Get your bearings in Bilbao on a city orientation and see the Guggenheim Museum’s sculptural exterior beside the Nervión estuary. Its flowing, titanium-clad form has become one of the city’s most recognisable sights.

Bilbao’s riverside reflects its transformation from an industrial port into a centre for contemporary culture. Seeing the museum in its urban setting offers an introduction to that change; admission to the museum is not specified as part of this experience.

Explore central Bordeaux with your Travel Director, seeing the Opéra National de Bordeaux, expansive Place des Quinconces and its Monument aux Girondins. Walk beside the Garonne to Place de la Bourse, where the city’s grand stone facades face the river.

Bordeaux’s eighteenth-century streets reflect the wealth and ambition of a port shaped by trade. This orientation gives you a closer look at its architectural heritage and riverside setting.

Meet your Travel Director and fellow small group travellers over a welcome dinner in Bordeaux. Share your first meal together and get a taste of the cuisine of southwest France.

Food is central to life in this wine-growing region, from market produce to long-established culinary traditions. The dinner offers a relaxed setting for conversation and introductions before the group sets out to explore the French Atlantic coast and the Basque Country.

Browse Libourne’s Sunday market in the heart of this Dordogne-side bastide town. Stalls bring together seasonal produce, cheeses, charcuterie and regional specialities, offering a close-up view of how local people shop and eat.

The market is also a social gathering place, with neighbours meeting around the main square. Take in the colours, aromas and conversation while discovering the everyday food culture of the Bordeaux region.

Explore UNESCO-listed Saint-Émilion, a historic village set among some of Bordeaux’s best-known vineyards. Wander its narrow lanes, stone-built squares, wine shops and cafés, with views across the surrounding vine-covered landscape.

Winegrowing has shaped Saint-Émilion for centuries, but its appeal extends beyond the cellars: the village’s steep streets and old buildings reveal a distinctive rural heritage. There is time to experience its atmosphere at your own pace; a wine tasting is not specified as part of this visit.

Visit the Dune du Pilat, Europe’s highest sand dune, on the Atlantic coast near Arcachon. Climb the sand for wide views over the Bassin d’Arcachon, the ocean and the pine forests of Les Landes.

Shaped continually by wind and tides, the dune rises beside a striking meeting of sea, sandbank and woodland. From its crest, look towards the Banc d’Arguin and Cap Ferret and take in the scale of this changing coastal landscape.

Discover Arcachon’s waterfront on the sheltered Bassin d’Arcachon. Spend time walking the promenade or jetty, watching boats cross the water and taking in the town’s beachside atmosphere.

Arcachon is closely tied to oyster farming, a defining tradition of the basin. Its seafront makes an inviting place to observe daily life on the coast; if you choose to try local oysters, they are a personal purchase rather than an included tasting.

Get to know Biarritz with your Travel Director on an orientation of this French Basque seaside resort. See its lighthouse and take in your first views of the Atlantic coastline.

Once a fashionable nineteenth-century retreat, Biarritz still pairs elegant resort architecture with the energy of the open ocean. The orientation introduces its coastal setting and gives you a sense of the town before you explore its seafront more independently.

Explore Saint-Jean-de-Luz with your Travel Director, passing its market and historic streets. Taste a Maison Adam macaron, an almond biscuit associated with the town since the bakery’s beginnings in 1660, and visit the Church of Saint-Jean-Baptiste.

Inside the church, see its decorated interior and carved galleries. Louis XIV married Maria Theresa of Spain here in 1660, giving this Basque fishing town a prominent place in French royal history.

Discover Hondarribia’s historic centre on an orientation through its colourful streets. Look for painted balconies and traditional houses that give this Spanish Basque town its distinctive character.

Set near the mouth of the Bidasoa River, Hondarribia has long been shaped by its frontier location and coastal traditions. The introduction helps you find your bearings among the old town’s streets, with time to appreciate the local atmosphere at your own pace.

Walk through San Sebastián with a Local Specialist, taking in the city’s elegant centre and its celebrated bay. See how urban streets meet the waterfront around La Concha Bay, one of the defining sights of Spain’s northern coast.

Known in Basque as Donostia, the city combines seaside grandeur with a strong local identity. Your specialist-led walk provides an introduction to its layout, architecture and coastal setting.

Try pintxos in San Sebastián, where bar counters display small bites built around seafood, cured meats and seasonal produce. Move between establishments in the old town and discover how different bars put their own stamp on these Basque specialities.

Pintxos are as much a social tradition as a way to eat: choosing a bite, sharing conversation and moving on are all part of the experience. It is a flavourful introduction to the city’s food culture.

Walk part of the Camino del Norte between Zarautz and Getaria, following the coastal branch of the pilgrimage routes to Santiago de Compostela. Take in Bay of Biscay views, cliffs and vineyard-covered slopes along this Basque stretch.

Pilgrims have travelled northern Spain’s paths for centuries. This walk offers a direct encounter with that tradition and the landscape surrounding it, ending in a town where fishing and txakoli wine remain important to local life.

Meet a local fishing family in Getaria and learn how generations of knowledge shape the town’s seafood traditions. Watch them prepare and grill the day’s catch, then share seafood and txakoli wine while hearing stories of life on the Cantabrian coast.

Getaria’s harbour connects the town closely to the sea, while nearby vineyards produce its characteristic crisp white wine. This hosted meal brings both traditions together through the people who keep them alive.

Take in the flysch cliffs of Zumaia, where long bands of layered rock meet the Bay of Biscay. The coastal views reveal striking lines of stone, sea and shoreline along this stretch of the Basque coast.

These exposed rock layers record geological changes over millions of years, making the cliffs distinctive as well as scenic. The visit is a chance to observe the coastline and appreciate the natural forces that have shaped it.

Explore Gernika with a Local Specialist and see the Assembly House and Tree of Gernika, enduring symbols of Basque self-government. Meet local elders whose stories preserve the town’s heritage and memory, with your specialist translating their perspectives.

Gernika’s bombing on 26 April 1937 inspired Picasso’s anti-war painting Guernica. Hearing about that history from local people gives this visit particular depth. This MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® experience supports sustainable communities and the preservation of cultural memory.

Browse La Ribera Market beside the estuary in Bilbao’s old town. Explore stalls selling fish, seafood, meat, fruit, vegetables and other staples of Basque cooking.

A working municipal market, La Ribera offers a vivid look at the ingredients behind the region’s food traditions. Its riverside location also connects everyday shopping with Bilbao’s historic commercial heart, making the visit rewarding whether you are drawn to local produce or the bustle of the market itself.

Gather for a farewell dinner in Bilbao with your fellow small group travellers. Share a meal and conversation in the city that concludes your journey through southwest France and northern Spain.

Bilbao’s food culture is deeply rooted in Basque ingredients and the pleasure of eating together. This included dinner provides a convivial setting to reflect on the coastal landscapes, historic towns and local encounters you have experienced as a group.

Ride the Petit Train de Biarritz for a different perspective on the French Basque resort, followed by dinner. The train offers a relaxed way to take in the town’s seaside setting and resort atmosphere.

Biarritz’s history as a fashionable Atlantic retreat gives its streets and waterfront a distinctive character. This Optional Experience combines sightseeing with an evening meal. It is available at additional cost and bookable on tour.

Ride the historic rack railway up La Rhune in the French Basque mountains. From the summit, take in wide views across the Basque Country, where mountain landscapes stretch towards the Atlantic coast.

The railway turns the ascent into part of the experience, offering a slower-paced way to appreciate the terrain. This Optional Experience is suited to travellers keen to see the region from above. It is available at additional cost and bookable on tour.

Trafalgar

• 8 Breakfast (B)
• 2 Dinner (D)
• 1 Lunch (L)
• 1 Farewell Dinner (FD)

• Deluxe coach travel
• Selected hotel dinners plus a locally hosted meal
• 4-star stays

• Libourne: Spend the morning at Libourne’s Sunday market, where you’ll browse cheeses, charcuterie, seasonal produce and regional specialities in the heart of the bastide. This is where locals come to shop for the week, stop for coffee, socialize in the main square.

• Saint-Émilion: Drive through the Dordogne to Saint-Émilion, a historic wine village surrounded by vineyards. Explore its narrow streets, stone buildings and small squares, browse wine shops, stop at a cafe and take in views over the surrounding vines.
• Dune de Pilat: Visit the Dune du Pilat, the highest sand dune in Europe, rising to around 101 m (331 ft). Climb to the top for views over the Bassin d’Arcachon, the Atlantic coastline and the pine forests of Les Landes, with the Banc d’Arguin and Cap Ferret out in the distance.
• Arcachon: Spend time in Arcachon, a classic seaside town on the Bassin d’Arcachon known for its broad waterfront and oyster culture. Walk the promenade, head out along the jetty or settle in for a plate of local oysters while boats move across the bay and enjoy the town’s beachside atmosphere.
• Saint-Jean-de-Luz: Taste the original macaron from Maison Adam, the bakery first established in 1660. Try the almond biscuit that has been part of the town’s story for centuries, still made to the same recipe that made it famous.
• Saint-Jean-de-Luz: Visit the Church of Saint-Jean-Baptiste, where Louis XIV married Maria Theresa of Spain in 1660. Inside, see the decorated interior, carved galleries and the setting for one of the town’s most important moments.
• Saint-Jean-de-Luz: Follow the Basque coastline to Saint-Jean-de-Luz, with Atlantic views along the way as you make your way to this fishing town.
• Bay of Biscay: Travel along the Bay of Biscay and follow the Basque coastline into Spain, passing coastal towns and Atlantic views along the route.
• Hondarrabia: Visit Hondarribia, a colourful Basque town just across the Spanish border, known for its old quarter, lively streets and strong local character. Explore its historic centre with its painted balconies and traditional houses, then use your free time to stop for Spanish coffee and pastries.
• San Sebastián: Try pintxos in San Sebastián, with small bites served across the old town featuring seafood, cured meats and local produce. Move between bars and sample different specialities, from counter classics to regional favourites. 
• Camino: Walk part of the Camino del Norte, the coastal branch of the pilgrimage route to Santiago de Compostela. On this stretch between Zarautz and Getaria, the path runs through a landscape of cliffs, sea views and vineyards, following a route that has drawn pilgrims across northern Spain for centuries.
• Visit Guernica, one of the most important symbols of Basque identity. See the Assembly House and the Tree of Guernica, long associated with Basque freedoms and self-government, then explore the town known around the world through Picasso’s Guernica, painted after the bombing of 26 April 1937.
• Bilbao: Head to La Ribera Market, set beside the estuary in Bilbao’s old town. Browse stalls selling fish, seafood, meat, fruit, vegetables and other Basque staples. Recognised by Guinness Book of Records in 1990 as the most complete municipal food market, it remains one of Bilbao’s best-known food spots.