Basque Country
This is a magical land, half French and half Spanish where they burst into song at the drop of a hat.
The Basques are warm and friendly – half mountain people and half sea people. This secret land is in the north of Spain and the south-west of France, the scenery is bucolic and the gastronomy divine.
We start our tour in the chic, Spanish city of San Sebastián which has the most *** restaurants in Europe. Here we spend 3 days exploring, cooking, learning about anchovies, eating pintxos (the most sophisticated tapas) and drinking txakoli (sparkling white wine).
We kick-off with a Ciderhouse welcome dinner, visit the Guggenheim, go on a pintxos tasting tour of the Old Town, visit the medieval town of Gaetaria, take a boat ride to the freshest seafood cooking class and lunch you've ever eaten, and visit a txakoli vineyard for bubbles and cured ham...to name but a few things.
On the afternoon of day 3 we head to the fishing town of St-Jean-de-Luz (about 45 mins away) where we spend the next 3 days eating yet more seafood, drinking Irouléguy wine and exploring the area. St-Jean is possibly the most beautiful seaside town in France. We have a guided tour of the town and market, visit the famous village of Espelette for peppers, eat in starred restaurants and shop till we drop. St Jean is both enigmatic and welcoming with dramatic green mountains, white washed houses and fabulous beaches. Come and experience this enchanted land with me.
IMPORTANT: For this tour you must be physically fit and healthy with no mobility issues. There is a lot of walking involved.
check out peta on tour in the basque country
2025 BASQUE TOUR
Northern Spain /
South Western France
14 – 20 June
Cost
NZD 6,599 per person
(based on twin share).
This includes 6 nights accommodation, Peta and our local guides, internal transport, cooking classes, entrances, all meals & wine with meals.
NZD 1,000 accommodation single supplement subject to availability.
Maximum of 12 guests.
Our mission has always been to provide really authentic gastronomic and cultural experiences. We travel initially to lose ourselves and next to find ourselves, because travel cracks us open and so pushes us over all the walls and low horizons that habits and defensiveness set up.
Behind every person and every household is a story of local traditions and daily life in villages and towns. Traditional food is about ancestral memories and looking back and holding on to old cultures – it is profoundly about identity. Come with us and partake in the honesty, grace, generosity and fun that is a Peta Mathias tour. Suitable for fit and healthy gastronomic adventurers!
“Travelling with Peta is more than just a cooking/dining tour. It is an all round experience of body and soul, blending food, eating, cultural traditions, personalities, music, styles and humour. I realised the people we met along the way opened their kitchens and homes and shared their passion for food, because of the connection and respect they personally had with Peta. I loved the laughter and the fact we ate at starred Michelin restaurants as well as an incredible spit roast lamb in a cave! It was an excellent blend of learning new techniques in preparing fish, exploring the art of eating pinxos, learning a bit of history and art and cooking our dinner together as a group. A holiday that seemed longer than the actual 7 days!”
“It was quite possibly the best week of my life. The people I shared the tour with, the food, the Basque people and of course the incomparable Peta.”
