Day 1 July 20, Sun

Ongietorri! Welcome to the Basque Country, one of Europe’s most ancient cultures, and home to more Michelin stars than any other region of the world. After checking into your hotel (and admiring the titanium-winged Guggenheim Museum just outside our windows), you’ll meet up with our tastemaker for a welcome copa, or cocktail, before heading to dinner at a Bilbao institution, its menu a seamless blend of Basque tradition and timeless imagination.

This welcome dinner just might be the perfect manifestation of what’s known around the world as the Bilbao Effect: a seamless blending of old and new, local and global, historic and contemporary.

There’s no better place for us to start our adventure together.

Tastemaker Moment: Chris will lead a round of toasts and share his connection to the Basque country

Day 2 July 21, Mon

Following a leisurely morning in Bilbao, our first stop will be equally dazzling: a jaunt out to the cliffs of San Juan de Gaztelugatxe.

Translating literally as “castle island,” this medieval stone castle is connected to the mainland by a narrow, 241-step stone bridge that zigzags back and forth to form one of the world’s grandest staircases. The setting is so stunning and cinematic, we’ll feel like we’ve been here before — and in a way, we have, thanks to HBO’s Game of Thrones, which was filmed here.

Next it’s onto our first Spanish conserva for an opportunity to learn more about tinned fish and the sustainable fishing practices that have fueled livelihoods for generations.

After sampling a few specialties like Cantabrian anchovies and watching seagulls circle over the shimmering blue waters of the Bay of Biscay below, we’ll head to a local winery to sample various local wines, including the iconic txakoli. Txakoli may translate as “cottage wine,” but these light, dry sparklers are anything but humble.

Lunch is the main meal of the day in the Basque Country, and ours today will be a “km zero” meaning that every ingredient has been harvested within less than a mile of where we sit. We’ll return to Bilbao in the late afternoon, where you’ll have the balance of the day on your own. Tastemaker Moment: Chris will lead the discussion and introduce us to the owners of the conserva

Day 3 July 22, Tue

Even if you’d never heard of the Googen, as locals affectionately call it, you’d recognize it instantly, its shimmering silver wings and sails arching sleekly skyward like a mythical creature poised for flight.

This morning, we’ll enjoy an exclusive insider’s tour of the iconic Frank Gehry–designed museum, getting our fill of giants like Rothko, Warhol, and Serra, as well as visiting areas generally off-limits to the public.

Next, we’ll be saying farewell to Bilbao and heading off to Rioja Alta, one of Spain’s most storied wine regions. Our first stop en route will be at the Conde de los Andes winery. Its traditionally cultivated old vines clamber up from the river toward the sandstone cliffs of the Toloño mountain range, producing silken, citrus-forward whites and plummy, aromatic reds.

Conde de los Andes also boasts one of the country’s oldest cellars, a vast, kilometer-long network painstakingly carved by Galician stonemasons back in the 17th century.

Lunch this afternoon is an opportunity to take in the stunning views of the vineyards of Rioja while luxuriating in delicious lamb chops cooked over vine cuttings. Local wine and the warm company make for an almuerzo (traditional lunch) any Spaniard would envy.

After lunch, more wine awaits us at Ostatu’s bodega and cellar. In the evening, we’ll stroll through the narrow cobblestoned streets of Laguardia, a hill-top medieval town surrounded by walls that date all the way back to the 13th century. Tonight’s dinner is a special treat—a Riojan feast of fresh ingredients paired with wine harvested just down the road.

Tastemaker Moment: Chris will handpick some canned fish to accompany our live fire lunch

Day 4 July 23, Wed

Crisp, cool mountain air will greet us this morning as we depart Rioja Alta for the mountain hamlet of Santa Cruz de Campezo. Our gentle hike will take us through forests of linden and yew trees, winding past rushing streams, craggy summits, and fields pocked with grazing cattle and small chapels and hermitages.

Now that we’ve worked up an appetite, it’s time for us to add a Michelin star to our belts. Arrea!

Chef Edorta Lamo comes from a long line of hunter-gatherers, and his menu is an homage to his ancestors who, lacking land of their own for growing crops or rearing animals, turned instead to the mountains to hunt. As we settle back in the rustic timbered dining room to enjoy hearty dishes like mountain paté with bacon and medlar jam and chickpea stew with cabbage and pork ears, we’ll take some time to reminisce on the first few days of our adventure.

After lunch, we’ll sit back and relax as we meander through the highlands to San Sebastián. It’s a perfect time to sift through photographs, sneak in a siesta, or marvel at the rolling hills and mountains outside.

Once we arrive at our hotel, we’ll take the evening to recharge to be ready to hit the streets in the morning.

Day 5 July 24, Thu

After breakfast, we’ll take a short trip up to the top of Mount Igueldo, which rises over San Sebastián and offers panoramic views of the city below. It’s a perfect vantage point to capture the stunning topography of Basque Country.

Next, we’ll head back to town to explore the San Martín Market, established in 1870, where many of the city’s best chefs shop daily. We’ll inspect local delicacies like live snails and smoky Idiazabal cheeses, then select a few to take with us to our next event: a cooking class where we’ll try our hand at preparing traditional Basque dishes.

After a sumptuous lunch dining on our creations, we’ll have time to wander the winding cobblestoned streets of the Parte Vieja on our own, admiring the tree-lined plazas, pearly sandstone buildings and filigreed Belle Époque wrought-iron balconies of the Old Town.

Art lovers may consider a pilgrimage to Tabakalera, a converted tobacco factory now boasting six stories of rotating art exhibits, film screenings, and photography displays.

In the evening, we’ll meet up with our local guide for a txikiteo, an epic pintxo crawl searching for the best of the region’s world-famous, toothpick-skewered tapas. We’ll stop here, there and everywhere to sample the likes of plump boquerones, glistening tuna carpaccio, and white asparagus with truffle mayonnaise.

Pintxos in one hand and a glass of crisp cider just pulled from the tap in the other, we’ll perch cozily at little standing tables before moving on to the next venue (and the next, and the next).

Tastemaker Moment: Chris will be the sous chef at our lunch

Day 6 July 25, Fri

This morning, we wake to cheese as we visit a farm in Gipuzkoa and learn the long history of sheep’s milk cheese production in the Basque Country (sampling along the way, of course).

Next, a short drive takes the group to Getaria, one of the most important fishing ports in Northern Spain. Here, chefs and restaurants from across the world connect with local distributors to bring the bounty of the Bay of Biscay all over the world, and today we are fortunate to visit a special cannery.

Lunch is hosted in a Basque Country institution, famous for charcoal-grilled fish and exceptionally fresh seafood. Elkano has held a Michelin star since 1974, and after a meal here, you will start to understand how seafood from the Bay of Biscay needs a minimalist approach to truly appreciate its sumptuous flavor.

After returning to San Sebastián with our bellies extremely full, we’ll have the balance of the day to ourselves to continue our wanderings, perhaps embarking upon our own self-directed pintxo crawl tonight before ending the evening with a gin cocktail and a midnight stroll along the promenade.

Tastemaker Moment: Chris will lead an anchovy workshop

Day 7 July 26, Sat

Today we’ll bop across the border to France to visit the “other” Basque Country.

Our first stop will be the village of Irouléguy, which bears the same name as the surrounding small wine appellation—with just over one square mile of vines, some of its slopes are so steep and difficult to hand-harvest that they’ve achieved “heroic appellation” status.

Next, we’ll head on to Biarritz, making a beeline for the markets of Les Halles, where an extravaganza of oysters, escargots, and prawns awaits us. Les Halles has something for every mood: it’s not uncommon for locals to swing by for an early breakfast before work, then return later in the day to slurp back oysters or enjoy a slice of cherry jam- and cream-filled gâteau basque.

We’ll return to San Sebastián in the late afternoon to rest up before our exceptional dinner tonight at a txoko, one of the region’s 200-odd private gastronomic societies.

Membership in these societies traditionally passes from father to son, making this a very coveted invitation seldom available to outsiders.

Tonight’s dinner will be one for the ages: Sparkling txakoli wine will be poured from dramatic heights into our glasses, and we may find ourselves breaking into song as we feast on blackthorn liqueur, buttery cheeses, and silken hams. As we raise our glasses to toast our hosts and each other, we’ll understand exactly why the Basques say Adiskide onekin, orduak labur.

'With a good friend, the hours are short'.

Tastemaker Moment: Chris will lead a round of toasts at our farewell dinner

Day 8 July 27, Sun

Alas, our time together has come to an end. After breakfast and perhaps a farewell morning stroll (including a mad dash for one final pintxo – hey, no judgment!), we’ll bid farewell to San Sebastián, our new friends, and the magic of Northern Spain and the Basque Country.

About Chris Sherman 

Chris Sherman, a trailblazer in sustainable aquaculture, is leading a remarkable journey to the Basque Country. As the president of Island Creek Oysters and a passionate advocate for ocean farming, Chris combines his deep expertise with a commitment to preserving coastal ecosystems.

Join him to experience the confluence of tradition, sustainability, and exceptional seafood. With over 11 million oysters farmed and distributed annually, Chris has dedicated his career to the art of oyster cultivation and building food systems. His passion for this mollusk is unparalleled, and he’s eager to share the nuances of oyster farming and its rich flavors. On this journey, enjoy exclusive tastings with small conservas and discover the delicious depth of the ocean’s bounty through Chris’s expert lens.

Accommodations

Traditional architecture meets contemporary design. Enjoy the understated luxury and sophistication of our boutique Basque Country hotels.

*On rare occasions, our hotels will change. Our standards for luxury and authenticity will not.

Hotel Gran Domine Bilbao

Situated between the Fine Arts Museum, Iberdrola Tower and Euskalduna Palace, this design-forward hotel is an art lover’s destination unto itself. It’s located just a stone’s throw from almost everything Bilbao is known for, and so close to the Guggenheim that it almost feels like Jeff Koons’s 43-foot-tall puppy is about to charge the lobby.

Make like a local and throw back a cocktail on the beautiful rooftop terrace.

Eurostars Los Agustinos Álava, Rioja

Located in a picturesque village center in the heart of Rioja, the Eurostars Los Agustinos provides a historic home base amid the vineyards of Northern Spain.

The 1373 building originally housed nuns as a convent, and has served as a Spanish military barracks, local jail and hospital. Now, its ochre stone walls and central cloister welcome visitors for merry holidays steeped in world-class gastronomy and elegant wines.

Zenit Convento San Martin San Sebastián

Located just off La Concha, the seaside promenade that forms the beating heart of San Sebastián, this serene hotel, housed in a beautifully restored 16th-century convent, is the perfect spot from which to explore the city’s vibrant Old Town — as well as a welcome retreat at the end of the night, when the vaulted ceilings and stained-glass windows of the lobby bar feel particularly magical. 

Where does the trip start and end?

Our adventure begins at the Hotel Domine Bilbao. The closest airport is Bilbao Airport, with San Sebastián Airport also an option for arrivals. Private transfers are included for arrival and departure from either Bilbao or San Sebastián Airports.

Please contact Valise with any questions about flights.

How To Book

Reserve your spot today with a $1,500 per-person deposit plus room supplements (if relevant).

The full payment is due 120 days before your trip starts. We’ll send you a reminder email before the payment deadline. If you book a trip less than 120 days in advance, you must pay the remaining balance either 30 days after booking or 60 days before the trip, whichever comes first. Some trips may require a higher deposit.

For solo travelers, there is a $2,900 single-supplement fee—paid at the time of booking to secure a private room. These spots are limited and available on a first-come, first served basis.

Do I need Travel Insurance?

We highly recommend purchasing travel insurance. Travel insurance allows you to seek reimbursement for your trip costs; if your trip plans change for unforeseeable reasons, or if you need to get medical help, emergency transport, and for theft, loss or damage of items while traveling. For best coverage, always insure the full trip cost within two weeks of your initial trip deposit and note that most ‘Cancel For Any Reason’ policies must be purchased on the date of your initial deposit.

What is the cancellation policy?

You may cancel on or before April 20, 2025 and receive a full refund minus a $500 per-person service fee. If you cancel on or after April 21, 2025, there is a 50% cancellation fee. On or after June 5, 2025 there is a 100% cancellation fee. We highly recommend purchasing travel insurance as we are not able to make exceptions to this policy in cases of family/medical emergency or cases of the trip being canceled (see our Terms and Conditions for full details).

What does the price include?

Seven nights at unique four- and five-star accommodations; private travel for all day trips and excursions; departure airport transfer; private tours with local guides and cultural experts; exclusive access and private tastings; guided activities, adventures and expeditions; daily breakfasts, most lunches and dinners; local beverages with meals.

What does the price not include?

International roundtrip airfare; travel insurance; transportation to the trip’s starting point; activities not included in the trip itinerary; hotel incidentals including room service, laundry service and hotel bar tabs; food and beverages not included in itinerary; gratuity for tour leader.

What travel documents are needed?

US citizens are not required to have a visa to enter Spain for stays up to 90 days. Your passport must be valid for three months beyond your planned departure date, though we recommend that your passport be valid for 6 calendar months beyond your planned departure date from Spain. Not a US citizen? Please check with the Spanish Embassy or Consulate for information and requirements.

Additional Trip Terms & Conditions