The Real Basque Way: San Sebastian, Beyond the Stars
- 4–5 hours
- Free cancellation up to 24h before
- Guided in English
- Instant confirmation
Highlights
San Sebastián may be famous for Michelin stars, pintxos and seafood, but beyond its best-known restaurants lies another culinary world built around seasonality, exceptional ingredients and a deep commitment to craft. We’ll begin with a near-perfect tortilla at a busy local café before visiting a neighborhood market where chefs and home cooks shop for Basque staples such as kokotxa. From there, we’ll meet a cheesemaker pushing beyond regional traditions and visit a chocolate workshop reviving links between the Basque Country and Mexico. Crossing the Urumea River, we’ll explore restaurants and food shops run by a new generation of culinary professionals. Depending on the season, we may taste fish stew with artisanal cider or fresh Cantabrian anchovies with txakoli. Together, these stops reveal the “Basque Way”: tradition, quality and constant evolution.
Inclusions
What's included
- Alcoholic Beverages
- Snacks
- Lunch
- Breakfast
What's not
- Private transportation
Itinerary
We’ll start our day with the most perfect tortilla imaginable – both crunchy and oozy at the same time – at a busy locals’ cafe. We’ll then visit a neighborhood market where chefs and grannies line up to buy fresh kokotxa – fish necks, a Basque favorite – by the kilo on the way to meet a cheesemaker thinking way beyond the region’s borders. Down the street we will stop by the workshop of a Mexican of Basque origin who is reviving a chocolate tradition that once connected this port to his home country.
Heading out of the historic center, across a bridge where the Urumea river meets the Cantabrian Sea, we will be welcomed into a number of restaurants and food shops run by a tight-knit circle of culinary professionals who are filling in the gaps between San Sebastian’s Michelin-starred restaurants and its simpler neighborhood spots. Here, depending on the season, our day may include a homey fish stew and a sip or artisanal cider, or perhaps exceedingly fresh and delicate Cantabrian anchovies accompanied by a new school txakoli, the classic Basque white wine, minerally and smacking of the sea. Committed to quality, but restless for change, it is in these places where we will taste what is of the moment, meet the young leaders of the city’s pioneering kitchens and truly experience the Basque Way.
Cancellation
Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the experience starts, for a full refund.
Reviews
4.9
- 543
- 41
- 30
- 20
- 11
Ratings come from 45 reviews collected by our booking partner. They are travellers' own words, in the order they were written — never reordered to flatter the experience.
Know before you go
- Meeting point
- The meeting point is in front of Hotel de Londres, waterside, under the shade structure.
- Pickup
- Everyone meets at the starting point; there is no pickup.
- Ticket type
- Mobile or paper ticket accepted
- Group size
- Up to 7 travellers
- Operated by
- Culinary Backstreets Walks
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Specialized infant seats are available
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
How it compares in San Sebastián
- Its from-price is 39% below the median of the 397 experiences we list in San Sebastián.
- Its length is typical for the group.
- By number of reviews it ranks 53 of 397.
- The operator lists free cancellation on it.
About San Sebastián
San Sebastián, or Donostia, is a Basque seaside city around a shell-shaped bay, with a golden beach, a hilltop fort and a pintxo scene known across Spain.
San Sebastián curves around La Concha Bay, a near-perfect shell-shaped inlet with a white-railed promenade and a sheltered city beach. Monte Urgull guards the east end with an old fort, and Monte Igueldo, at the west end, has a funicular and a viewpoint. The Parte Vieja, the old town, was rebuilt after the fire of 1813 and is packed with bars and a baroque basilica.
Top-ranked sights in San Sebastián: San Sebastian Old Town (Parte Vieja Donostiarra), La Concha Beach (Playa de la Concha), Constitution Square (Plaza de la Constitución).
Special offers in San Sebastián
Was/now prices come from the operator, never from us.
