Day 1 - San Sebastian old town
Arrive in San Sebastian and walk La Concha beach. Evening pintxos crawl in the Parte Vieja: start at one bar for gilda and anchovy, move for txipirones and a glass of txakoli. Dinner at a counter for turbot or bacalao. Sleep in the center. The crawl is the meal; pace yourself with small plates and white wine.
Day 2 - Markets and cooking
Morning at the La Bretxa market for cheese, jamon, and seafood. Take a cooking class for pintxos and a sauce. Afternoon at the aquarium or Mount Urgull viewpoint. Evening a second crawl in Gros across the river, lighter and local. Dinner of grilled fish. Sleep near the old town for easy late walks home.
Day 3 - Bilbao and Guggenheim
Train or drive to Bilbao. Morning at the Guggenheim museum and its riverfront. Afternoon in the Casco Viejo for more pintxos, especially elvers and cod. Evening a cider house in the hills with steak and cider poured from height. Sleep in Bilbao. The city pairs industry and food better than almost anywhere in Spain.
Day 4 - Coast and cider
Drive the coast to Getaria, a fishing village, for grilled turbot at a waterfront tavern. Afternoon in Zarautz for a beach walk. Stop at a txakoli winery for a tasting. Evening back in San Sebastian for a final pintxos round. Sleep in the center. The coast road is short and packed with seafood stops.
Day 5 - Sweet exit
Morning at a pastry shop for pantxineta and coffee. Last market buys of cheese and wine. A long lunch of seafood before your train or flight. Keep the afternoon open for transit. A final espresso on the boulevard sends you off. Pack loosely; Basque food travels well as picnic supplies for the journey home.
Daily food picks
Pintxos are small bites on bread: gilda, anchovy, txipirones, and cod. Txakoli is the fizzy local white; cider is poured high in sagardotegis. Don't miss turbot, bacalao, and elvers. Bakeries sell pantxineta. A market lunch of cheese and jamon is cheap. Do one Michelin counter if budget allows; the bars are the real star.
Getting around & budget
Base in San Sebastian; trains and buses reach Bilbao and the coast. Budget 150 to 240 euros daily with pintxos crawls and one nice dinner; Michelin adds more. Book the cooking class and cider house ahead. City buses and feet cover most needs. Many bars are cheap per bite, so grazing beats a single seated meal.
