When I originally began to design our Northern Spain European vacation, I was overly excited about…read morediscovering San Sebastian. The scenic resort town is on the Bay of Biscay in Spain's mountainous Basque Country. There are two popular beaches also that one can enjoy either on the Bay or on the ocean. These beaches are bordered by a charming Bayfront boardwalk, and popular restaurants with creative chefs. Anyone that is not a seafood lover will have challenges eating in these popular restaurants. Most of our time invested in this fabulous city was in the Old City where we enjoyed pintxos and at one time an awesome cheese cake for desert. San Sebastián was surly well worth the visit. The magnitude of people and their energy draws out the dynamic appeal and absolutely wonderful culture of this delightful city.

This tour was simply the best travel and gastro experience in a long time! Our tour guide was top…read morenotch expert on authentic local Basque cuisine and culture. She catered to our dietary needs/preferences and customized the gastropub tour to fit our needs. I loved everything she had us try, not a single pintxo was anything less than superb (which by the way she ensured was freshly made for her tour guests once we arrived). I am still daydreaming about this experience and already planning my next visit in the near future.

FIRST WORD, ELI! Second WORD DELICIOUS FOOD TOUR-PINTXOS!…read more We were fortunate enough to experience Mimo in multiple locations and they all had their super stars, but ELI was and is FANTASTIC! THIS WAS THE BEST TOUR AND EXPERIENCE EVER!!!!! I will absolutely book them again. There are not enough words to express my happiness and appreciation of the MIMO SAN SEBASTIAN EXPERIENCE. I am looking to bring my family back to experience this! THANK YOU ELI

MIMO Bites Experience is the most amazing culinary academy. My husband and I have been going every…read moreyear twice a year since 2020. The school has experienced lots of changes and all for the better. If you love to do something amazing and love to cook or eat this is definitely for you. The team is composed of very experienced chefs, who love to teach and go out of their way to create an unforgettable experience for you. Lara, the office manager goes out of her way to make you and your guests happy. While the classes are awesome, there is another side to the school, you can book the entire place for team building or team rewards, rehearsal dinner party, birthday celebrations, etc. If you go to San Sebastian, one of the most beautiful cities in Spain, make MIMO a stop on your journey. Enjoy your stay

One of my favorite cities in Europe Beautiful crescent…read morebeach Great food Nice mix of old town and vibrant downtown People are nice and friendly. Lots of culture and shopping Try their pintxos. Swim in the beach. Stroll around. Just charming.

What a wonderful small city!…read more Super walk-able if you stay in city center. There is so many pinxto restaurants around. We stayed here 2 nights and 3 days, and that was just the perfect amount. I guess another day wouldn't hurt if you want to hit up more pinxto restaurants. We were able to go to the beach, hike, and take the funicular up to view the gorgeous city. If you do the hike, be prepared to spend about 2-3 hours on the trail (pack a snack and lots of water!), depending on your pace; we took the bus back. I suppose you can hike back but we wanted to use our time wisely and bus back. Highly recommend! Oh, and the beach is quasi-nude; you will find a few nudists ;)

Worth every penny! Agustin was a great host/guide!!…read more Agustin Ciriza's Gorilla Trips can be a bit deceiving. At first, I'm thinking "animal park tour?". After perusing his web site, I then thought, "do we want to surf in the morning, then kayak after lunch?", to which I answered, "this isn't our last bucket list tour . . . ". No, all we wanted to do was eat pintxos and tour the French coast . . . and we did and had a great time! Agustin e-mailed us directions for our first meet, picked us out of the crowd w/ ease (we Americans can try and blend-in, but they know . . .), and we were on our way. This friendly and gregarious gentleman gave us a fun history lesson as we walked the streets of San Sebastián. Most important, he took us for some wonderful eats: 5 pintxos stops w/ a plate/drink at each. We let him choose each combination, and every stop was a gastro treat: scallops, foie gras, beef cheek, prawns . . . Riojas, cider, beer . . . first class tasting tour! The next day, Agustin met us at our hotel, and we drove to the coastal areas of Basque (France). A 4-hr tour of Biarritz and St Jean de Luz was perfect, and there isn't much Agustin doesn't know about the region or it's rich history. Agustin does do surfing and kayaking tours, but he also deftly handles the gastro and local history trips pretty damn well, too. A++ Cheers! RS

Augustin's Gorilla trip tour was enjoyable and informative! We would not have been able to do this…read moreon our own. We had 2 tours in a day, sight seeing the Basque Country and "Pintxos Restaurant Crawl" We would highly recommend him and these tours. We must say, we were hesitant at first to hire someone half way across the world but trust me, he's legitimate, professional and courteous. We strongly recommend using Augustin's tour company.

From my first email to Kepa at Basque Cooltour, I knew we were going to have a great time. We knew…read morewe wanted to do the cider tour and the cheese tour, but we were also looking around San Sebastian/Bilbao area for a jamon tour. I emailed Kepa about the possibility of putting together a custom cider, cheese, and jamon tour and after some research on his part got back to me with a custom itinerary. On Day 1, Kepa kindly picked us up from the apt. we had rented. He took us to the cider museum where we we treated to a tour that allowed us to try out apple-picking using traditional tools, taste 5 types of their over 70 varieties of apples, drink fresh apple juice, learn the importance of txotx, and taste both cider and apple liqueurs. Kepa then took us to a cider house for a traditional meal. There we had a massive 2-hour lunch that included tons of cider, bread, some amazing fried cod, a cod omelette (so much better than it sounds), Spanish chorizo and a T-bone steak (although not the same T-bone cut Americans are used to seeing), and a local dessert consisting of cheese, nuts, and an apple/quince jam of sorts. It was all delicious, if not overwhelming. Sufficiently stuffed, we then headed to the sheep farm. Ainhoa and her brother Mikel greeted us there, and we were treated to a demonstration of how their sheepdog works, saw some adorable 6-day old lambs, and got a tour of the milking and cheese making process. Ainhoa made it all seem so easy and described how different cheeses are made, even making some of their fresh cheese and "yogurt" right before our eyes. We got to taste the fresh cheese (we bought some to eat over the next few days with breakfast), the "yogurt" which was more like a custard (it was my favorite), and the local idiazabal cheese (which we brought home to the US with us). On Day 2, Kepa again picked us up from the apartment and took us a little further inland to see a pig farm. The scenery was amazing and we got to see the farmhouse and barns built in the 1500 and 1600's still in use. The farmer took us on an great tour and shared with us his farming philosophy which focused on letting the pigs forage and live in a natural habitat. He taught us about the heritage breed of pig that he works with and we got to see a litter of adorable piglets. After a great walking tour of his farm, we sat down to enjoy 4 types of cured meat that come from his pigs. All of which were incredible, but because of US Customs Laws we couldn't bring any home. This might have been the biggest disappointment of the trip. I only we could have brought jamon, lomo, and chorizo home! I would highly recommend using Basque Cooltour. They put together amazing tours for us, speak very good English, were pleasant tour guides, taught us not only about cider, cheese, and jamon, but also gave us tips about the local area, and were a good value for the money. Amazing, amazing time!

My boyfriend and I just finished the French Coast tour to Biarritz and San Jean de Luz and had a…read moremarvelous day. Kepa, our fabulous tour guide gave our group of four people a narrated walking tour of these two French-Basque cities. He told us about the history, architecture and customs. Both villages were quite different. In Biarritz we viewed the castle that Napoleon built for his bride and was told they spent seventeen summers in a row there (I would too!) We walked up to many beautiful areas with abundant sea views that were quite breathtaking. There was a musical festival going on in the main square and we could hear the wonderful live jazz playing as we walked through the square. I even bought a very beautiful pair of espradrilles! San Jean de Luz was a very quaint and it was the village where Louis XIII was married in 1660. The church where he was married is still in the square. This village is very quaint with winding cobblestone streets, outdoor cafes, chocolatiers, and various shops. I would love to stay here for a week or so. The ride though the countryside was very beautiful with lush greenery, rolling hills and quaint villages. We plan on doing the cheese tour next!

This is a large and well situated tourism office in Old town San Sebastian. As you come into the…read moreOld Town from the downtown area you will see the large signs very easily. There are maps, books, brochures, volunteers to help out and many other resources for those looking to know more about the city and the area. They also have information on guided tours, pintxo tours, public transportation and more... Clean and roomy.

In a recent NY Time Interview, Chef Anthony Bourdain mentioned that given a choice, he would prefer…read moreto die in San Sebastian. My advice is that he doesn't do it on Monday as many of his favourite dining destinations (including Asador Etxebarri) are closed on Monday. Gayle and I learned that the hard way during our recent visit to San Sebastian, but we we happily managed. Despite that inconvenience, Gayle and I had a wonderful time in San Sebastian/Donostia. Compact, elegant, sophisticated, and stately, San Sebastian is a Parisian looking city filled with "La Bella Easo" architecture and is considered one of Spain's most beautiful destinations (and in a Country full of such places). Some have called it the "Pearl of the Cambrian Sea". Gayle and I particularly enjoyed: - Filling up on delicious Tapas in Old Town and wandering around its intriguing and dense grid. - Walking along La Concha Beach and marveling at the shoreline/bay and the stately homes along the promenade. - Climbing up Monte Urgull and marveling at the scenery, Franco Jesus, and the Jorge de Oteiza sculpture. - Hanging out at La Bretxa Plaza over a drink. - Wandering through El Muelle (Port) area. - Walking across the Zurriola/Kursaal Bridge, including its original lamps of expressionist and futuristic styles which light up the mouth of the Urumea river. It's also on the Northern Route of the Camino de Santiago. It was all very romantic and uncrowded when we were there in October. If we came back, we'd make up for that lost culinary time, take in the San Telmo and other Museums, go inside the Buen Pastor and Santa Maria Cathedrals, have a Cider House drink, take in a performance at the ornate Teatro Victoria Eugenia Republica Argentina, and even branch out into the Basque Countryside (on both side of the French/Spanish Border). So many possibilities!

Very informative tour by an earnest and interesting local guy. We saw building from the 13th and…read more14th centuries, local floral and fauna, and learned a surprising amount about the geology of the region. As an added bonus, for GOT nerds, this is where the dragonstone scenes are shot, including the dragon glass mining, and famous scene where Jon snow touches Drogon's nose.

Sadly my kids were sick with food poisoning and I contacted Angel to please cancel, as I had to…read moretake them to the hospital. He would not offer a refund or understand to a guest in a strange country under duress. So sad to see a local business that caters to rotate tourists not be understanding. I have been on many private tours in our 8 week journey in Europe and all but Angel had gone out of their way to accommodate us, we have never cancelled a tour. I would warn anyone not to book until you are a day out. What happens if you are flying in and your flight is delayed or cancelled? This guide is unforgiving if you have problems outside of your control. So beware booking unless you are willing to forfeit 100 euros. So disappointed.

Alex is exceptional; our family took the day trip to Bilbao and seaside cities. He is very…read morepassionate about the Basque Country and willing to share about history and culture of the area. He selected the perfect place for lunch in Getaria - Balearri. The charcoaled turbot and octopus were phenomenal. Alex made sure we saw all that was special about the areas we visited.

From the owner: Sightseeing tours. Food and wine. Sailing. Enjoy your holidays in the Basque Country.read more