7-Day Private Bordeaux to San Sebastian Package: Culinary Coastline Escape

Pick up at Bordeaux Airport or Train Station. Transfer to your centrally located hotel and check in.

Enjoy some free time to discover the lively city of Bordeaux!

Bordeaux is classified "City of Art and History" and has been inscribed on UNESCO World Heritage List as "an outstanding urban and architectural ensemble".

It is home to one of Europe's biggest 18th century architectural urban areas and stands out as one of the first French cities to have entered an era of urbanism and metropolitan big scale projects, with the team Gabriel father and son, architects for King Louis XV, under the supervision of two Governors, first Nicolas-François Dupré de Saint-Maur then the Marquis de Tourny. 

Night at your hotel.

Breakfast at your hotel.

Discover our Bordeaux gourmet food walking tour

Follow one of our expert guides through the streets of Historical Bordeaux and taste some of the most delicious food and wines of the region. Departing from a centrally located meeting point, this private tour will begin by a short walk in the city center that will take you along the famous Place des Quinconces and through the narrow streets of the heart of the city.

The Cannelé of Bordeaux

Your food tour in Bordeaux includes a number of stops that will delight your taste buds. On your way to your first stop, you will have the pleasure to taste a cannelé, Bordeaux's most famous cake. In the 16th century, to filter the wine, egg white was used by the winemakers to obtain a wine with less particles.

The egg yolk, not needed for this process, was given to the nuns of the Annonciades Convent who would also obtain wheat and rhum on the docks of Bordeaux. With these ingredients, they created cakes that were given to the poor or needy. The cakes did not look like the one's you will taste on your food tour. It wasn't until the early 1900's that the cake will take this typical shape that we know today, completely redesigned by a Bordeaux Pastry Chef.

Basque Country Cured Meats & Delicacies

Your goumet tour will include Basque specialties. Located just a mear 2 hours south of Bordeaux, the Basque country is home to many delicacies including its cured meats. In this local shop popular with locals you will taste products that respect tradition, seasons, nature one of the most famous being the Kintoa PDO ham & meats. The ham is cured for 16 to 18 months and produces a dark red marbled meat. 

The Basque country is also famous for being one of the most important chocolate destination in France. The first traces of hot chocolate served in France is mentioned in the town of Bayonne where the cocoa first arrived in the 17th century. Since 1895, the Pariès Family excels in Chocolate making and is today recognized as one of the most famous chocolate makers of France. The most famous products of this Chocolate Maker include the Mouchou and the Kanouga which you can taste on your tour today depending on the itinerary you plan with your guide.

The Dunes Blanches

Taste one of the most delicious deserts that can be found in Bordeaux, the Dunes Blanches. Dune Blanche is a delicious little crispy chou bun topped with a cream as light as a cloud. This lovingly garnished chou bun is a concentrate of happiness. Legend has it that the son of a famous baker of Cap Ferret, coming home after a long night out, mixes a Chouquette (sugar puffs) with a very light cream, secret of the family. The Dunes Blanches were born!

Food & Wine Pairing

It would be impossible to follow a Bordeaux Gourmet Tour without including local Bordeaux wines and what pairs the best with it: cheese or chocolate. Depending on the time of the day and your desires, the tasting will be salty or sweet. The goal here, is to have you experience simple pairings that you will be able to reproduce at home. On this stop it will be all about food & wine pairing !

After your morning tour, enjoy some free time for personal discovery and lunch (at own expense).

Afternoon private Médoc Wine Tour

Venture along the famous castle road, where prestigious Grands Crus Classés wineries await. Our meticulous selection process ensures that you visit two wine estates classified as Grand Cru, classified growth Château, or cru bourgeois estates.

Gain valuable insights into the rich history and winemaking techniques as you explore these esteemed wineries. Engage in commented wine tastings and immerse yourself in the flavors of exquisite cabernet sauvignon wines. 

Indulge in the Delightful Tastes of Bordeaux Wines - Margaux and Haut Medoc

Immerse yourself in the delightful tastes of Bordeaux wines as you explore the Margaux and Haut Medoc regions. Margaux wines, with their distinctive fragrant profiles, owe their unique flavors to the gravel-rich soil of the vineyards. The deep-rooted plants produce robust flavors, providing an extraordinary sensory experience. 

In the vast Haut Medoc appellation, you'll encounter nearly 400 wine producers, each offering a wide variety of textures and flavors. Allow yourself to be enchanted by the exquisite perfumed French wines produced in this region.

After the tour, return to Bordeaux. Night at your hotel.

Breakfast at your hotel.

Explore the Iconic Saint-Emilion Wine Region

Travel to the heart of the UNESCO-listed Saint-Emilion region. Famous for its stunning landscapes, medieval architecture, and world-renowned Grand Cru wines, this region is a highlight for any wine lover. 

During your visit to a prestigious Saint-Emilion Grand Cru winery, indulge in a guided tour of the vineyard and wine cellars. Taste exquisite wines that showcase the region’s exceptional winemaking techniques, with flavors shaped by centuries-old traditions and the unique limestone soils of the area.

After your winery visit, enjoy some free time to wander the charming streets of Saint-Emilion, taking in its historic atmosphere and breathtaking views over the vineyards.

Time for lunch (at own expense) in the charming village of Saint-Emilion.

Visit the Underground monuments of Saint-Emilion with your guide

Descend beneath the cobblestones of Saint-Émilion with your private guide and step into a silent world carved from limestone nearly eight centuries ago. Slip through discreet doorways into the Monolithic Church’s vaulted nave—Europe’s largest underground church—where soaring pillars and faint medieval frescoes still echo with Gregorian chants.

Further along the cool, mineral-scented tunnels, you’ll discover the catacombs, the Trinity Chapel’s hermitage, and the original quarries that yielded the golden stone for the village above. Your guide will share stories of pilgrims, monks, and winemakers who once sought refuge in these shadowed galleries, turning the visit into an intimate journey through time, faith, and terroir.

Final wine tasting session

After emerging into sunlight, stroll a few cobbled lanes to a family-run winery whose cellars lie in the very limestone you just explored. In the cool barrel room, your host greets you with a smile and glasses of Saint-Émilion Grand Cru—each pour revealing how the same stone that shaped the underground monuments now shapes the wine’s silky tannins and mineral edge.

With the château’s stone walls still humming from centuries of history, you’ll swirl, sip, and compare cuvées while your guide links the subterranean terroir to the flavors in your glass, turning the day’s journey from sacred shadows into liquid gold.

After the tasting, it will be time to make our way back to Bordeaux.

Night at your hotel.

Breakfast at your hotel.

This morning, your driver guide will come and pick you up at your hotel. Check out from your hotel.

Step across the invisible line where France melts into Spain and discover two cultures united by an obsession with flavour. Your day begins the moment you sink into the seat of your chauffeured car and watch the Aquitaine countryside roll past like a vintage film. Ahead lies a carefully woven narrative of taste—salt, cocoa, sea spray and oak-aged cider.

Along the way, stop in Bayonne or Biarritz acoording to your preference

A Whiff of Bayonne

Visit Bayonne, where russet-timbered houses lean over narrow lanes and the twin spires of Sainte-Marie rise like exclamation points above the Nive. Inside the cathedral the hush is cool and ancient, while outside the market hall spills its colours and gossip onto the cobbles, inviting a slow wander past strings of scarlet Espelette peppers and the soft laughter of Saturday shoppers.

The Belle-Époque Breeze of Biarritz

Prefer the ocean? Ask your driver to angle toward the Atlantic. A quick detour onto the Grande Plage puts you at a tiny counter overlooking the surf for a contrasting bite—perhaps a sliver of rosy ham or a single-origin truffle—while gulls wheel overhead and the lighthouse blinks its lazy hello. 

Follow the sea wall to the Rocher de la Vierge, the wind tugging at your coat as you cross the iron footbridge, and let the whole sweep of the Basque coast unfurl beneath you—green headlands to the north, distant Spanish peaks to the south.

Free time for personal discovery and lunch (at own expense) in Bayonne or Biarritz

Afternoon, drive to San Sebastian. Early evening Pintxo Tour.

Leave the French Basque country and drive towards San Sebastian. The border soon dissolves and you’re in Spain’s culinary capital. 

Arrive in San Sebastian and check-in at your hotel. In the early evening, participate in a private Pintxo Tour. Surrender your senses to the city's best-kept tables on an intimate pintxo and wine odyssey.

Slip past the tourist trail with a local insider, grazing on miniature masterpieces—salt-kissed anchovy, smoky charcoal octopus, silky Idiazábal—while glasses of txakoli, Basque cider and velvety Rioja appear at just the right moment. This is not a meal; it’s a keyhole into the city’s soul, opening one bite and one story at a time.

Night at your hotel.

Breakfast at your hotel.

Visit the Market with your local guide

Dawn peels open the market like a jeweller’s velvet box. Under the vaulted iron roof of San Sebastián’s central market, you’ll wander among stalls where the first tomatoes of summer still hold the morning sun and the fish glisten like newly minted coins.

Farmers slip whisper-thin slices of chorizo into your hand while they tell you which peppers sing the loudest this week. You choose, you haggle gently, you taste: a blistered padrón here, a spoonful of raw sea-urchin roe there, the scent of basil rising like perfume above the crates.

Participate in a Lunch at a Gastronomic Club

Armed with canvas bags heavy with treasure, you slip through an unmarked door into one of the city’s legendary gastronomic clubs—kitchens normally closed to outsiders, now flung open for you alone.

Aprons are handed out like passports; wine is poured before the cork has time to breathe. Someone hands you a knife, someone else a joke, and together you begin: blistering peppers over open flame, slicing monkfish so fresh it still tastes of the tide, folding emerald-green asparagus into the silkiest scramble of eggs you’ve ever met.

Each bite is the market come alive again—only now it’s wrapped in laughter, drizzled with local txakoli, and served on plates still warm from generations of use. By the time the last almond cake is shared and the final toast is raised, you’ll realise you haven’t just eaten lunch; you’ve been initiated into the heartbeat of the Basque Country.

After lunch, free time to explore San Sebastian on your own.

- Lose track of time in the Parte Vieja, weaving between bar-front counters piled with gilded croquettes and charcoal-seared octopus.

- Trace the gentle curve of La Concha promenade at sunset, when the bay turns molten gold.

- Climb (or take the funicular) to Monte Urgull for sweeping views of the city, the river mouth and the distant peaks of Gipuzkoa.

- End the evening on Plaza de la Constitución, where locals spill onto the steps beneath the old numbered balconies, clinking glasses and sharing stories late into the night.

Night at your hotel.

Breakfast at your hotel.

Depart for the Rioja Wine Region -  Haro’s Train-Station Quarter

Begin in the brick-and-stone streets that gave Rioja its global reputation. Step inside a boutique bodega where 19th-century cellars still store barrels of Gran Reserva, then walk straight onto the production floor to see how stainless-steel tanks and optical sorters now keep those traditions sharp.

Your guide explains the choices—why Tempranillo here, why Graciano there—and you taste the proof: a vertical flight that moves from bright, mineral-driven Crianza to a dark, spicy Gran Reserva that’s been waiting ten years for this pour.

Two More Wineries, Three or Four Wines Each

Back on the road, the valley narrows and the landscape shifts from alluvial plain to limestone ridge. Stop at a second, family-run cellar carved into a hillside; here the wines are leaner, more acidic, built for long aging.

Glasses arrive without ceremony—just 90-plus Parker bottles lined up on a simple bar. Round three is a contrast again: a modern garage project experimenting with concrete eggs and amphorae. Same grape, three philosophies, zero filler.

Vineyard Table or Village Kitchen

If the last winery has its act together (and it usually does), you’ll sit under a pergola among the vines for a no-nonsense spread: jamón, Idiazábal, blistered piquillo peppers, and a hot dish straight off the plancha, all matched with the house wine.

If the kitchen’s closed, five minutes down the road a local tavern fires up a three-course Riojan lunch—same wines, same zero-waste policy on your glass.

Medieval Village Stop

Before the drive back, stretch your legs in a medieval village — Laguardia, Briones, or Labastida. Stone walls, underground wine caves, and a quick photo stop outside the Frank-Gehry-roofed Marqués de Riscal or the titanium waves of Ysios. Snap, sip, done.

You’ll roll into your hotel late afternoon with a clear map of Rioja styles, six-plus wines tasted, one solid lunch, and the kind of straightforward insight that textbook tasting notes can’t deliver.

After the visit, it will be time to make our way back to San Sebastian.

Night at your hotel.

Breakfast at your hotel. Check-out in the morning and end of our services.