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.

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.

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 ;)

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!

I've been on many wine tours in my time - Napa, Tuscany, Bordeaux, etc. - and I must say, this tour…read morewas truly something special. Inma, our guide for the day, was the best tour guide I've ever had; yes, THE BEST. She's truly an expert when it comes to Rioja - we found she often knew more than the wineries' own tour guides! And, importantly, she caters the experience to each client (and I should mention she speaks absolutely perfect English). Sure, she'll take you to the bigger, more commercial wineries like Marques de Riscal & Bodegas Ysios, which are both visually stunning and worth going to - but, because she takes the time to learn your tastes she'll introduce you to wineries right up your alley that you'd never otherwise know about, many of which aren't open to the public. And thanks to her local roots & connections, the vintners quite literally give her the keys to their private operations (Gontes comes to mind). Inma caps the day with a delicious late lunch in a private wine cave at Castillo de San Vicente - again, not something you can just go and do; only the locals have access. The cherry on top: her tortilla de patatas is absolutely delicious. All in all, one of the best single days I've had on vacation my entire life. A fantastic experience that I'd recommend to absolutely anyone.

Incredible Rioja Wine Experience with Inma-…read more My boyfriend and I did the Unusual Suspects private tour with Inma. This experience was the highlight of our trip to Spain and a huge part of that was Inma. She taught us about Rioja wine and the region without overloading us with information, made us feel so comfortable, and the experiences at the incredible wineries were due to her relationships with each of the owners, which is a testament to her as a person. We visited three different wineries and had the best lunch that Inma prepared herself with fresh ingredients from our own garden. My boyfriend still talks about her Tortilla de Patatas. We had an additional day in Logrono before heading to San Sebastian and Inma sent us a detailed list of recommendations and even helped us book a bus to San Sebastian, which was a much better option than the train we had booked. I cannot praise Inma and this experience enough.

We dealt with Katharine throughout our Honeymoon in San Sebastián. We could not have asked for more…read morepersonalized, thoughtful, and fun travel professionals to deal with. The Tenedor team of guides and drivers seemed like they knew us. The cooking class with Katharine, Pintxos tour with Lide, and winery/cider house/brewery tour was well planned and great fun. All of our guides and drivers were knowledgeable and excellent communicators. They helped us understand the historical context and cultural importance of our experiences. This perspective made our trip so much more vivid and meaningful. They also helped us find the right restaurant for our taste. At the last minute, Katharine even arranged for a tour of Bordeaux wine country. Tenedor does the heavy lifting for you. They learn about your interests and customize your experience to your desires. They are worth the money. They put you in the best situation to maximize your visit to the Basque Country. Thanks Tenedor for a great honeymoon!

I booked a pinxtos tour in San Sebastian with Gabriella 2 days into my husband's and my 6 day visit…read moreto San Sebastian. I am so glad I did! The old town is FULL of pinxtos bars. The first night we randomly went into a few and it was very hit-or-miss. Gabriella introduced us not only to food specialties, but also Spanish history. It was like meeting a friend and having a fun and informative evening together. Subsequent evenings we returned to most of those bars again but we also tried others with more confidence than we would have otherwise. Gabriella's pinxtos tour is the perfect example of a niche, local food tour that is PERFECT for the right clients (us and apparently a lot of other people). Highly recommended.

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.