Bilbao

Food & Gourmet Tours

Take a journey to mix with the locals. Take a tour through the bars of the old town of Bilbao with a local guide, who was born in Bilbao. This unique gastronomic experience is a must when visiting the Basque Country. Delve into the lifestyle and traditions of the inhabitants of Bilbao, explore the old part of the city and taste the most traditional pintxos.  Learn about the origin and development of the city by visiting four traditional places to taste typical pintxos, one of the specialties of the exquisite Basque cuisine. The pintxo is the Basque version of the Spanish tapa and is taken with a typical drink, usually wine or txakoli. They are delicious gourmet sandwiches that you can find everywhere.

Explore the Bilbao seaside by bike on this 2.5-hour fun and informative guided tour. Start your tour right at the feet of the iconic Vizcaya Bridge, where you’ll learn about its history, fun facts, and the present role of this UNESCO World Heritage Site. After a pleasant ride along the seaside, enjoy your first stop at Puerto Viejo. Beautiful and filled with history and anecdotes, you’ll have the freedom to roam and walk around its hidden corners and streets. Blend in among the locals and join them as we taste some world-famous pintxos (small snacks), and maybe a glass of wine, or a Caña for beer lovers.   You’ll then continue on to a few secret local spots before heading on to the route to the Cliffs where you’ll experience the Biscay coastline at its best. With its unmatched scenery, the majesty of the sea and fresh air will accompany you for one of the most beautiful bike routes in the Basque country.   After the tour, you can enjoy the beautiful Arrigunaga beach just meters away, grab a bite in one of its panoramic resto-bars, have a drink with your feet on the sand at the beach bar, or just read your book on the beach.

The gastronomy in the Basque Country is known for its quality all over the world, although we know that nowadays internet overwhelms us with information, and get to the appropriate place to taste the best recipes and products can be a matter of luck. That’s why we designed a tasting menu of “pintxos” and pairing with local wines, to guarantee that you enjoy of the best quality. Our local guides will take you into a culinary trip by the gastronomical traditions that make us stand out, a cuisine focused on the quality products and the know-how that gave the success to the Basque chefs, from the bars to the Michelin-starred restaurants. In Bilbao stands out the cuisine rooted to tradition and in San Sebastián a more creative cuisine, both of them a delight for the five senses. Besides tasting with us the best gastronomy and giving you personalized suggestions following your preferences, we have some surprises for you… Come with us and discover them! What are the “pintxos”? They are the most popular miniature cuisine in the Basque Country. This name comes from the verb “pinchar” (prick) in Spanish, but in the Basque Language we write it with “tx” instead of “ch”. That’s because originally we pricked with a toothpick the product or tiny dish upon a basis of bread. But nowadays the cuisine evolved and there are just some pintxos that looks this way. Nowadays we find a world of flavours in small size… from a simple quality product to a complex cooking. When we eat pintxos we take one or two of them and we do bar hopping to taste the best pintxos in every bar. That’s how we will do it in the tour!

This tour is designed to guide you into one of the oldest traditional "cave-cellars" in the area, dug 7-8 meters (23-26 feet) deep under the houses. This is a fabulous experience not to be missed! This activity also includes  tasting wines in one of the most famous local wineries. You can also tour 'Marques del Riscal' winery cellar/hotel, which was designed by Frank Gehry, the architect who designed the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao. You will also walk along the medieval streets of Laguardia, one of the most charming towns in La Rioja area, before discovering local home-made food for lunch in an off the beaten track, non touristy restaurant.

Depart Bilbao and head for Vitoria-Gasteiz to explore the capital city of the Basque Country. Take a guided walking tour through the center to see the cathedral, parliament and historical monuments of Plaza de la Virgen Blanca. Discover a medieval quarter in Plaza del Machete and admire the Church of San Miguel. Go to the Salinas de Añana salt flats and learn the history of the landscape. Continue to Orduña village and enjoy lunch at a typical restaurant in the medieval village of Balmaseda. Venture through the Ayala Valley and the mining area of ​​Bizkaia (Biscay) to reach the coast at Santurtzi and Portugalete, where you will cross the Vizcaya Bridge to Getxo.

Discover Txacoli wine on a guided cellar tour and tasting session departing from Bilbao. Explore a century-old cellar and learn more about viticulture in the Basque Country, with a selection of delicious local food products for lunch. Travel to the farmhouse located outside the city. Take a guided tour of the winery and learn about the rich wine tradition of the region, specifically the tradition of Txakoli wine. Learn about the process of making Txakoli with soft, young, fruity flavor characteristic of the region. Hear about the important place this wine has in local culture and regional history. The visit ends on the terrace of the winery, where you can admire impressive views of the vineyards and the slopes of the valley. Then, enjoy a glass of fresh Txakoli, with snacks of typical products from the area. After your tour and tasting, return to central Bilbao.

Depart from Bilbao at 08:30 AM. Reach the inland of Gipuzkoa until Ordizia. The traditional fair in Ordizia every Wednesday is a meeting place for buyers and sellers of agricultural produce from the area. It is sheltered by a structure with thick columns and has numerous stalls of all kinds that include Idiazabal cheese, fruit, vegetables, and endless top-quality fresh produce. Following is a guided tour of the Idiazabal Cheese Interpretation Centre, where you will enjoy an Idiazabal cheese tasting and a glass of local wine. Then continue with a fabulous guided tour around the old town of San Sebastian, enjoying five pintxos and two drinks in different local bars. Then, enjoy free time in the city on your own. To finish, you get to enjoy a wonderful panoramic view of La Concha Bay from Igeldo Mountain before heading back to Bilbao.

Discover the delicious histories behind the Carolina, the Rice Cake, and the Butter Bun, traditional sweets that are unique to Bilbao. Taste samples of each one on this tour, and learn about the city, its history, its most emblematic landmarks, and also the best bakeries in town. Start at Azkuna Zentroa, one of the most emblematic buildings in the city center. The first sweet stop is at Don Manuel to taste a Carolina - a miniature pastry crust filled with custard and topped with a meringue cone. The tour then continues through the city center to stop at Plaza Moyúa. Here you will learn about the buildings that surround it, from a bunker during the Civil War to the Government's HQ. Continue to the second culinary stop, at Martina de Zuricalday, the oldest bakery in the city. Here you will have the chance to taste a Butter Bun, filled with buttercream. From there, keep walking through the city center, stopping at the main street to see the Council buildings. The last culinary stop of the tour will be a delicious Rice Cake at Arrese Bakery. From there, continue to Albia Gardens where the tour finishes.

Enjoy a boat ride along the Bilbao River, pass important buildings including the Guggenheim Museum and the University of Deustro.  Stroll through the city on a walking tour, walk under the different bridges in Bilbao and to Casco Viejo. Finish the tour by tasting a  pintxo (tapa) and having a drink. 

Spain is widely famous for its wines' high quality. Discover the cradle of these wines - the land that provides its name to the DO of La Rioja, which is easily reachable from Bilbao. Enjoy a visit to a winery (bodega), taking a relaxing walk through the vineyards whilst learning the wine-making process from the grape harvest to the maturation. Following that, finish your experience with a wine tasting of 4 wines accompanied by an expert local. After your tasting, a complete traditional lunch consisting of local products and the best wines will be served in the winery or in a local restaurant. Your day also includes a visit to the Laguardia medieval village, which is famous for its medieval walls and underground family-owned wineries.