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Jewels of Northern Spain Tour
Enticing Spain is beautiful, no matter what part of the country you’re exploring. This tour, however, concentrates on the lovely northern portion of the country, including exciting Barcelona, the seaside town of San Sebastian, and stunning Bilbao, where Gothic architecture mixes with some of the most spectacular contemporary-style structures in the country.
Spend your first two nights in San Sebastian, the gem of Basque Country, known for its local cuisine. This town on the northern coast offers golden sand beaches with crystal-clear turquoise water, museums, shopping, nightlife, and plenty of top-notch restaurants featuring the best in Basque cuisine including pintxos, similar to tapas. As a matter of fact, there is a huge concentration of Michelin-starred restaurants here and some of the chefs offer half-day cooking classes at the local Basque Culinary Center. Don’t forget to taste the local wine, Txakoli, a dry sparkling white vintage that goes perfectly with many local specialties.
Continue your trip in Bilbao, where you’ll remain for 2 nights. Bilbao is considered one of the most architecturally forward-thinking cities in Spain, known for its spectacularly contemporary buildings designed by the likes of Frank Gehry and other modern architects. Spend a full day exploring the city, including a few hours at the Gehry-designed Guggenheim Museum, a spectacular creation filled with a portion of the Guggenheim Foundation’s modern art collection. Explore the Old Town as well, which includes the spectacular gothic-style St. James Cathedral and the Church of San Anton as well as many other examples of early architecture. Admire Bilbao’s 17 bridges or relax in one of the city’s 18 lovely public parks.
Conclude your trip with a 3 night visit to Barcelona, one of the most popular tourist destinations in all of Europe. The land of Antoni Gaudi and the capital of Catalonia, Barcelona is located on the coast and blessed with a pleasant Mediterranean climate. This fabulous city boasts everything from basilicas to beaches and you’ll see many of them on your full-day private tour of the city. Marvel at the works of Gaudi when you visit the magnificent La Sagrada Familia Church, Casa Vicens, La Pedrera, and Casa Batlló. Explore the Gothic Quarter, stop for a visit to the National Museum of Art of Catalonia or Picasso Museum, and save time to test the sand at Sant Sebastia or Sommorostro Beach. During your free time, head to the Passeig de Gràcia where you’ll find shops offering wares by some of the world’s top designers.
Tour Overview
8 days featuring San Sebastian, Bilbao, and Barcelona
- Day 1 = Arrive in San Sebastian, afternoon at leisure
- Day 2 = Day at leisure in San Sebastian, optional cooking class
- Day 3 = Depart for Bilbao, afternoon at leisure
- Day 4 = Day at leisure in Bilbaog
- Day 5 = Depart for Barcelona, afternoon at leisure
- Day 6 = Full-day tour of Barcelona
- Day 7 = Day at leisure in Barcelona
- Day 8 = Depart for home
What We Offer
The Complete Package
Travel Insurance
Destination Europe has adopted the policy of always recommending travel insurance to protect your travel investment. Given recent world events, unexpected and unforeseen occurrences, we highly recommend travel insurance to all of our clients. Our insurance provider is Travelex.
Plan My TripAirfare
We can offer round trip international airfare from any city in the United States. Please note that we can only offer published fares and do not have the capabilities to hold specific fares or flights for longer than five days. Also, we do not offer airfare as a single item - it must be included with a travel package.
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Interested in including rail travel in your journey, we offer a wide range of rail passes, transportation cards, night train reservations, premier seat reservations, point-to-point tickets and more. Please contact us at info@destinationeuropeonline.com or fill our Travel Request form and provide the necessary information.
Plan My TripHotels
We work with a large range of hotels and properties all over Europe. Ranging from budget friendly hotels, to first class luxury hotels. We also work with select B&Bs and Inns, rentals, Villas, Castles, and unique style properties (think glamping, tents, ice hotel, etc). With our Virtuoso connections, additional amenities at select hotels are included.
Plan My TripExperiences
The experiences and activities that we build are endless. From private drivers and private guides, to small group experiences. City tours, day trips, boat charters, hot air balloons, food and wine, culinary experiences, hiking & biking, history tours, photography tours, garden and estate tours, and special occasions are just some of what we can offer.
Plan My TripRiver Cruises
Europe offers an array of River Cruise options from the Douro River in Portugal, to Normandy and the South of France along the Seine and Rhone Rivers, to Rhine and Danube Rivers meandering through the Netherlands, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Hungary, and Romania. We can help you navigate all options best suited for you or group.
Plan My TripWhat our customers say
We wanted to drop you a note to thank you for all your help with our recent vacation to Italy. It was simply a phenomenal trip! You put together a package which was exactly what we asked for ? organized activities coupled with ample free time to explore on our own, and smaller quaint (yet elegant) accommodations.
Anne & Tim
Rochester NH
Our trip to Paris and Provence was even better than we had imagined. Once again we gave you short notice, but you came through for us with flying colors. Everything, transportation, hotel accommodations, day tours were excellent. This was our second trip with you planning all of the details, truly amazing!