Personalised Tours

One of the things our visitors love most about their personalised tours is visiting some of the small villages on the Basque coast and the most distinctive places in them.

First off is Elantxobe, which is similar to a Roman amphitheatre and has charming streets and narrow houses with views of the sea.

Secondly, Bermeo, which was once the capital of Biscay, houses the fisherman’s museum inside the majestic 15th century Ercilla tower.

San Juan de Gaztelugatxe is a unique place located on a small island where you go up 241 stairs counting to reach the striking chapel and ring the bell.

You can also visit Lekeitio, which is an attractive stop along the coast. And the village of Ea, which is divided in two by a river that forms a canal. If you want to explore the estuary of Urdaibai you’ll find more than 220 km2 of land with extraordinary ecological value that was declared a Biosphere reserve by UNESCO in 1984.

After that beautiful natural space, another option is to visit the surfer’s paradise of Mundaka that’s famous for having the tallest left wave in Europe.

Are you still not sure about visiting the villages of the Basque coast?

It’s the perfect place for wine aficionados and lovers of natural landscapes that invite you to discover a palette of colours that changes from season to season and where you can find breathtakingly beautiful natural scenes.

Designing this tour, you can explore the wine region of La Rioja where the city of Laguardia is the centrepiece. While you’re there, you can visit underground wine cellars and narrow medieval streets.

You can walk amongst the vines and try the wines from a number of wineries including Marqués de Riscal (designed by Frank Gehry) and Ysios (designed by Santiago Calatrava) at wine tastings.

You can also include a visit to the Vivanco Museum in Briones, considered the best wine museum in the world, in your tour.

If that’s what you’re looking for you shouldn’t skip a visit to San Sebastián and Guipúzcoa.

You can tour the entire 80 kilometres of the coast of Guipúzcoa, where no two places look the same.

Getaria, with its fishing port, modernised facilities for storing fresh fish and the contemporary design of the Balenciaga Museum, which is the first museum in the world devoted to the work of a fashion designer, is a must see.

It’s also very interesting to visit a traditional txakolí winery where you can taste the delicious young and fruity white wine made with local grapes.

On the other hand, San Sebastián – Donostia, with its circular bay called "la Concha", is one of the most romantic cities in the world and shouldn’t be missed.

In this locale of crystal clear water and white sands you can look out upon Belle Époque buildings, stroll down long boulevards and visit strikingly elegant cafés. As soon as you arrive in San Sebastián your mouth will start watering from the food and wine you can try in the historic old town in any of the numerous bars where they serve the famous pintxos, which are tiny works of culinary art that are traditional in the Basque Country and famous around the world.

Under the slogan "open for restoration", the towering majestic Cathedral of Vitoria-Gasteiz, that inspired the book "World Without End" by Ken Follett, offers an innovative guided tour of the Cathedral’s current restoration process; a highly original initiative with an unusual itinerary through scaffolding. You can discover the mysteries hidden in the walls and breathe in the history during your visit.

Vitoria was also the European Green Capital in 2012 and it has a green belt with six parks around it. On the other hand, its medieval historic centre with its distinctive almond shape makes the city an unexpected, unique, friendly, human scale place and its urban design is an object of envy in the world of architecture.

In this area, you can also visit the Añana Salt Valley where you can learn about topics including history, architecture, archaeology and the biodiversity of the salt flats to understand the process of producing Añana salt and also get a chance to try it.

Chosen "Best European City of 2018" and with the Guggenheim museum as a major international symbol, Bilbao is the port of entry to the Basque cultural universe. It’s a city that has undergone one of the most profound urban transformations ever seen in Europe and it’s also been able to use architecture as the best way to build a worldwide reputation.

Today, Bilbao is an open, modern, creative, social, cultural city with fine food and tourism that expertly combines history and tradition with modernity and fun.

On the personalised tours of Bilbao, you can visit the old part of the city, which originally consisted of seven trails known as the Seven Streets.

The seven streets are distinctive because of their cobblestone paving, narrowness and picturesque buildings with rough uneven facades. Stores, restaurants and the famous pintxo bars are located in this setting.

You can also visit the Santiago Cathedral, which has renaissance arches, the Plaza Nueva (New Plaza) and the Academy of the Basque Language.

Also worth a visit are the Arriaga theatre, the Alhóndiga and the Ribera Market, which is one of the largest covered markets in Europe and which has recently been restored.

Another area you can visit is the elegant Ensanche (Expansion) financial district whose primary thoroughfare is the Gran Vía de Bilbao, which is the main business area in Bilbao and has majestic buildings ranging from neo-Baroque to art nouveau.

Close to the Gran Vía you can find the Parque de Doña Casilda, which is one of many green spaces in the Bilbao city centre, and also where the Museum of Fine Arts and the Euskalduna Hall are located.

Lastly, you shouldn’t miss the Paseo de Uribitarte, which is an urban space more than one kilometre long following the Nervión river and connecting the Old Town with Abandoibarra. The Guggenheim Museum, the true engine of the economic, social and touristic transformation of the city, is located in Abandoibarra.

“Are you a sports fan? If you love football this could be a fantastic choice for discovering the Basque Country from a different point of view.”

In Bilbao, really the entire Basque Country, when we talk about football we’re talking about passion, dedication and commitment.

We’re also talking about values like respecting team mates and supporters, team work and needing to train the mind and body as a way to overcome the hardships of life.

At Baskenland Tours we also focus on active and ecotourism and we can give you the chance to play a game of football against former Athletic de Bilbao player Koikili and his team. You can also stay at "Koikili Aterpetxea", Koikili’s rural B&B in Otxandio (www.koikiliaterpetxea.eus) that is located between the Gorbeia and Urkiola natural parks where, among other things, you have access to sports activities like trekking and cycling in a natural sustainable setting.

If you are looking to discover the Basque Country without architectural barriers, don’t hesitate to contact us. We’re specialists in organising tours for people with disabilities or reduced mobility. Don’t let a wheelchair or anything else stop you from discovering the beauty of Euskadi!