Basque: A Food and Wine Lover’s Paradise
- Mian Wei
- Aug 2, 2019
- 3 min read
If you love any combination of tapas, seafood or wine and haven’t made the trip to the Basque region of Spain yet, what are you even doing with your life? You can add it to the end of any European vacation as there are quick and easy flights to Bilbao or San Sebastian from several major European cities. If you have an extra 3-4 days to kill and want to experience some out of this world food and wine, it is absolutely worth the pit stop.
San Sebastian is the unofficial tapas aka Pintxos capital of the world. Walk around the old town at night and you'll find dozens of amazing tapas bars with incredible displays out on the counter to entice you. Bars tend to open around 7 or 8pm, which means you’ll want to eat a slightly later lunch to keep yourself from starving all day. There will be random closed days as this is Europe, but no matter when you visit, there’s no shortage of great bars to check out. You’ll also want to wash down your tapas with a glass of wine, which usually runs around 2-5 Euros per glass at the bar (so cheap!!!).
I went to so many tapas bars in just the 2 nights I spend in San Sebastian but the highlights were definitely the extensive and gorgeous variety at Gandarias and the spectacular anchovy tapas at Bar Txepetxa. Gandarias is also worth visiting for a sit down meal for their suckling pig, monkfish and lobster. The Gilda (a Spanich anchovy, pepper and olive on a toothpick) is the classic tapa to try at any bar.
Borda Berri and Goiz-Argi were also great but you can’t go wrong with just wandering around, looking at the displays and trying anything that catches your eye.
As for wines, the region is known for the Rioja red wine and their Txakoli (a dry white wine with a light fizz). My absolute favorite Txakoli is Txomin Etxaniz so find it and start drinking. Bartenders will pour the wine from a great height to give it some air which is pretty fun to watch as well. Drink a glass with your tapas at every spot because you will never find wine this cheap in America.
After a night of tapas, head to La Vina for the best cheesecake in the world. Get a slice of the burnt cheesecake, a flurry marvel.
Walk off the calories by strolling the length of San Sebastian’s famous conch shaped beach, La Concha. Climb up to the Monte Urgull hill to get the best views.
If you have an extra day, take the local Basque train to Zumaia Beach about 45 minutes away. This beach was used as a location for Dragonstone in Season 7 of Game of Thrones. The unique rock formations and caves are the star attraction.
Next up, Bilbao is the more business-centered Spanish city with a spectacular Guggenheim that’s worth visiting for architecture alone. Also, more tapas!
The highlights in Bilbao were definitely the Jamon tapas. Many of these bars are in the Solokoetxe area of the city in the Plaza Nueva. Bar Charly, Gure Toki and Bar Fermin have a great variety.
La Viña del Ensanche is the place to go for all things jamon. The jamon risotto was fantastic but anything jamon here is worth getting. Really, you can just spend a few hours near the Plaza Nueva and bar hop until you’re full.
To walk off the calories, make a day trip to San Juan de Gaztelugatxe, the remote church on a cliff that extends into the Bay of Biscay, another Game of Thrones filming location. A local bus will take to you the nearby beach town of Bakio.
During the non-summer months, you have to either take a VERY long walk or wait for a mini-bus to stop by every hour or two, wave them down and pay ~2 Euros for a ride up the hill. Make the 2 mile trek through hiking trails and up the winding stairs to reach the stunning semi-island.
Return to the city for a nice relaxing visit to the Guggenheim Museum.
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