Spain’s Basque Country, La Rioja and Burgos

Experience fascinating Basque culture, captivating towns and cities along the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage route, spectacular scenery, Rioja wines, an inspired gastronomic heritage, and one of the world's most avant-garde museums. Euskal Herria - better known to us as the Basque Country - is wonderfully varied and blessed with its own distinctive identity. Spanning northern Spain and southwestern France, it is a region of immense beauty and diversity, crowned by the dramatic peaks of the Pyrenees mountains which seem to pierce the sky. Hills lushly carpeted with broadleaf forests rise and fall into fertile lowlands, dotted by classic red-and-white farmhouses, before reaching the vivid blue waters of the wild Atlantic. Along the rugged coast are sweeping natural harbours with beaches of fine sand, home to charming fishing villages.

The Basque people are thought to be descendants of the very first settlers in Europe, early farmers who mixed with hunters before becoming isolated in the mountain valleys. Euskara, their unique language, is unrelated to any other and was already spoken here when Indo-European languages began to arrive. With its own defining characteristics and traditions, and a distinct architectural style, the Basque culture is utterly fascinating. Some local families still live in 'baserri', stone farmhouses with gently sloping roofs built by their ancestors. Today, the southern Basque Country is an autonomous region in Spain, while the 'Pays Basque' answers to France's central government.

Both land and sea have blessed the region with bounty that inspires gastronomic genius, fuelled by delightful innovation and a deep pride in tradition. There is an undeniable passion for food, be it in the markets stocked with smoked cheeses and fresh fish, or the private dining clubs where friends impress each other with home-cooked meals. The Basques even have their own version of tapas, known as 'pintxos', which you can experience for yourself when we visit a traditional, family-run bar.

Our tour begins in San Sebastián, a coastal beauty and where you'll find some of Spain's finest food. We spend a day in Bayonne, one of the prettiest cities in the French Basque Country, to observe the fascinating cultural differences across the border, and ascend the sacred Basque mountain of La Rhune for unforgettable views. Back in Spain we discover mighty Pamplona, capital of the once-powerful Kingdom of Navarra, and Burgos, crowned by its magnificent Gothic cathedral. We drive through La Rioja, Spain's most famous wine-producing region - and of course, we stop at a renowned bodega for a tasting. Our journey continues off the beaten path to Santillana del Mar, a charming medieval town seemingly unchanged for centuries, and to Altamira, renowned for its prehistoric cave paintings. In bustling contrast is modern Bilbao, where we stay and visit the outstanding Guggenheim Museum.