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03 Apr 2018

Basque Cider House Rocks!

By basque

Basque Cider House

Any self-respecting trip to Donostia/San Sebastián has to include a visit to a Sagardotegi – A Basque Cider House. Traditional houses, dotted all over the hills in the hinterland around San Sebastián open their doors in spring. An invitation for foodie folk to come and enjoy the splendid results from the winter’s fermentation!

Cider

The autumn and winter months allow the juices of last season’s apples to ferment gently. Tanks and Chestnut tuns are used to create this heady brew. Popular for centuries by Basque sailors, its ant-scurvy properties enabled long voyages… Newfoundland, its whales and banks of cod were a mere row across the ocean! The result is a scrumpy-like concoction, full of acids and green flavours. Sour and sweet, fizzy yet flat…. There are many types and commercialisation has not pervaded into the production in the vast majority of thee family-run enterprises. Some now open all-year round, but we at Basque Experiences prefer the local ones. Family-run, friendly, smiles all-round and that warm welcoming feeling, and way better food & service than some of the larger ones!

Larre-gain.com

Larre-gain is a family-run business, located way up in the hills behind Hernani. With views of San Sebastian and the stunning Aiako Herria Natural Park, the location is spectacular. Small scale like I said but well respected! Guardian top 10 Cider Houses say so!

The menu; Salt-cod omelette, Fried Salt Cod, Bone-in steak and walnuts & cheese is classic. Quantities are always perfect, but the quality, and my fellow steak experts were speechless, was 10/10. The steak was superb we have to say! Check the pics! Many samples of cider later and we were part of the crowd! Serving the Cider from the barrels like we were born with apples trees coming out of our ears! What a great laugh!

San Sebastian

Staying for a weekend in one of the small hostels or great hotels in this great town is a perfect city break. Even Bilbao, the larger brother to San Sebastián is only an hour by bus (c.16€) and gives another angle to the Basque Country with more nightlife and variety. Wherever you stay though, the Sagardotegi is a must! As is the Gin ‘n’ Tonic we are so famous for as a digestif!! See you here soon! TXOTX!!!!

  • Cider Barrels
  • San Sebastian
  • Basque Cider House
  • Basque Cider House
  • Basque Experiences

 

 

 

14 Mar 2018

Sailing with us along the Basque Coast!

By basque

Basque Coast Sailing

Come join us sailing for a fantastic perspective on our beautiful country. Rugged cliffs, sandy beaches, fishing villages, flysch and the odd film set…   Game of Thrones style

Basque Experiences and their partner arrange superb, tailored sailing trips from the port of Santurtzi, one of the historic fishing towns on the Bilbao estuary. Fully insured and using expert skippers and the best vessels you are in safe hands! Whether you are experiences sailors or beginners, the trips are special.

Bilbao and the River

Embarking from Santurtzi we can cruise inland towards Bilbao. Past the UNESCO Industrial Heritage Site of the Hanging Bridge. Incidentally the first of its kind in the world and the only such listed site in Spain. Up-river and past old steel-works and shipyards, upto San Mames stadium and the incredible Guggenheim Museum. Or cruise around the Abra, the entry to Bilbao. See Getxo Algorta, Las Arenas and Portugalete on a morning cruise.

Weekends on the Coast

Alternatively take a weekend trip along this gorgeous and rarely seen coast. Head towards Castro Urdiales for lunch or east past Plentzia, Bermeo, Lekeitio and onto the fishing villages of Zumaia and finally San Sebastián. The French coast is also close,with gorgeous harbours at Hendaye and St Jean de Luz. Want to learn? Well we can arrange courses for you with a fully qualified sail school, skippers and instructors. Is fishing your thing? Well we can put lines out for Tuna, feather for Mackerel and jig for squid... depends on your taste! Combine a morning onboard a yacht with a cycling tour on electric bikes with our friends at www.deskonecta.com… Just drop Basque Experiences a line!!

  • Sailing Bilbao
  • Hanging Bridge
  • Sailing Basque
  • Basque Experiences
18 Dec 2017

A Wine Tour from Bordeaux to Bilbao

By basque

New Wine Tour….

Bordeaux to Bilbao! That was the idea we came up with back in spring 2016, for some clients who visited us in 2015 on a private wine tour from Bilbao to Barcelona! They loved it so much we agreed to create a new tour for them. This time to take in the SW of France, the world’s most famous wine producing region along with the French Basque Country and the wines and gastronomy of the Spanish Basque Country…

 

Chateau and Cite du Vin

Bordeaux is the city of wine par excellence. Historic, traditional yet modern, regenerated and home to truly spectacular wines. The Cite du Vin, family owned Chateau Lamothe du Haux and the magnificent Chateau Smith Haut Lafitte all combined with our own excellent private guide. Visits to the charming and stunning St Emilion, fine dining in superb restaurants. Not a bad way to start the tour…

Biarritz and San Sebastian

The French Basque Country is sometimes passed by… It’s more recognised neighbour, San Sebastian gets the limelight these days. But Biarritz with its aristocratic past, belle-epoque architecture beautiful beach and elegant residents means a visit is always a must. Lunch at a riverside restaurant in Bayonne was followed by a visit to a D.O. Espelette red pepper farm before heading to San Sebastian for what was a long yet fascinating day. The Hotel Villa Soro certainly makes up for it though!! Visits to Getaria to learn and sample our indigenous Txakoli wine before an evening experiencing the Sagardotegi… The Basque Cider House!

Urdaibai and Bilbao

Ernest Hemingway was a frequent visitor to the Basque Country, writing, making friends and generally enjoying the finer things in life that we have to offer here! There is no better way to learn about his exploits than taking a slow boat along the Oka River in the stunning Urdaibai Biosphere Reserve. Sampling local cheeses and preserves, tasting local Txakoli and sing sea-shanties and whaler’s songs is a great way to spend a day before heading into Bilbao and the chic Hotel Miro

Our week of wine and Basque Culture was rounded off with visits to two superb wine-makers. Torre de Oña in Laguardia and the stunningly located Bodega Contino. Here our farewell visit was rounded off with a delicious lunch… The swaying trees provided the shade as as a warm breeze blew through the vines…

 

10 Jul 2017

BBKLIVE2017 Bilbao Live Music Festival

By basque

BBKLive2017 Bilbao!

For the second year running Basque Experiences have the pleasure of working with the team at Last Tour! BBKLive is an annual live music festival on the Kobeta hill right in the centre of Bilbao. The three day festival celebrated it’s 10th anniversary this year as bbklive2017, and Basque Experiences were only too willing to help.

International and Basque

This year’s line up saw 80’s favourites Depeche Mode headline along with Las Vegas’ finest, The Killers and the pride of Belfast, Two Door Cinema Club. Other big bands entertaining the mixed local and European crowd were Primal Scream, Brian Wilson, !!!, 1975, Fleet Foxes, Royal Blood, Explosions In The Sky, Justice, The Parrots, Cabbage…. its a long list! Do you want me to name them all? 😉

Work was done…

Its not all watching bands you know. We had the pleasure of taking some UK music journalists around Bilbao on the Friday. A great bike tour around some of the coolest spots in Bilbao. San Francisco, Dos de Mayo, Pozas, San Mames, and of course, past the shiny Guggenheim! All of this pedalling was fuelled by regular fuelling spots at some of the best and most original bars in Bilbao. After all, its what we are good at here as well…. Here are some great photos we took of our guests. I know for a fact that they had a great time, and that some, if not all will be back next year!!

  • Basque Country Tour

 

27 May 2017

Private Group Tours – Basque Country 2017

By basque

Private Group Tours 2017

Basque Experiences specialise in Private Group Tours across the Basque Country and northern Spain. This year already we have created, guided and shared tours to wineries, cathedrals, in addition to restaurants, and cooking schools. Our clients have discovered, pintxo bars, verdant forests, museums, public artworks, cycle rides, hikes, cheese-makers….. Our groups vary from 2 to 25 people, all fascinated and keen to learn more about our unique culture and country.

Private Guided Groups

With a mix of local knowledge and English guides, we can really make your visit to the Basque Country much more than a normal tour. We take you to out-of-the way villages, small family run wine-makers, restaurants where you will be the only non-local… It is your opportunity to really see the Basque Country, off-the-beaten track.

Small Groups

Our gusts include families, groups of friends, cruise ship passengers, businesses and special interest groups. Basque Experiences will take the time to listen to you, and most of all, to understand your reasons for coming to visit and create a bespoke journey, a real Basque Experience, one that is unique to you… We have had the pleasure of showing our beautiful country to guests from all over the world, including some who have enjoyed it so much they came back! Read some of the great comments and feedback on our TRIP ADVISOR page

Our 3 hour pintxo tours that take you to the local’s favourites in Bilbao, where you can discover our bite size pintxos, made in front of you. We create fully guided itineraries where we tailor your every need. Stay at boutique hotels in addition to rural retreats, learn with private chefs and contrast with local food, visit small wineries with the owners, hike to hidden valleys and rugged peaks… And most of all, what about those elusive restaurant reservations at some of the world’s finest restaurants? Leave it to us… 🙂

Drop us a line and we will be only too happy to chat even if its just for advice!

  • Cooking in Ordizia Gipuzkoa
  • ondarre gipuzkoa
  • Private Group Tours Basque Country
  • Private Group Tours - Basque Experiences
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