Explore the three pillars of the Basque Country and Rioja, the birthplaces of some of Spain’s best food and wine. Bilbao is Basque and proud, hyper-local and forward-looking. Arch-traditional eateries, ultramodern fine dining and a gleaming new waterfront complete with the Frank Gehry-designed Guggenheim. Nearby Rioja is wine country, the land of Spanish fine wines for over a century. You’ll go deep in the local wine world at classic houses and specialist growers while immersing yourself in the hearty local cuisine. Finish your journey in international and aristocratic San Sebastián. This beautiful coastal city shepherded in modern cuisine and fine dining in Spain, and it’s one of the world’s great eating cities. You’ll see varied sides of the food scene, from the heaving pintxos bars of the old town to coastal seafood feasts, real-food fine dining and an insider gastronomic club experience.

Day 1 – Bilbao: Welcome to the Basque Country

Start off in Bilbao, the Basque capital, a once-industrial city reborn thanks largely to the whimsical Guggenheim Museum and surrounding riverfront (the Guggenheim Effect). Your luxury hotel The Artist is just across the street from the museum, and its roof terrace offers views of transformed Bilbao. For dinner, it’s Michelin star Mina, a seafood-focused Basque restaurant that embodies Bilbao’s fine dining ethos. The open-kitchen dining room serves just a few tables a tasting menu that changes with the seasons and whims of the market. Expect subtle, bright dishes that feature local fish and seafood, some with Japanese influence. A cellar full of small-production wines allows the expert, friendly staff to pair the dishes perfectly (expect sparkling and white wine above all).

Day 2 – The Art of the Basque Lunch

There are few places like Kate Zaharra Restaurant. In a Basque multistory caserío, or farmhouse, the action starts in the cellar where you choose your wine and begin your eating. Down there, appetizers, maybe Iberian jamón or a plate of shrimp or umami 00 Cantabrian anchovies. With your wine in hand, up to the dining room. Meat and fish and shellfish and local vegetables are your choices. Your best course of action is to let them guide you. Trust us, you will be happy. And in awe of how much food you put away and where the last three hours went. Once you arrive in the Rioja our local insider wine expert will introduce you to some remarkable and distinctive Rioja wines in a private wine tasting followed by a tapas dinner in the hotel.

Day 3 – Classics and Forgotten Grapes

Start your wine journey in the prime vineyard zone of Rioja Alavesa. At Elena Corzana, you’ll be eased into a unique vision of Rioja wine. Corzana has returned to her hometown of Navarrete drawn by the potential of the vineyards here and especially of rediscovered grape Maturana. Maturana makes fresh wines, savory and aromatic and very different from the classic Rioja reds. A visit with Elena, where you can see her amphorae, before a tasting of artisan wines. Then it’s on to the grandeur of the Contino wine estate. This Riojan chateau makes all its luxurious wines from the vineyards surrounding the winery in a bend of the Ebro River. The place is a real oasis and makes classic long-aged reds alongside some award-winning oddities. The Reserva and Gran Reserva are benchmarks: long-aged blends that can last forever in the cellar. The oddities: varietal wines from Graciano (world-class), Mazuelo and Garnacha, as well as the lush, ripe Viña El Olivo, among the first Rioja wines to be described as “modern”.

Head to hilltop Laguardia for lunch at Amelibia, a respite of light-touch Riojan cooking, artisan wine and warm service. A walking tour of Laguardia’s enchanting streets and viewpoints after lunch helps to bajar la comida. Back in Haro, dine in the hotel’s product-forward restaurant, where you can have dishes created by the Echapresto brothers of Venta Moncalvillo (2 Michelin stars) fame and rare bottles of Rioja from an overflowing cellar.

Day 4 – Focus on the Vineyards

Start your day in the Station Quarter of Haro, where classic Rioja wine was forged over a century ago. Gómez Cruzado is a small upstart here focused on a vision of fine Rioja wine that harkens back to the days when fresh, low-alcohol reds dominated the region. At the private tasting table above the barrel room, taste a selection of Gómez Cruzado wines including new-classic blends with lots of Garnacha and single-vineyard cult bottlings from the Terroir Selection. Then it’s on to the medieval village of Briones for an insider visit at Miguel Merino, one of Rioja Alta’s premier grower-producers. Miguel Jr. and his wife run this small winery, making subtle, fresh wines from a collection of top-class vineyards surrounding Briones. The drinkable Viñas Jovenes is made from young vines, while the new-old-school Reserva and Gran Reserva are approachable and age-worthy. The tiny production of Merino’s old-vine single vineyard bottlings makes a visit to the winery a chance to taste the impossible.

After a walk around Briones’s atmospheric streets, head to the mountain town of Rivas del Tereso for an essentially Riojan grilling lunch. Asador Jose Mari has spent decades mastering the art of the grill, and today it’s a destination for lovers of good eating, including local winemakers. You might start with local vegetables and sausages before lamb or beef, both of which pair impeccably with a bottle of fine Rioja. In the evening, explore the tapas scene of Haro. Your hotel features a superb wine bar with an outdoor terrace and tapas, while just around the corner lies Roots, the town’s top wine bar serving light fare and glasses of artisan Rioja. The old town of Haro has a lively scene, so all you have to do is stroll to find another bite or glass.

Day 5 – Classic Rioja and Classy San Sebastián

A last hurrah for breakfast in Rioja. The Station Quarter’s wine bars are the place to taste Rioja at its most classic and aged. Names like La Rioja Alta, Muga and CVNE have dominated the fine wine side of Rioja for over a century, and your local expert guide will take you to taste the finest wines at the benchmarks of Haro.

Then it’s off to seaside San Sebastián, home to some of Spain’s best eating in fine dining restaurants and traditional eateries and even packed pintxos bars. In the evening, you’ll roam the old town’s bars sampling each spot’s food specialties. Pintxos bars compete to attract savvy Basques, so the eating is gourmet while still as casual and hectic as can be. Portions are small, so you can comfortably hit a few before you’re full.

Day 6 – Getaria: Coastal Wines & Seafood

A day on the coast today. Head out of the city to the rocky Cantabrian shores, starting with the dramatic cliffs of Zumaia before heading to the green hills above the fishing town of Getaria. These hills are the land of Txakoli, the bracing white wine of the Basque Country. The wine was once made at home and kept in big barrels, but today it’s a worldwide success: low alcohol, refreshing, food-friendly and made from comically unpronounceable grapes like Hondarrabi Zuri. You’ll visit an artisan winery with views of the Cantabrian Sea and taste Txakoli with local anchovies (the classic aperitif around here). Then it’s on to Getaria itself, fish central. At top fish restaurant Kaia Kaipe, the specialty is whole grilled white-fleshed delicate fish caught in the waters nearby. Of course, the main event is preceded by sea creatures large and small.

Back in San Sebastián, shop or relax or gaze at the ocean before dinner at traditional Basque icon Gandarias. Despite San Sebastián’s plethora of modern fine dining, the locals love good, straightforward food most of all. Gandarias is white tablecloths and jacketed waiters but also speed and noise and joyful eating. Basque steak, local lobster, clams and whole grilled fish abound.

Day 7 – The Tradition of Private Eating Clubs

The Basque love of food is never-ending, so it’s no surprise to learn the locals have cooking-eating-drinking clubs called sociedades gastronómicas. An insider member will take you to a private society today for an intimate lunch. Head to San Sebastián’s market to source products. Then, relax glass in hand while your guide cooks, shows and explains the secrets of good Basque cooking. A multi-course lunch is everyone’s reward.

Your farewell dinner takes you into the hills above the city to one of the city’s most interesting restaurants: Zelai Txiki. Chef Juan Carlos Caro is an opinionated talent, serving product-focused tasting menus (for those who want them) and an extensive à la carte menu of honest dishes. This is fine cuisine at its Basque best: great presentation, service, wine and quality without pretension or tricks. This is where the locals come for a reason.

Day 8 – Departure

Private transfer to the San Sebastián or Bilbao airport for departure.

Bilbao’s great luxury hotel, 5-star The Artist offers an unbeatable location just across from the Frank Gehry-designed Guggenheim Museum. Luxuriously furnished rooms with Philippe Stark design offer direct views of the museum, and the rooftop puts you above the psychedelic structure. Multiple dining options in the museum and the varied dining and shopping options of central Bilbao near the hotel make this a perfect choice in the city.

Located in the heart of wine capital Haro’s old town, Palacio de los Ángeles is a true 5-star getaway in Rioja. A grand converted palace has been outfitted with luxury and taste. The rooms are luminous and showcase the historic stone walls of the building. You have everything you need here: cosy public areas, an on-site restaurant run by the team from two Michelin star Venta Moncalvillo, an outdoor pool area and a luxurious spa. The wineries and restaurants of Haro are just a few minutes away, making this a perfect base for exploring Rioja.

The last of the townhouses that once lined San Sebastián’s La Concha beach, Villa Favorita has been restored as a stunning boutique hotel. Luxurious materials and design permeate the rooms and the public spaces, many of which have direct views of the ocean. No detail has been neglected, from the parquet floors to the tasteful furnishings. The location is unbeatable, providing direct access to the beach and the heart of the city.