together a custom cider, cheese, and jamon tour and after some research on his part got back to me with a custom itinerary. On Day 1, Kepa kindly picked us up from the apt. we had rented. He took us to the cider museum where we we treated to a tour that allowed us to try out apple-picking using traditional tools, taste 5 types of their over 70 varieties of apples, drink fresh apple juice, learn the importance of txotx, and taste both cider and apple liqueurs. Kepa then took us to a cider house for a traditional meal. There we had a massive 2-hour lunch that included tons of cider, bread, some amazing fried cod, a cod omelette (so much better than it sounds), Spanish chorizo and a T-bone steak (although not the same T-bone cut Americans are used to seeing), and a local dessert consisting of cheese, nuts, and an apple/quince jam of sorts. It was all delicious, if not overwhelming. Sufficiently stuffed, we then headed to the sheep farm. Ainhoa and her brother Mikel greeted us there, and we were treated to a demonstration of how their sheepdog works, saw some adorable 6-day old lambs, and got a tour of the milking and cheese making process. Ainhoa made it all seem so easy and described how different cheeses are made, even making some of their fresh cheese and "yogurt" right before our eyes. We got to taste the fresh cheese (we bought some to eat over the next few days with breakfast), the "yogurt" which was more like a custard (it was my favorite), and the local idiazabal cheese (which we brought home to the US with us). On Day 2, Kepa again picked us up from the apartment and took us a little further inland to see a pig farm. The scenery was amazing and we got to see the farmhouse and barns built in the 1500 and 1600's still in use. The farmer took us on an great tour and shared with us his farming philosophy which focused on letting the pigs forage and live in a natural habitat. He taught us about the heritage breed of pig that he works with and we got to see a litter of adorable piglets. After a great walking tour of his farm, we sat down to enjoy 4 types of cured meat that come from his pigs. All of which were incredible, but because of US Customs Laws we couldn't bring any home. This might have been the biggest disappointment of the trip. I only we could have brought jamon, lomo, and chorizo home! I would highly recommend using Basque Cooltour. They put together amazing tours for us, speak very good English, were pleasant tour guides, taught us not only about cider, cheese, and jamon, but also gave us tips about the local area, and were a good value for the money. Amazing, amazing time!

My boyfriend and I just finished the French Coast tour to Biarritz and San Jean de Luz and had a…read moremarvelous day. Kepa, our fabulous tour guide gave our group of four people a narrated walking tour of these two French-Basque cities. He told us about the history, architecture and customs. Both villages were quite different. In Biarritz we viewed the castle that Napoleon built for his bride and was told they spent seventeen summers in a row there (I would too!) We walked up to many beautiful areas with abundant sea views that were quite breathtaking. There was a musical festival going on in the main square and we could hear the wonderful live jazz playing as we walked through the square. I even bought a very beautiful pair of espradrilles! San Jean de Luz was a very quaint and it was the village where Louis XIII was married in 1660. The church where he was married is still in the square. This village is very quaint with winding cobblestone streets, outdoor cafes, chocolatiers, and various shops. I would love to stay here for a week or so. The ride though the countryside was very beautiful with lush greenery, rolling hills and quaint villages. We plan on doing the cheese tour next!

If you only have time for a couple of things in San Sebastian, I highly recommend this boat tour!…read moreThe owner was a professional chef and the food is beautifully plated and selected. Let them know in advance if you have allergies or dietary restrictions. They have a recorded boat tour in several languages, which was professionally done by an historian. You will learn so much in such a beautiful relaxing day! And the owners know so much about their area and help along the way. They were so kind and let my 10 year old son stand in the captain's chair. He had the best time. After a month of being in Europe, two days that were his favorite. This was one of them. There is only room for a max of 12 people, so consider this a semi private yacht experience. Very clean, very well done. Great value for money.

This place was great. The electric scooters are a MUST DO in San Sebastian. Riding along the bay,…read morethe stadium, and the tunnel were a highlight of our Europe trip! The only downside is that my kids all want e-scooters for Christmas now. Highly recommend this place for a way to see San Sebastian!!!

My husband and I just returned form 13 days in Spain, including 2 nights in San Sebastian. One of…read morethe nights, we booked a tour with Tomasz from San Sebastian Urban Adventures, and it was definitely one of the highlights of our trip. Both my husband and I are big foodies, so when we found out about San Sebastian's Gastronomic Eating Clubs, we knew it was an experience we couldn't miss. It's still a bit rare to find a club you can enter as a tourist (that is a real private club and not a restaurant in disguise), but Tomasz arranged for us to have dinner as his guest at a nearby club, along with two other members, one of whom was a professional chef who cooked us the most amazing multi-course dinner! The whole time Thomasz was extremely knowledgeable about San Sebastian history, culture, and food; friendly; and a great translator for all our questions for the other members. Everything was easy to arrange with Tomasz and I can't recommend him enough for this tour, or any of the others he offers. You won't regret it!

Worth every penny! Agustin was a great host/guide!!…read more Agustin Ciriza's Gorilla Trips can be a bit deceiving. At first, I'm thinking "animal park tour?". After perusing his web site, I then thought, "do we want to surf in the morning, then kayak after lunch?", to which I answered, "this isn't our last bucket list tour . . . ". No, all we wanted to do was eat pintxos and tour the French coast . . . and we did and had a great time! Agustin e-mailed us directions for our first meet, picked us out of the crowd w/ ease (we Americans can try and blend-in, but they know . . .), and we were on our way. This friendly and gregarious gentleman gave us a fun history lesson as we walked the streets of San Sebastián. Most important, he took us for some wonderful eats: 5 pintxos stops w/ a plate/drink at each. We let him choose each combination, and every stop was a gastro treat: scallops, foie gras, beef cheek, prawns . . . Riojas, cider, beer . . . first class tasting tour! The next day, Agustin met us at our hotel, and we drove to the coastal areas of Basque (France). A 4-hr tour of Biarritz and St Jean de Luz was perfect, and there isn't much Agustin doesn't know about the region or it's rich history. Agustin does do surfing and kayaking tours, but he also deftly handles the gastro and local history trips pretty damn well, too. A++ Cheers! RS

Augustin's Gorilla trip tour was enjoyable and informative! We would not have been able to do this…read moreon our own. We had 2 tours in a day, sight seeing the Basque Country and "Pintxos Restaurant Crawl" We would highly recommend him and these tours. We must say, we were hesitant at first to hire someone half way across the world but trust me, he's legitimate, professional and courteous. We strongly recommend using Augustin's tour company.