A Vacation that Surpassed Expectations

Spain | Oct 5 - Oct 16, 2026

Overall, this was a wonderful vacation and please don’t take the superlatives in the following description lightly as they are all well deserved. To begin, the quality of the exhibits at the Altamira Museum was very high; the recreated cave itself, however, was a disappointment compared to other caves we’ve visited. We did, however, appreciate the authenticity of our experiences at the La Moneda Cave and the El Castillo Cave. Our guide in Santander, Daniel, was excellent and despite the poor weather made our time there very enjoyable. We were particularly impressed by the Centro Botin (designed by Renzo Piano) and the Paseo de Pereda. The history and insights provided by our guide, Nicolas, in the fishing village of Santona made that visit special as well. The tour of the Conservas Emilia anchovy & tuna processing plant gave us a unique window into the local economy and we enjoyed the tasting afterwards. Of course, the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao was fantastic and Sokorri was an excellent guide to both the museum and the city. The next day another lovely and well-informed guide, Susana, showed us the Itsas Museum of cultural and maritime history. She also went with us to the Casa de Juntas and Peace Museum in Guernica - which is a “Can’t Miss” experience. Our next knowledgeable guide, Alfonso, led us on a tour of San Sebastian’s Old Town and supplemented the visual interest with his deep understanding of local history. Both the San Telmo Museum and the Aquarium are also well worth a visit. Our final days were spent in French Basque Country and Etienne was, again, a most knowledgeable and considerate guide. We particularly enjoyed the time spent with him in Sare. In sum, while all of the places visited were memorable, the guides elevated the quality of the experience with their knowledge and congenial personalities. They were the embodied expression of the place and the culture which we appreciated very much. In addition, all the drivers were excellent and we felt very safe.

Activity Reviews

Private Museum & CityVisits

Bilbao

Private San Sebastián History & Culture Walk

San Sebastián

We enjoyed our time with Alfonso very much. It was lovely to meet him after working together to plan the trip.

Discovering Bizcay

Bilbao

Guided Bilbao Walk

Bilbao

San Telmo Museum & Aquarium

San Sebastián

Quality of Experience

There was something new and special to enjoy every day. We learned so much and each place was unique - never a dull moment.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

All the drivers were excellent, the cars were very comfortable and the guides were so nice and very well informed.

Transport

Comfortable cars, water provided, everyone was on time and made traveling very easy.

Private French Basque Day trip

San Sebastián

Quality of Experience

Beautiful countryside and Etienne was an excellent guide.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Etienne was very flexible and accommodated requests. He also took us to an excellent restaurant for lunch which we enjoyed very much.

Transport

Comfortable car with water and knowledgeable driver.

Visit Santander

Santillana del Mar

Daniel saved the day with his guided tour since the weather was quite bad. Despite the rain and the wind, we enjoyed walking around with him and learning about the city. Pilar was a pillar of strength since she had to drive through the hard rain yet she did a great job and we felt comfortable with her at the wheel.