I thoroughly enjoyed this tour. Jani was an excellent guide, Basque from Bilbao who helped me understand the local history and traditions and culinary specialties. The drive was beautiful and we spent time in a number of lovely locations, with the highlight being lunch in Gertaria at The May Flower restaurant. I had the grilled monkfish paired with txakoli wine, which was superb. I highly recommend Jani and this tour.

It was actually a transfer day from Bilbao to San Sebastián. We worked with Zach to arrange a wonderful day of sightseeing. We started with an amazing wine tour where we really felt the passion for winemaking from our host. We then went to Guernica to experience more of an important moment in history and extend our understanding of a painting we have long admired. Next we explored Getaria and had a delicious grilled seafood lunch. Then on to Zumaia and its incredible scenery before we ended in San Sebastián. Zach shared a lot of information with us we felt we had a better understanding of the area and its people. He was very easy to work with and everything went smoothly and on time. Totally recommend

Jani our guide was absolutely superbe!!! Knowledgeable, enthusiastic, enamored with her Basque country. She had made a wonderful table reservation in Getaria. We shared history and stories; emotions. It has been a great encounter and discovery more than expected for a tourist visit.

My family and I just got back from a great trip to Spain, and our tour to San Sebastian with Irene was one of the highlights. We were picked up promptly from our hotel in a comfortable van, and had a great conversion on all things Basque on the way to San Sebastian. We really appreciated all of the local insight and our fantastic lunch in Getaria that we will not soon forget. Thanks again Irene and The Best of Basque!

Tour with local guides to visit emblematic landmarks of Gipuzkoa in one day. Comfortable trip, with a touch of family atmosphere to learn more about Basque culture from the inside. I highly recommend it.

My husband and I had an amazing day with our tour guide Zach. We had perfect weather to accommodate walking through St. Sebastian, a lovely little city followed by Getaria where we indulged in local wine and seafood right along side the fishing port. The tour ended with spectacular views of the coastal cliffsides in Zumaia. Zach was very knowledgeable in local Basque history. We learned a lot and the tour offers the perfect mix of walking and driving by through scenic routes. We were picked up and dropped off at our hotel door step so there was zero hassle with transportation and Zach provided several recommendations for dinner spots in Bilbao. We highly recommend this tour for individuals or couples that want the personal touch from a private tour of the Basque countryside.

Zach took us on a bus trip from Bilbao to hike up to Gaztelugatxe (need a good level of fitness for this due to the elevation change but highly recommend) and to San Sebastián for lunch. He planned out the day perfectly, keeping us on schedule, giving us input about what we wanted to do. He is very knowledgeable and could answer anything we asked. He would be great for any group, but specifically for Americans due to his native English speaking and cultural awareness - he was able to explain basque culture in a way we could understand. We had an amazing day with Zach - couldn’t recommend him more highly for any trips to the area.

Thank you The Best of Basque- Irene and Zach!!! You made our Basque Country holiday so stress free. From the start when I reached out to Zach. He gave the description of each tours I requested. Booking was simple. He answered all my questions and gave me recommendations with other part of of our vacation. We booked four tours with this small family owned company. Irene toured us both in Bilbao and San Sebastián. Her expertise of the local food was amazing. Showed us the best pintxo bars on both city. She also gave accurate description of each city. Also a great photographer. Zach toured and transfer us from Bilbao to San Sebastián. He is prompt. They two cars he drove are new, clean, and comfortable. There was no boring time during the tour. We got to see basque coastline with descriptions of each stop. The lunch at Getaria was one of the best meal we had during our vacation-fresh seafood on seaside. He also toured us Basque Country in France. Got to shop at farmers market at St. Jean and got some amazing French macaroons. Biarritz was amazing. We totally loved all four days of touring with this company. Highly recommend using them. Thank you Irene and Zach!!! Best of the best of basque definitely!!!

My family had a wonderful experience with Zach and the Best of Basque Tour. We booked the San Sebastián and Costal Route as we were based in S.S. and most of their tours originate from Bilbao. Zach customized the tour for us - we had been in San Sebastián for a day already so he adjusted and also took us to Hondorribia which was magic! He has a wealth of knowledge with an approachable, laid-back and incredibly intelligent demeanor. He booked us lunch at Mayflower in Getaria which was incredible - great fish, steak and wine! We also visited the Flyshs at Zumaia which was a highlight - a geological wonder! What impressed me most was his willingness to offer suggestions post-tour and communicated with us days after. He's an impressive guide and we thoroughly enjoyed the experience - do not hesitate to book with Best of Basque!

So glad we found Zach and Irene to help us explore this beautiful region! We had two days with them, Irene for the first tour of the coast between Bilbao and San Sebastián and Zach for another day exploring the Basque area in France. Both days were full of experiences that we will always remember. Together, with their knowledge of the area and the Basque culture, they gave us a surprisingly deep and insightful introduction to this special region. Both have a nice balance of younger energy and deep rooted respect for Basque culture which made our time with them very enjoyable and informative. They even indulged us in veering off course for special stops along the way. Everything, from their nice clean car to the authentic restaurants we sampled, was comfortable and made for two highly satisfying journeys. We are so happy we abandoned our first plan to rent a car and explore on our own and opt for these personalized tours. We would highly recommend them for a similar experience.

We did the Bilbao food tour with Irene - it was lovely to visit various bars and try the different pintxos - Irene was charming and knowledgeable. We also did the day trip to San Sebastian and the coast with Irene - again a wonderful trip and the fish lunch overlooking the harbour was a highlight alongside coffee and Basque cheesecake.

We had a great outing with our delightful guide, Irene. She shared much information about Basque history, culture and traditions, which we found very interesting. We loved San Sebastian and the coast is gorgeous. We had a fabulous fish lunch, too. Highly recommend this tour!

We enjoyed the San Sabastian and Coastal route tour, amazing tour of the city, with great tourguide Zach, gorgeous countryside and lunch on the water (beautiful and informative and a yummy lunch) tour of the sweet fishing village of Getaria, and amazing lunch arranged by Zach, San Sabastian Pinxtos tour (amazing), where Rueben took us to his favorite places, the Hondarribia and Basque Cider Experience (so wonderful and incredible food), and the Bilboa Pinxtos tour (best Pinxtos ever!) As you can see, we maximized our wonderful time with Zach and Irene, and are so grateful we found the Best of Basque experience. Zach helped us plan the tours prior to our arrival and was so responsive. He was a masterful tourguide as was Irene. They are kind and professional, and we trusted them completely. Irene is native Basque and brilliant combination of energy, passion and expertise. This team is a true gem, and we will definitely be back!

Irene is a native Basque, Zach has lived in the area for 10 years. They took us to spectacular non-touristy locations and restaurants, and educated us on Basque history and culture. They were very responsive to pre-tour questions, always prompt, and accommodating with any last minute requests we made. An absolutely wonderful tour.

Irene was an excellent guide, a great driver with a nice, comfortable car. Besides seeing some beautiful areas and learning about the history, she taught us so much about Basque culture. She also suggested an excellent seaside restaurant where we had the best grilled turbot we have ever eaten. Highly recommend.

This tour was great, we enjoyed seeing the Basque region and having stops along the way from Bilbao to San Sebastián. Zach picked us up at our hotel in Bilbao right on time and was very friendly and informative during the entire journey to San Sebastian with several stops along the way. We were able to include a tour of a winery which was a great experience. I recommend doing this if you want a leisure experience within the Basque region from city to city.

It was a very last minute decision to hire a guide to show me San Sebastian and the coast and in the end, I was very glad that Irene was available. She is a native of Bilbao and was very knowledgable about the entire region, telling me things about San Sebastian that I don't think I would have picked up in a guidebook - including a stop at the site for the last season of The Game of Thrones! The weather was beautiful and it was a terrific experience.

Fantastic tour with a fantastic guide! We (two adults and two teenage girls) enjoyed it very much. Our guide Irene who is a native Basque is very nice and easy-going and always found the right level of information and pace four our group. We had a wonderful day with great sights and a very friendly guide.

One of the highlights of our trip to Basque Country, Spain was the tour provided by Best of Basque. Zach is an excellent tour guide and host. He was very knowledgeable about the area and its history. He took us to beautiful sights and locations that we would have missed had we done the trip our own. We highly recommend Best of Basque - a memorable experience not to be missed.

We did 2 tours with this group and both were excellent. For this tour, Zack picked us up at our hotel in Bilbao and led us on a full 8 hour tour. Even though it was a cool, rainy day, he made the best of it and we felt we saw everything we needed to see. He’s full of knowledge about Basque culture and history which we really enjoyed learning about. We toured the market and interesting streets of San Sebastián-including the site of the world-famous basque cheesecake (well-deserved). He also took us to a restaurant for lunch in the town of Getaria which is known for grilling whole fish over a charcoal bbq started hours earlier. The town is also the birthplace of Juan Elkano who was the first person to circumnavigate the earth in the late 1400’s.