Final-year school trip to the Basque Country: San Sebastián, Bilbao, the Guggenheim Museum, the Zumaia flysch, Gaztelugatxe and Biarritz (9 days)
Bookings open on 1 January 2027
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Reference RTO-09-599
- Duration 9 days
- DepartureFrom the place of your choice
- GroupFrom 20 participants
- DateOn the date of your choice
La Concha bay and its pintxos, a surf lesson, Bilbao’s Guggenheim, Zumaia and Gaztelugatxe: the Basque Country, ocean and architecture.
This trip introduces pupils to a lively and surprising Basque Country. After a stop in Biarritz, they settle in San Sebastián, between La Concha bay, the old town and its pintxo bars, try their hand at surfing and visit Hondarribia. The flysch cliffs of Zumaia and the port of Getaria lead them to Bilbao, a city transformed by the Guggenheim Museum, then to Gernika and the islet of Gaztelugatxe. The departure date and time are set with your school in the quote. The journey is made by day, with a 30-minute break every 3 hours of driving and an overnight stop on the way out and back, and the coach stays with the group on site.
Programme
Day 1: Departure from your school and overnight stop in Touraine
- Departure from your school early in the morning, at the time agreed with you.
- Daytime drive via Paris (about 550 to 650 km depending on your school, 6 h 30 to 7 h 30 of driving excluding breaks).
- Our drivers drive for a maximum of 3 hours, then take a 30-minute break, day and night.
- Free lunch during a motorway break.
- Arrival in the late afternoon in the Tours area: check-in at the hotel for the overnight stop, dinner and quiet evening.
Day 2: Biarritz and arrival in San Sebastián
- Departure after breakfast, around 7 am, via Bordeaux and the Landes (about 540 km, 6 hours excluding breaks).
- Free lunch during a break on the way.
- Stop in Biarritz: the Grande Plage, the fishermen’s port and the footbridge to the Rocher de la Vierge facing the ocean.
- Drive to San Sebastián (about 50 km, 45 min) and check-in at the accommodation for three nights, dinner and supervised evening.
Day 3: San Sebastián, the pearl of La Concha
- Walk along La Concha bay, then the old town (Parte Vieja), the Basilica of Santa María and the Plaza de la Constitución.
- Walk up Monte Urgull and its view over the bay and Santa Clara island.
- Free lunch in the old town, the home of pintxos.
- Funicular ride up Monte Igueldo (on request), then the Comb of the Wind, Eduardo Chillida’s sculptures battered by the waves.
- Dinner and supervised evening.
Day 4: Surf lesson and Hondarribia
- Introductory surf lesson on Zurriola beach, with a surf school and qualified instructors (on request).
- Free lunch in the Gros district.
- Drive to Hondarribia (about 20 km, 30 min): the walled town, the Plaza de Armas and the colourful houses of the Marina district.
- Return to San Sebastián, dinner and last supervised evening in San Sebastián.
Day 5: The Zumaia flysch, Getaria and Bilbao
- Check-out after breakfast and drive to Zumaia (about 35 km).
- Walk to the hermitage of San Telmo, above the flysch cliffs, layers of rock that tell 60 million years of history.
- Drive to Getaria (about 5 km), the fishing port where navigator Juan Sebastián Elcano was born, and free lunch.
- Drive to Bilbao (about 80 km, 1 hour), then a crossing of the estuary on the Vizcaya Bridge, a UNESCO-listed transporter bridge (on request).
- Check-in at the accommodation in or near Bilbao for three nights, dinner and supervised evening.
Day 6: Bilbao, from the Guggenheim to the Seven Streets
- Visit to the Guggenheim Museum, Frank Gehry’s masterpiece (on request), then the flower dog Puppy and the spider Maman outside.
- Walk along the estuary to the Zubizuri footbridge.
- Free lunch at the Ribera market, then the Seven Streets (Siete Calles) of the old town and the Plaza Nueva.
- Funicular ride up Mount Artxanda for the panorama over the city (on request).
- Dinner and supervised evening.
Day 7: Gernika and San Juan de Gaztelugatxe
- Drive to Gernika (about 35 km, 40 min): the Assembly House and the Tree of Gernika (free access), then the ceramic reproduction of Picasso’s “Guernica”.
- Visit to the Gernika Peace Museum, devoted to the 1937 bombing (on request).
- Free lunch in Bermeo, a fishing port on the coast.
- Walk to the hermitage of San Juan de Gaztelugatxe and its 241 steps, on an islet linked to the coast (free access, booking compulsory at certain times of year).
- Return to Bilbao, dinner and last supervised evening in the Basque Country.
Day 8: Drive to the overnight stop in Poitou
- Departure after breakfast, around 7.30 am.
- Daytime drive via San Sebastián and Bordeaux (about 600 km, 6 h 30 excluding breaks).
- Free lunch during a break on the way.
- Arrival in the late afternoon in the Poitiers area: check-in at the hotel for the overnight stop, dinner and quiet evening.
Day 9: Return to your school
- Departure after breakfast.
- Daytime drive to Belgium via Paris (about 600 to 700 km) with regular breaks.
- Free lunch during a break on the way.
- Arrival at your school in the evening.
The price includes
- Coach transport from your school, with the coach at the group’s disposal throughout the stay
- The services of one driver (two drivers if the journey requires it)
- 6 nights in a hotel or youth hostel (3 in San Sebastián and 3 in Bilbao or their surroundings), rooms for 3 to 8 pupils and separate rooms for the accompanying staff
- 2 overnight stops in a hotel (in the Tours area on the way out and the Poitiers area on the way back), rooms for 3 to 8 pupils and separate rooms for the accompanying staff
- Half board (breakfast and dinner), from dinner on day 1 to breakfast on day 9
- The coach excursions to Biarritz, Hondarribia, Zumaia, Getaria, Gernika and San Juan de Gaztelugatxe
- Free places for the accompanying staff (their share is included in the price per pupil)
- Accommodation for the driver
- Road costs, parking fees and tolls
The price does not include
- Funicular ride up Monte Igueldo
- Introductory surf lesson on Zurriola beach
- Crossing of the estuary on the Vizcaya Bridge
- Visit to the Guggenheim Museum
- Funicular ride up Mount Artxanda
- Visit to the Gernika Peace Museum
- Lunches (not included; hotel packed lunches on request), and drinks
- Admission to museums and monuments not mentioned
- Tourist tax
- Cancellation and refund protection (optional)
- Pocket money and personal expenses
Good to know
- Valid identity card or passport, signed parental consent form for each pupil under 18 and European Health Insurance Card (EHIC), to be requested from your health insurance fund a few weeks before departure.
- Our drivers drive for a maximum of 3 hours, then take a 30-minute break, day and night. An overnight stop in Touraine on the way out and in Poitou on the way back avoids any night driving.
- Supervision is provided by the accompanying teachers; each pupil signs a code of conduct based on the school rules (no alcohol for minors or on the coach, no drug use, punctuality and compliance with instructions during free time, swimming and surfing only in supervised areas and with the teachers’ permission).
- The pupil list and rooming list are entered in the school’s online area (Excel import possible); rooms are allocated according to your instructions.
- Recommended period: April to June or September; it rains on the Basque coast all year round, so bring a raincoat and walking shoes for Zumaia and Gaztelugatxe. Spain uses the euro; lunches are not included: allow around €12–15 per pupil per day, with pintxos costing €2–4 each.
Ask for your free quote
A tailor-made trip for your group
- From 20 participants
- On the date of your choice, departing from near you
- Free quote, without obligation
Free places
- 25 →+125 paying participants: 1 free place(s)
- 50 →+350 paying participants: 3 free place(s)
- 75 →+475 paying participants: 4 free place(s)
- 100 →+6100 paying participants: 6 free place(s)
Quote request
Final-year school trip to the Basque Country: San Sebastián, Bilbao, the Guggenheim Museum, the Zumaia flysch, Gaztelugatxe and Biarritz (9 days)
Choose your date, your pick-up points and the options you like: we will send you a personalised quote, free and without obligation.
- Free, no-obligation quote
- From 20 participants
- From the departure point of your choice
- Free places for the group
- About 3 minutes
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