We had the most wonderful three-week trip to Spain this summer and I want to acknowledge right away that this trip report is way overdue!

We were there in July and covered a lot of ground — the first two weeks with friends in the Basque region (Bilbao and San Sebastián were our bases) and Madrid, and then my husband and I were in Malaga and Sevilla for a week. All of us are in our 60s, and relatively fit, so we walked and ate our way through beautiful España. As expected, it was brutally hot in Andalusia. Unexpectedly, not every place was jammed with tourists. In fact, Seville was almost deserted! All in all, we had an amazing time.

Before I go any further, let me say that the trip could not have been as wonderful without the guidance from so many. A special and huge thanks to mikelg and Maribel for their advice and many suggestions on restaurant and must-see places, all of them excellent.

Rather than describing every day of a long trip in detail, I will attempt to provide a quick overview. Actually, it has turned out to be a long report!

An adventurous beginning:

We flew non-stop to Madrid from Chicago on Iberia. The service and even the food was surprisingly good. We landed in Terminal 4 and our flight to Bilbao was from Terminal 2. Much to our consternation we found out that the two terminals are not connected — we had to take many escalators to a people mover train, and thought it would lead to Terminal 2, but it only took us to the exit for Terminal 4 and we then had to take an airport bus to Terminal 2. Even though we had 2 hours between flights it was a nail-biting time. We made it to our Air Europa flight with minutes to spare.

Bilbao: 3 nights

We reached Bilbao around noon and picked up our rental car at the airport from Budget and drove to our apartment in Old Town. Parking was ten minutes away, at the Arenal garage. We were glad to have chosen an economy-sized car because the parking spots, as across Europe, were very tight. We marveled at drivers backing their larger cars into their parking spaces with fluid ease! Years of practice, I assume.

We really enjoyed Bilbao even though it was overcast most of time. The small winding streets, the squares full of cafes brimming with people enjoying a drink, and the great architecture made me happy to be back in Spain.


Heart of Old Town

The new and the old, Bilbao



The cafe and the cathedral, Bilbao

Here are a few Bilbao highlights:

• Walking the city: this is an immensely walkable city and we loved discovering little parks, waterfronts and bridges on foot.
• The Guggenheim: What an amazing museum! The huge “puppy” Jeff Koons installation outside the building, Frank Gehry’s architecture and the modern art displayed thoughtfully across multiple rooms had us riveted for more than five hours. I appreciated discovering artists like Yoshitomo Nara and Eduardo Chillida, seeing the works of Basquiat and Lichtenstein among other provocative masters, and exploring the immense maze-like steel installations by Richard Serra.

The Guggenheim’s grey expanse

Puppy!

Nara’s children


Mazes, Richard SerraRestaurants:

My friend had a bit of a health issue so we were limited in how far we could walk for meals. But we had some memorable ones!

• Cafe Iruna: After the Guggenheim we walked to this restaurant for a late lunch. The festival of San Fermin had already begun in Pamplona and many of the patrons had a festive red beret and a red scarf on. The restaurant is beautifully lined with century-old tiles. We could only get a few tapas given the late hour, but the food was good and the value even better — 4 tapas, a wine, a beer, and a coffee for $16!
• Foodoo: this was a great find very close to our apartment. The small cafe is modern and served amazing food and the best cappuccino I have had in a long time.
• Los Fueros: the oldest running restaurant in Bilbao was absolutely wonderful. Thanks again to Maribel and mikelg for the recommendation. The space is small and was full — I am glad we had a reservation.
  
  Beetroot carpaccio and razor clams, Los Fueros
  
  
  Succulent shrimp
  
  
  We had razor clams, beetroot carpaccio, Russian salad, tomato bread, shrimp, and the most divine dessert — buttered bread soaked in milk and sugar and then grilled and baked.

And just sipping wine at a cafe in the shadow of the Cathedral of Saint James and gazing at its majesty made me joyful. You don’t need much to create memorable moments in Spain!

I’m in for the ride!

What an amazing trip through Spain! Your journey sounds like such a great mix of experiences, with each stop offering something unique. The Madrid airport adventure definitely had me smiling—European terminals can be challenging!

Bilbao’s Old Town seems charming, with its lively squares and beautiful architecture. And Seville, almost empty in July? That must have been a pleasant surprise.

By the Way, Where did you stay during your time in Spain? Any favorite accommodations you'd recommend?

Thanks for your pictures of my hometown, we do have a beautiful (and yet, quite unknown for many) old quarter, Bilbao has much more than just the Guggenheim. Just one point, it´s not "tapas" here, they are a different concept, it´s "pintxos" and it´s just another world...

Thanks everyone for reading along! The next installment coming soon!
margaretjones — we stayed in apartments in Bilbao, San Sebastián and Madrid. I booked them through Booking.com and Airbnb. It made more sense since we were 2 couples. In Andalusia we stayed in hotels. Watch this space for more!

mikelg — thanks for all your help again as we planned our trip. I am embarrassed I called pintxos tapas, especially after eating so many in Bilbao and San Sebastián. I will endeavor to correct my post! And yes, there is more to Bilbao than the Guggenheim for sure. But since we had just one day there, we wandered the city and the museum. Definitely would have loved to stay longer!

joannyc — glad you are on board for the ride!

A day trip to Rioja

It was an easy one-hour drive from Bilbao to Haro, at the mouth of the Rioja region. The terrain went from green to red as we drove to our first stop — the Muga winery. I had purchased tickets for the 10 a.m. wine tour in advance but other folks trickled in and bought them on the spot.

The winery is a marvelous blend of tradition and new technology, and we were amused to see the simple contraption they use to break hundreds of eggs by hand during season to lace the maturing wine with a filter of egg whites. The yolks? They are perfect for rich Spanish desserts like flan!


Aged wooden wine barrels. Muga.


Sampling the wine

Muga is the only winery in the area to make their own oak barrels and the tour included a look at their cooperage. We were fascinated by how long and difficult the process is for crafting a barrel: buying the oak at auctions in France, US and now Hungary is highly competitive and then drying and weathering it takes years. The wines we tasted at the end of the tour were spectacular and our tour guide gave us unlimited samples. We even got to say hello to the private winery’s owner!


At the cooperage

Muga is in the famed Barrio de la Estación, where several other historic wineries are located, and we wandered into a few. Perhaps it was too early in the day but the area was absolutely dead and in any case, after the generous pours at Muga we did not need more wine.



More wine and wineries, Barrio de la Estación.


The heart of Haro



So after soaking up the atmosphere for a while, we drove into the heart of Haro for lunch at Alboroque. Thanks again Maribel for a great recommendation — I did tell Laura you sent us!

The tiny restaurant was empty when we arrived at opening time, but filled up after a while and soon Laura was turning folks away. Laura single-handedly served guests while her husband cooked, and she never faltered. We had cod croquettes, mushrooms and truffles risotto, beef carpaccio, and Iberian steak. The star of the meal was oxtail, a meat I tasted for the first time. It was tender and so flavorful in its wine sauce.


Oxtail in a red wine sauce


Croquettes


Carpaccio

After the very leisurely lunch we drove to Laguardia. Thanks to guidance frommikelg and Maribel I had reserved spots at 4 pm to see the church of Santa María de los Reyes and its polychrome portico. The arch of the portico is carved in stone with stunningly painted sculptures of Mary and the disciples.

The paint is very well preserved because the portico has been sheltered for centuries, and its vividness is breathtaking. You need an advance reservation to attend the 15-minute talk and again, we saw a few people being turned away.


The stunning portico


The cute town clock strikes the hour, Laguardia


Narrow, deserted streets, Laguardia


The town with its stone walls.

From here it was a mad dash through quaint streets to our 5 p.m. reservation at Casa Primicia, another recommendation from Maribel and mikelg. The winery, the oldest building in Laguardia, has centuries-old cellars and huge stone tanks used by monks to make wine. Wine skins hung in the now-empty tanks, a reminder of how wine was toted from door to door to be sold by the liter. What a complete contrast to Muga!


Wine skins, Casa Primicia


Ancient cellars, Casa Primicia

Tanks the monks used for winemaking. Casa Primicia


Lush landscape


A way to enter Laguardia


Here’s to wine! Mural, Laguardia

Almost every house in Laguardia has a cellar — an escape route for the King of Navarre when needed to flee enemies. The walled town is replete with history — and wine!

On our way back to Bilbao, we stopped to see the winery designed by Salvatore Calatrava, Bodegas Ysios, from the outside. The undulating roof, resembling wine bottles, is in harmony with its surroundings. On the other hand, seen from a distance, Marques de Riscal, the Frank Gehry-designed winery, seemed like a purple spaceship nestled among sedate buildings. Narrow one-way streets, some wrong turns and then a blinding rain compelled us to give up getting any closer to the winery, and head back to Bilbao instead.


Bodegas Ysios

We only had a tiny taste of the Rioja region, and of Bilbao. If we had more time, we would have loved to stay in this fertile area for a lot longer.

Loving your TR! I really enjoyed spending a couple of nights each in Haro and Laguardia and driving around the area.

Beautiful pictures, and thanks for sharing them! As a side note, Ysios (which takes its name from Ysis and Osiris, the Egiptian deities, something found quite strange by Rioja dwellers...) had lots of issues with water infiltration and damaged barrels. Another of the many faulty developments by Santiago Calatrava (among others, Zubizuri bridge in Bilbao...and also the airport, but that´s another story). Marqués de Riscal is built in a semi-hidden manner and it´s quite complicated to see it from a distance, and they do not let you get close to its entrance if you are not a guest of the hotel, so you did not have many chances of seeing it, really. Rioja (not to be mistaken with La Rioja) offers many attractions (prehistoric settlements, dolmens, walled towns...), not only wine, but even if you are a wine connoisseur you probably have not seen the centuries-old wine cellars that are so commonly found in Rioja.

Fascinating report, thanks.

joannyc and Adelaidean thanks for following along. mikelg I had read about the issues surrounding the Zubizuri bridge and experienced one first hand. When we walked across the bridge it was raining and the bridge was slippery. They had put down a matting on the surface to prevent falls but if you were not on it, you could easily slip. Such a shame — both the bridge and the winery are such pretty structures, but clearly with challenges.

San Sebastián: 5 days

What a slice of heaven! We rented a very nice two-bed 2-bath apartment through Booking.com on Urbieta Kalea, a 4-minute walk to a parking lot, 10 minutes to Concha beach, 15 minutes to Old Town, next door to a bakery and Carrefour, and a plaza packed with cafes. This was to be our base as we explored this beautiful city and also for several day trips.

It was busier here than in Bilbao but not oppressively so. The sea breeze cooled the city and walking was a pleasure, especially in the evening. And the food!!

Restaurant highlights

— Rekondo was absolutely superb. Perched high over the city, with views of Concha beach, the vine-lined porch looked like a movie set. And the food, the service and the ambiance were just top notch.



The view from Rekondo and a pretty Salmorejo

We had Salmorejo, a cold tomato soup, and grilled shrimp for appetizers. As in Los Fueros, the shrimp were large and sweet, and the soup a specialty of the region. For my main I had crab baked in a butter and tomato sauce — the waitress said it was a rich dish but she would take it back if I did not like it. I licked the shell clean! My husband had the hake and our friends had the tuna and a salad. All loved their choices. We ended the meal by splitting canutillo pastries — puff pastry horns filled with rich cream with a dollop of iecream. All this, plus a bottle of wine and beer was about $170 per couple. A steal when compared to American prices!

Ganbarra: it took us two tries to get into this pintxos temple. The first night, because we went 30 minutes after they opened, the line snaked for a few blocks and the wait was more than an hour. We gave up and went to Tamboril instead. This Michelin-recommended eatery was crowded and just okay. The next night we came a few minutes before Ganbarra opened and the wait was “only” 15 minutes. We had a host of pintxos, including their famed mushroom carpaccio and this Michelin-starred eatery did not disappoint.

La Vina: we stopped here for lunch and had wonderful pintxos including a Russian salad with tuna and padrone peppers, ending with their famed cheesecake. It was soft as a cloud and deceptively light — after a few bites you feel it settling down in your stomach like cement.


Mushrooms, Ganbarra



Time for cider!

We also sampled pintxos at several other places that I would recommend — Cuchara de San Telmo, Bar Sport, La Espiga, and Casa Valles, to name a few. Creative, fresh pintxos everywhere, and every bite was an adventure!


A Sampling of Sights

The Beach!Concha beach was full of happy tourist, local families, and a few artists creating elaborate sand designs. It was absolutely fabulous to swim in the warm water, with mountains, villas and yachts lacing the bay.




There were clean restrooms and showers along the beach, and on the promenade a young man was singing Clapton’s ‘Wonderful Tonight.’ A few steps away a flamenco troupe was performing. The afternoon is one of my happiest memories from the trip!

San Telmo Museum: We enjoyed the museum very much. The history and artifacts of the Basque people, the massive black and gold murals by Josep Sert, the 16th century cloisters, and a special exhibition of Chillida’s works, again introduced me to different artists. Afterwards a climb up Monte Urgull afforded panoramic views of the city’s glamorous beach and old town.


Huge paintings by Sert, San Telmo Museum


Cloisters, San Telmo Museum


Glorious views from Monte Urgull

Churches: We love ducking into churches and stumbled across San Vincent near the San Telmo museum.

The Buen Pastor Cathedral



The Buen Pastor Cathedral, closer to our apartment, is a city highlight. Both the Gothic churches were beautiful, replete with history, stained glass, art and flying buttresses.


Nightfall, San Sebastián


City Hall at dusk

Day trips from San Sebastián:

Pamplona

We had signed up with Ikusnahi Tours to take us to Pamplona to experience the Festival of San Fermin. Seeing the Running of the Bulls had been on my friend’s bucket list for years, and was the only reason we visited Spain in the high, hot season. Sorry I missed meeting you there, Maribel

A driver picked us up at 5.30 am at our apartment and we were in Pamplona an hour later. The city was still drowsy and some young revelers lay on benches in its central square, sleeping off the effects of the previous night. I had read how dirty the center could be because of the non-stop partying that week but it was surprisingly clean — crews with big machines were regularly washing the streets, first-aid booths and port-a-potties were set up in neat rows.

Our guide took us to our spot — a balcony on the third floor of a building with a clear view of the action. Soon the atmosphere turned festive as folks in white outfits and red scarves lined the streets and filled the balconies along the route. Barricades were put up. Our hosts offered a breakfast of rubbery Spanish omelette and strong coffee. The runners below us were warming up.


Clean streets, sleepy people. Pamplona


The first run


The second run

The first run — without any bulls — was by a wave of amateurs whose only intention was to get free entry to the bullring by participating. Our guide encouraged us to boo them, as is the tradition.

The serious run started at 8 a.m. and in less than two minutes it was over — the bulls thundered down the cobbled street below us, men ran ragged as they dodged horns and hoofs, some followed them, and one person was injured, though not seriously. To be honest, it was fun but also a bit of a blur. Our hosts watched the whole run on TV. And we joined them to see the reruns while catching our breath from all the excitement.


The venerable cafe


Party, Pamplona



The bullring


The bulls

Afterwards, our guide took us to Cafe Iruna, once frequented by Hemingway. Some of the characters in his 1926 novel “The Sun Also Rises” met here each day and the novel put Pamplona and the festival on the map. Only the main room of the cafe and the patio was open for business and was pleasantly busy. We easily found a table in the sun and tried pacharan, a spirit made with anise and sloe berries. The tour included a wander across town, which was full of revelry, and a look at the where the bulls start and end the run. The bullring was already filling up with eager spectators and the amateur runners for the fight later that day.

We were back in San Sebastián by noon.

You probably already know, Iruña is the Basque name of Pamplona.

What a lovely report with wonderful photos!

I love the sleepy people on the clean streets photo!!

I've never been to Rioja but I know now I need to go, soon!

Thank you!

Also, Mikelg, I never knew that Irina was the name of Pamplona so thank you as well!!

There are so many good photos on the thread. I know many of these places and been to cafe Iruña in Pamplona a few times. If the photo is of the second bullrun it must have been the Cebada Gago bullranch run.

Sorry: Iruna, with accent mark above the ¨n.¨

Hi mikelg — Our guide did tell us that Iruña is the Basque name for Pamplona. But thanks for the reminder.

ekscrunchy I am happy you liked the sleepy people and are inspired to visit Rioja! Your suggestions about Seville restaurant were great and we visited a couple of them (coming up in this thread!)

Northcoast glad you liked the photos and are following along!

Day trips from San Sebastián:

French Basque towns

Our day trip to Bayonne, St. Jean de Luz and Hondarribia showed us what summer tourism really means. All the three towns were charming but packed to the gills. We spent countless minutes circling parking lots to find a place to park in all the towns but were rewarded by visiting the magnificent cathedral in Bayonne, walking the promenade at St Jean de Luz, and seeing the gothic church where Louis XIV wed the infanta Marie Teresa in 1660.


The magnificent Bayonne Cathedral


Packed beach, St Jean de Luz


Church altar, St Jean the Luz

But road closures and summer traffic made driving and parking hellacious. We did stop at Hondarribia on our way back but by then we were wilted by the heat and can’t say we fully appreciated the quaint town or its beach. Not one of our most successful travel days.

Lourdes

My husband has been wanting to see the Sanctuary of our Lady of Lourdes for years and since it was only a 2.5-hour drive from San Sebastián, we decided to make the journey. This was the day after our foray into the overcrowded French Basque towns so we braced for large crowds but were very pleasantly surprised.

It was a beautiful sunny day, not terribly hot, and the drive was pretty, along well marked roads. The parking near the main church complex was plentiful. Our parking spot was just a 10-minute walk across the bridge and through a gauntlet of trinket stores to the sanctuary. There were many pilgrims, of course, but the site is so huge that there was never a crowd anywhere. Volunteers from many countries were there to guide and help at every step.

The enormous sanctuary, with its three basilicas and the small grotto of Massabielle where the apparitions occured, was moving and stunning in equal measure, especially the mosaics that depicted the annunciation, Christ’s crucifixion and ascension. A Canadian lady, one of the millions that visit the site every year, told me she comes here on an annual pilgrimage, and stays a few days to attend the morning and evening processions that take place.


The Sanctuary, Lourdes


The golden cross


The Sanctuary interior


The intricate and moving mosaics


A full view of the Sanctuary

The famous baths, where pilgrims could immerse themselves in the water springing from the grotto in hopes of a cure, have been closed since COVID. Instead, we lined up at taps by the grotto and drank the water. Many pilgrims were filling large plastic containers to take home. We then joined the short line to walk through the grotto itself. We also climbed the small hill next to the complex to see the sombre life-sized wooden statues detailing Christ’s walk with the cross on the way to his crucifixion. They were as moving as the Sanctuary.


The Grotto


Christ’s walk with the cross.

After a quick late lunch of steak and pomme frites (we were in France after all!) and an excellent crepe with Amaretto at a cafe on the way to our car, we headed back to San Sebastián.

Before entering the city we stopped in the small town of Astigarraga for some cider. I had read about the cider culture in the Basque region and was eager to sample some. My husband gamely drove up the hill, navigating country roads, searching for the big cider houses including Sagardotegi Zeharra. Their websites indicated they were open but it turned out only their lodges were. Maybe something was lost in the translation but we were told by a brisk lady that they were closed for the season.

We found Bar Kizki in the center of town. It was a far cry from the barrel-lined cider houses I had seen in pictures, but it was fun to see how the beverage is poured. It is definitely an acquired taste! And since it was a rainy afternoon there were hardly any other patrons, and just olives and a few pintxos were on offer. But I am glad we made the stop.

It was good to return to San Sebastián after a long day!

Cider season (not carbonated and no sugar added, it's totally natural) starts on the second week of January and ends in May, when many cider houses close. But some remain open and it's a great experience.

Pity you could not visit Hondarribia properly, it's old town is a real jewel, a great visit of a medieval area