Home > Bilbao > The Sanctuary of Loyola, Getaria, Zarauz and San Sebastian
USD $98.00
The Sanctuary of Loyola, Getaria, Zarauz and San Sebastian
Bilbao, Spain
Follow the highway towards the east, into the province of Gipuzkoa. On the way to the Sanctuary of Loyola, you will be able to admire the areas of inner Basque Country, combined with rural valleys and industrial villages trapped in between mountains like the villages of Durango, Eibar and Elgoibar.
Arrive at the core of the province, and after the industrial village of Azkoitia, you will arrive at your first stop, the Sanctuary of Loyola, hometown of Saint Ignatius of Loyola, the founder of the Jesuits. Here you will visit the Basilica and the tower house where he was born and lived. Depending on the time, you may wish to attend a ceremony.
Next you follow the route towards the coast on the north, passing through Azpeitia. You will also pass through Zestoa, a famous natural spa village with healing waters that attracted the royalty of Europe during the 19th and 20th centuries.
Later you will arrive to the coast at Zumaia, a beautiful village very much appreciated by Basque summer tourists. Following the coastal road you will arrive at your next stop, Getaria. A unique medieval fishing village and hometown of famous figures like captain Juan Sebastian Elcano (the first man to travel around the world by sea), and Cristobal Balenciaga, the famous designer.
Then you will pass by Zarauz, a beautiful tourist spot with the largest beach in the province of Gipuzkoa. You will arrive finally to San Sebastian where you will do a panoramic tour of the city. After lunch, you will do a walking tour into the old quarter visiting the most interesting streets and locations before returning to Bilbao 6:00pm approximately.
It was a full day, but our guide Stephane gave us tons of information and even taught us some words in Basque. Everything we saw was very picturesque - especially the drama of Loyola in the middle of these high hills, in the morning mist. San Sebastian old town had adorable narrow street after street. Stephane took us to lunch at La Fabrica price not included in tour, where we all had the menu of the day, which was incredible and very worth the price. Since it was good weather for it, we also got the bonus of visiting Chillida's public art piece Peine del Viento, which was awesome. Great day.
Review by: Donald M, August 2016
There truly isn't enough that we can say about this lovely excursion! Our guide, Stephan, our itinerary and our lovely companions on the way - all were fabulous! We travelled in great comfort and style and we went from a very tranquil and reflective place all the way up to the fast and furious San Sebastian. Every place we went was very special and this trip will stay in our hearts and minds for ever. Thank you!
Review by: Mohammed E, August 2016
Great tour. Very enjoyable and educational. First rate tour guide. Highly recommended
Review by: Nevena M, April 2016
Our guide Unai was great and answered all of our many questions while driving expertly along some windy roads! The tour itself was nice and as we had good weather it made all the difference.
Review by: Robert Y, September 2015
A very interesting tour. Our guide was friendly and knowledgeable.
Review by: William I, August 2015
Tour was great. Pedro was the most awesome, helpful, and friendly tour guide we've ever had. He made the tour fun and entertaining. He took the time to explain everything and gave us ample time to fully enjoy all the places we were visiting, and take plenty of photos. He answered all of our questions. The Basque Country is an amazing place. The landscape is breathtaking and the culture is unique. We learned a lot about the Basque history and culture, and its cuisine. Would highly recommend this tour.
Review by: Luz G, August 2015
Un poco largo el recorrido del sanctuario, muy bien todo en general. Pedro el Guia trabaja con mucha dedicacion.
Review by: kitblake, July 2015
This tour was a totally enjoyable day, made consistently intriguing by Pedro who's just a superb guide. Thanks!
Review by: Greer G, June 2015
Fantastic trip for anyone short on time. Our guide Pedro is very proud and passionate about the history, preserving the language and sharing the beauty of this area. Definitely would live to come back to see more!
Review by: jeanette b, June 2015
excellent, tour was very good . Pedro the guide made the trip incredible,
Review by: Peter V, December 2014
The tour was great. We saw things we never would have seen during a limited time in northern Spain, and the tour guide, Gary, was fantastic. I would recommend this tour for anyone seeking to leverage a lot of experiences into a single day.
Review by: izzie, October 2014
Excellent Tour! Enjoyed it very much since it was a great overview of that part of the Basque country. Our guide Garai is worth his weight in gold. Professional, knowledgeable and also ready to answer any and all questions. My 85 year old mother loved it too! Would do it again!
Review by: Josefina R, October 2014
Fantastic, far exceeded our expectation. Our tour guide Garry was super, highly knowlegeable. It was interesting listening how he described each sites so well._br/_
We highly recommend this tour. We will do it again. _br/_
As for our tour guide Gary. on the scale of 1 to 5 we give him a 6
Review by: joannes v, August 2014
perfect guide, excellent explanation and a impressive tour.
Review by: Michael S, June 2014
My husband and I very much enjoyed our tour of San Sebastian and surrounding areas. It was lovely only being 3 of us on this tour and being driven around in a BMW wagon. Our tour guide Garry really made it a very special and personal day for us. he was so knowledgeable and warm and friendly. We particularly loved San Sebastian and the beautiful beach there. Mu husband really enjoyed seeing all the history live he has studied. Thank you so very much.
Review by: Josette Y, April 2014
we had a wonderful experience ,would recommend this tour, our guide was charming , full of information._br/_
loved the small tour van-bus, being picked up at our hotel, having time for photos stops . Would take Viator tours again
Review by: Norman O, October 2012
The trip was advertised as in English but it turned out to be half English and half Spanish and the English portion was barely understandable. The itinerary was good and so was the restaurant suggestion. The driver was a careful one but should not be doing It in English. We did not get value and missed a lot.
Review by: John B, November 2010
Our group of seven people thoroughly enjoyed this excursion. The guide was very knowledgeable and spoke reasonably good English. She was very helpful.
Review by: John B, September 2010
Our group of seven people thoroughly enjoyed this excursion. The guide was very knowledgeable and spoke reasonably good English. She was very helpful.
Review by: Robert K, August 2008
The guide was very friendly and easy to talk to. He had a strong understanding of the Basque history and culture. He was reasonably capable of answering questions without coloring events with his own personal opinion. We came away with a sense that we had gotten a good exposure to the Basque region and culture. We had a very personable and professional tour guide.
Review by: Patrick C, August 2008
We could find no fault whatsoever with this tour. Our driver guide spoke very good English and was very knowledgeable of the area, and brought us to an excellent restaurant for lunch. I would have no hesitation in recommending Viator to anyone.
Review by: Robert K, United States of America, March 2008
The guide was very friendly and easy to talk to. He had a strong understanding of the Basque history and culture. He was reasonably capable of answering questions without coloring events with his own personal opinion. We came away with a sense that we had gotten a good exposure to the Basque region and culture. We had a very personable and professional tour guide.
Review by: Patrick C, Ireland, October 2007
We could find no fault whatsoever with this tour. Our driver guide spoke very good English and was very knowledgeable of the area, and brought us to an excellent restaurant for lunch. I would have no hesitation in recommending Viator to anyone.
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