Rioja Wineries and Laguardia Tour with Picnic from San Sebastian

Andy was professional, personable and extremely knowledgeable. We were picked up at our hotel in a luxury van and driven through the beautiful Basque countryside. Andy discussed points of interest and explained the history of the area as we traveled. Our guide was familiar with the best wineries of the region and was able to provide a VIP experience at each place due to his years of building relationships with the wineries and families that run them. Our group has traveled through many of the best wine regions of the world, and this tour is top of our list. Could not recommend Basque Tours more highly.

We spent a day travelling from Bilbao to Rioja Valley then to San Sebastian with Gorka. He was a true pleasure to be with from start to finish. He was incredibly knowledgable about all the regions we were visiting, shared some really good tips and insights and also a very good driver! Although the tour was expensive, it was on par with all the other tours that I considered. I would highly recommend this company and in particular request Gorka!

In May 2023, my wife and I went on three all day excursions with Basque Tours out of San Sebastian. Each tour was personally guided, and the guides were very informative and knowledgeable. The first tour was the Basque coastline from Bilbao to San Sebastian. Jon along with Ebon were our guides on this tour. The Basque coastline tour featured a mountainous coastline, withs stops at stunningly beautiful beaches and coastal towns. Especially enjoyed the visit to the fishing village of Getaria. The second tour was to the Rioja wine region, with Gurka as our guide. Rioja has great wines and is well worth the visit. We especially enjoyed our outdoor lunch in the vineyard next to a beautiful river. Our third and final tour was of Biaritz and the French Basque Coast. Gurka along with Ebon were our guides on this tour of these beautiful coastal towns and beaches. On this excursion we enjoyed the opportunity to shop in these towns. We also stopped in the town of Hondarribia and has some great pintxos for lunch. The octopus dish was the best octopus we have ever eaten. Afterwards, we toured the old part of Hondarribia which is located inside fortified walls with wonderful medieval buildings and gorgeous views. We finished the day’s trip with some wonderful mountaintop views looking to both the Pyrenees Mountain range and the Atlantic Ocean. Our Basque guides made each tour feel very special and we valued the history and knowledge they gave to us. We highly recommend using Basque Tours as your private tour guide for this region.

We had the most fantastic experience with Basque Tours & Jon's team in July 2022. We had originally booked with Jon in 2020 before the pandemic hit. Jon handled the situation professionally which ensured that we booked with him when we were able to visit Spain.

As avid wine drinkers and collectors, Jon was able to both secure the winery visits we desired and to suggest wineries that aligned with our interests.

We were picked up on-time the day of departure from San Sebastian by Juan.
While we were tired from the early start out of San Sebastian to Rioja, no one wanted to nap because we were so mesmerized by Juan's wealth of knowledge! We had 2 children with us (ages 5 & 6) and Juan was very accommodating to ensure their comfort. Throughout the day, he was super attentive and even leveraged his contacts to enable a quick surprise visit to Gomez Cruzado.

I can't wait to visit San Sebastian & La Rioja region again. Basque tours will definitely be who we choose to plan our custom excursions.

First holiday and wine tour since the pandemic and it was a great choice to wash away all that with some lovely wines from the Rioja region. Wonderful day with private tour for the three of us. Visited four wineries in Rioja country, as well as the historic town of La Guardia. Most of the wines and olive oil we tasted were good and we ended up purchasing quite a few. The guide was knowledgeable, passionate about wine and friendly. Would definitely recommend!

What a memorable day we spent touring the Rioja wine region. A private tour in a luxury minibus was a real treat. Our guide was very hospitable and put us at ease, picking us up right at our hotel door. We stopped for a quick coffee before visiting three wineries and having private tours and wine tasting in each one.

Once we passed into Rioja, the weather was stunning, very different from San Sebastian that morning. It was really heavenly. We enjoyed a relaxing lunch at a restaurant in Laguardia (our special request) and benefitted from our guide's knowledge of the local area and menu. We were lifted and laid like VIPs with no worries about parking or finding directions or the best place to eat.

We could never have done such a great day trip without the specialist knowledge of Basque Tours and although it was more expensive than we would normally pay, it was definitely worth it for the private service and for the special occasion.

A fantastic tour of local wineries, big and small. Andy, our guide for this day long excursion, is very knowledgeable and personable. He easily kept the conversation flowing because he's so well versed on many topics. Each winery was distinct in their offerings. Andy made sure to take us to some breathtaking photo ops between tastings. And our delicious lunch in Laguardia was memorable. Highly recommend Basque Tours. You will not be disappointed!

Our company of 4 took 2 day trips from San Sebastian with Andy of the Basque Tours. One was to Rioja for wine testing with absolutely delicious lunch. Another tour was to the French Basque Country including Bayonne, Biarritz and St Jean de Luz. Both tours were absolute delights and one of the highlights of our visit to San Sebastian. Andy is an exceptional tour guide who provided insight into the Basque history, culture, food and the national character. He is very knowledgeable, friendly, funny and really easy- going person. Thank you, Andy and the Basque Tours, for making these trips a very educational and memorable experience! We will definitely be back!

One of our highlights during our Spain travel! Jon was simply fantastic. He picked us up at our airbnb and then on to the easy ride to the Rioja wine region. We tasted great wines, met very nice people and had a lovely lunch by a river in one of the wineries. Do it!

This experience was an 11 out of 10!!! Our guide picked us up at 8:30am from our hotel, and let us snooze for the 2 hour drive to our first stop which we greatly appreciated. We then made stops at 3 different wineries giving us 3 very unique experiences and felt so special having private tastings for just our group of four. At the last stop, we got an extensive tour and ended with a delicious lunch on the vineyard with more wine. Our guide then took us to the old town of Laguardia which was the cutest town with amazing views. Speaking of, she drove us around to take in some other incredible views of interesting architecture. Overall we could not have asked for anything better out of this experience and would very highly recommend to anyone and everyone who enjoys wine, views, and great company.

Beautiful landscape coupled with a knowledgeable guide. Mia knows the area and vineyards. Highly recommended.

Fantastic day of wine tasting and an educational lesson about the valley. Our tour guide was great company and kept us engaged and entertained throughout the day. We would do it again!

We had an amazing day with Jon and Basque Tours! We had a large group of 17 but had a perfect experience! Our tour was customized to allow for all of the accommodations we requested which allowed us to enjoy so much lovely Rioja wine and also have a gorgeous picnic lunch in a beautiful winery. All of planning paid off as in addition to a comfortable ride, we had so many great discussions with the wine makers and Jon to learn more about the region. I cannot thank Jon and team enough for making our day amazing and our celebrations together even better! This was our second time booking with Basque tours and we will absolutely be back!

We were 4 couples traveling from the US to visit San Sebastián. Jon arranged 3 fabulous days for us;
Rioja Wine Tour and Laguardia
Bilbao, the Guggenheim Museum and Getaria
City tour and Pintxo Tour

Our first day, we went with Vicky, our guide to the Rioja Wine region where we visited 2 wineries. The visit to Marques de Murrieta was over the top. Our group has been on many wine tours, but this was like nothing we’ve ever seen. After a tour, we had arranged for a private lunch with 6 courses paired with our tasting of 6 wines. This was like a Michelin meal, with each course specially paired and presented. Incredible taste and presentation! They were very attentive to food allergies and special requests. Vicky also took us to Laguardia, this charming walled city. She gave us great historical insight and was able to convince a hotel owner to let us tour her wine cellar below the hotel. A great bonus!

Then on our second day, Vicky led us to Bilbao to tour the Guggenheim Museum. I am so glad we arranged for Basque Tours to take us. Vicky had a lot of background info about the exhibits and prepared for us to tour on our own for a couple of hours. We then headed to Getaria for possibly the freshest fish I’ve ever had at Elkano. Delicious!

Our last day we went with Lide to Zurriola Beach and La Concha. She gave us lots of good background about the region, especially the Basque influence, as she taught us some words and helped us understand the special culture.
We ended with a walking tour of the City Center and then went to 4 Pintxo bars for food and drinks. She selected 4 very unique bars, each with their own specialty. Clearly, she knew them all and could provide local suggestions.

It was especially nice to have local guides as they can give you such helpful background with culture and current events. Also, the vans used by Basque Tours are very new and clean. Our driver was excellent also.
Lastly, one of the best things was that the van had a microphone so that we could all hear the excellent commentary.
I highly recommend any and all of these tours.

Our guide Andy, did a great job looking after my wife and I. He was very knowledgeable, increasing our knowledge of wine from the La Rioja and Basque region
we immediately felt at ease and the conversation flowed all day
We visited 3 wineries ate in a wine cellar and saw some great views of the area

Would highly recommend using this company based on our experience

The tour company was extremely flexible, courteous and very friendly to deal with. I made my requests on what types of activities we wanted to do, and the company was very willing to help me tailor the experience to what we wanted. We even asked to customize the itinerary of the trip to include a winery that wasn't on their list, the company was very accommodating and helped us plan and schedule the visit. We also requested to visit the town of Laguardia instead of Logrono and was able to schedule that visit.
Andy was the tour guide that we had and he was extremely friendly and easy to work with. Super conversational and wonderful to enjoy the day with. Highly recommend this company!

Trip to San Sebastián was capped off by an incredible Basque Country tour with my guide, Andy! He was incredibly personable, knowledgeable and a whole lot of fun! I’ve been in the travel industry for over 25 years and this was hands down one of the best experiences I’ve had from the moment of inquiry, working with Jon on booking to the 8hrs of amazing Basque scenery, food and conversation. Thank you SO very much! HIGHLY recommend - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️!