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

Such a fun experience with friends - cooking together, learning about the history and enjoying good…read morefood

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.

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 place was great. The electric scooters are a MUST DO in San Sebastian. Riding along the bay,…read morethe stadium, and the tunnel were a highlight of our Europe trip! The only downside is that my kids all want e-scooters for Christmas now. Highly recommend this place for a way to see San Sebastian!!!

My husband and I just returned form 13 days in Spain, including 2 nights in San Sebastian. One of…read morethe nights, we booked a tour with Tomasz from San Sebastian Urban Adventures, and it was definitely one of the highlights of our trip. Both my husband and I are big foodies, so when we found out about San Sebastian's Gastronomic Eating Clubs, we knew it was an experience we couldn't miss. It's still a bit rare to find a club you can enter as a tourist (that is a real private club and not a restaurant in disguise), but Tomasz arranged for us to have dinner as his guest at a nearby club, along with two other members, one of whom was a professional chef who cooked us the most amazing multi-course dinner! The whole time Thomasz was extremely knowledgeable about San Sebastian history, culture, and food; friendly; and a great translator for all our questions for the other members. Everything was easy to arrange with Tomasz and I can't recommend him enough for this tour, or any of the others he offers. You won't regret it!

We had the best time with Alain. Throughout our stay, we have had locals/guides say that the people…read moreof San Sebastián go by the philosophy of "live life and have fun". Today the day started with hail and we ALMOST didn't go on the tour, and I'm so glad we decided to just say "go for it"...because we had the best day. The tour was small, the rain cleared up quickly, and we got some beautiful sun. Alain gave us some history, gave some recommendations for food spots, and even took us to a place we could play their version of hand ball (Esku Pilota or Basque Pilota). The tour felt personalized and we learned some basque phrases. One person got a flat tire and Alain was able to show off his expert skills at fixing the bike quickly...he kept each member of the tour safe! All the staff in the office were super friendly, responsive, and kept my bag safe when I forgot it . Highly recommend!

A MUST-DO when you arrive in San Sebastián. "Classic E-Bike Tour" covers iconic places of the city…read moreas well as some of the "local" hotspots away from the tourist traps. The city is very bike-friendly and the electric bikes used on this tour makes it so easy to maneuver throughout town. Each tour group is only 6 people and led by a friendly English-Spanish speaking guide. We had "Pylagio"(?) who was well versed on the history of the town and gave good recommendations for things to do for the rest of our stay in San Sebastián. We had taken the "Classic E-Bike Tour" on our 2nd day in San Sebastián and wished we had taken it on the day we arrived like the other people in our group. After this tour you'll have a better idea of which areas and sites you want to go back to and explore further. We plan on doing this tour again when we return with our teenage kids. Tips: - Before the tour, eat enough to hold you over for 3 hours of activity. Food stops are not part of the tour. Only water breaks. - Bring a cold sports drink (like Gatorade). Bottled water is provided but on a warm day, electrolytes helped get through the last half of the tour. - It's sunny, wear sunglasses and a hat. Use sunblock, sunscreen, or suntanning lotion. - Avoid bringing any bulky items. A small lightweight backpack is the most you should bring. - A GoPro is nice to have. You'll be riding through beautiful parts of town and see amazing views from the top of the peaks. We highly recommend this tour over the bus tours. On a bus they give you recordings to listen to while you ride around city streets. This bike tour is more fun and personalized.

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!

Custom Tour 2 - 11 May 2025 We had used Basque Guides in…read more2024, for a shore excursion in Bilbao. That experience was so great, that we decided to hire them for multi-day tour of the Basque country. We had two main reasons for visiting the Basque country. 1. My wife's maternal ancestors are Basque and in fact come from a small town in the Basque country named Aginaga in Basque, Aguinaga in Spanish. 2. To visit wineries and taste wine in the Rioja wine region. We enjoyed the entire experience so much, that this review will probably become long and effusive but I hope helpful. We were joined on our tour by some great friends with whom we had traveled before. We stayed in three different cities in Basque country - San Sebastian, Briones, and Bilbao. First the hotels which were all recommended by Iker Bardaji, the owner of Basque Guides: 1. Lasala Plaza Hotel in San Sebastian for five nights - An adults only hotel perfectly located across from the malecón and in old town which is filled with amazing bars, restaurants, and shops. 2. Hotel Santa Maria Briones for two nights in the small town of Briones (population of 824) in the heart of Rioja. It is a small 16 room boutique hotel. You will never find better accommodations or friendlier staff anywhere. We wish we could have stayed longer. 3. Hotel Miro in Bilbao for two nights. The hotel is a very nice business/tourist hotel. Rooms are very good. But its main attraction is being directly across the street from the Guggenheim Museum. Our tours: San Sebastian - we spent five nights in San Sebastian which gave us time to venture out into the stunningly beautiful countryside especially along the seashore. The first day we took a comprehensive tour of San Sebastian The second day we headed off to the world famous city of Pamplona, know for the running of the bulls but we learned it was so much more. The next day we explored the French Basque country towns of Biarritz, Saint-Jean-de-Luz, and other small towns along the way. The following day, we explored the Spanish coastal cities of Basque country including the town of Aginaga from which my wife's maternal line immigrated. Then it was off to Rioja. Briones - we stayed at the amazing boutique Hotel Santa Maria Briones and ventured out from there to visit wineries and taste the amazing wines of the Rioja DOC. For those of you who are wine lovers, we visited Bodegas Murua, Bodegas Amaren, Bodegas Tritium, Bodegas Ollauri Rioja Conde de los Andes, Bodegas Luis Cañas, and Bodegas Gómez Cruzado. We tasted great wine, ate great food, and slept well both nights at an exceptional hotel. Bilbao - Our hotel was the Hotel Miró and it was a great location from which to venture out and around Bilbao. Of course, the main tourist draw to Bilbao is the Guggenheim Museum. It is well worth the visit. A word about Iker Bardaji, Basque Guides, and his guides. If you communicate with Iker about what you would like to see and do, Iker will put together a memorable tour for you. Until Iker and Basque Guides we had never had a tour company listen as carefully to what we wanted to accomplish, ask the right questions, and then craft such an amazing itinerary that delivered an experience we will always remember. Iker also hires excellent tour guides. The best of the best. Not only were they fluent in English which was important to us, but they were also extremely knowledgeable about the history, culture, and lifestyle of the region. We had the pleasure of working with several of Iker's guides - Gonzalo, Andoni, Jaime, Gorka, and Mateo. All were exceptional. If you only have time for a short peek at Basque country or if you have days to explore, Iker Bardaji and Basque Guides are the right choice.

From the owner: Private Tours, Food & Wine, City Tours, Sightseeing, Off the track Toursread more

Super easy, well priced, had a blast on our intermediate ride with Inigo. The shop is located right…read moreby the beach which was convenient. We rented Giant road bikes which were very nice - carbon everything and disc brakes made the ride awesome. We went for about 55km with a ton of elevation, the ride was tough but so rewarding, and the views we had throughout were incredible (we rode to the French border and back). Inigo was a great guide, adjusted to our pace and helped push us through. On the ride back we stopped into a local spot for some pintxos and a beer. Thoroughly enjoyed this and would highly recommend the experience, we'll definitely do another ride on our next trip to San Sebastian!

This was a convenient location in old town San Sebastián. The staff was super friendly and spoke…read moregood English. The bikes were all high quality brands and in great condition. They had road, mountain, city, hybrid and eBikes for rent. My Specialized hybrid was idea for San Sebastián - rolled fast, Mt. Bike gearing for the hills and study for the curbs and cobblestone. San Sebastián is ideal for touring by bike. There are bike lanes everywhere, cars and pedestrians usually yield to bikes.

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.

We had an incredible experience with Nadege, she was an amazing tour guide of the Basque Country…read more She spent a whole day, she took us to the small Basque towns on the France side and then we crossed over the border to San Sebastián. This town was exquisite and we enjoyed such a wonderful day. Nadege explained the history of both the French Basque Country as well as the Spanish side of the region. It was spectacular to see the view of the beach from above, an amazing view from the Hotel Londres , up on the mountain. We sampled Pintxos, fabulous Foie Gras that melted in our mouth. Also Cheese Cake that was smooth and delicate and delicious!

From the owner: I am Nadege Ze Chauffeur, a Private Sightseeing Transfer & Day Tours company and have been driving…read morepeople around and show them the Real France & Basque Country since 2006. Either it is for a direct transfer or with visit between Bordeaux to San Sebastian. To discover the Basque Country, on mulitple day tours, I will make sure you experience it all will customized your day for you to have a memorable time and for this travel experience to become one of the Highlight of your trip. I am always here at your dispoasl to present you the best of it all. Visit the Basque Country Bordeaux Bilbao San Sebastian Lourdes St Emilion Carcassones Let s go travel and discover France with Nadege Ze Chauffeur expert to guide you and have memorable times since 2006.

If you only have time for a couple of things in San Sebastian, I highly recommend this boat tour!…read moreThe owner was a professional chef and the food is beautifully plated and selected. Let them know in advance if you have allergies or dietary restrictions. They have a recorded boat tour in several languages, which was professionally done by an historian. You will learn so much in such a beautiful relaxing day! And the owners know so much about their area and help along the way. They were so kind and let my 10 year old son stand in the captain's chair. He had the best time. After a month of being in Europe, two days that were his favorite. This was one of them. There is only room for a max of 12 people, so consider this a semi private yacht experience. Very clean, very well done. Great value for money.