Gourmet Spain and France Tour: Barcelona to Bordeaux

Barcelona is an enchanting seaside city with timeless architecture and an alluring ambiance. From the whimsical aesthetics of Gaudi to the dramatic facades of the Medieval Quarter, Barcelona blends the specificity of Catalonia with the grander culture of Spain. Your private transfer will meet you at the airport upon your arrival and escort you to the comforts of your hotel that overlook the water. Here, you will have the remainder of the day to explore your new surroundings at your leisure.

Your guide will meet you at the hotel after breakfast and lead you into the Penedes Cava Winelands, which produces some of Spain's finest wines. Here, you will find the beauty of the region as it sweeps from the vast vineyards to the charming town of Vilafranca del Penedes. During your tour, you will sample at three estates where the wines tell the stories of the landscape and are embodied in notes of honeyed apple or herbs. Back in Barcelona, you will have a tapas tour that will reveal the city's traditional flavors and small dishes fresh Patatas Bravas and Pan con tamate.

Your guide will lead you on a fascinating tour of Barcelona to explore the Modernist architecture of Antoni Gaudi. Upon reaching La Sagrada Familia, you will find 18 towers that soar upwards of 557 feet. Statues and etchings create a lavish exterior, depicting scenes of the Nativity or the Passion. The interior possesses a catacomb-like ambiance that has been colored with pastels. In the evening, you will transfer to Rioja and delve into the region's gourmet cuisine with an eight-course meal. You can savor the traditional flavors of Catalan gastronomy with touches of the avant-garde.

Your guide will meet you in the morning and escort you into the Rioja countryside to visit a number of wine-producing villages. Wineries in the area date back 130 years and combine tradition with contemporary production techniques. As you sample the different wines, you will uncover the distinctive characteristics that the land and soil instill in the grapes. At a historical vineyard, you will find foundations that date back to the 14th century. The famed wines provide divine local flavor and feature aromas of black cherry or fig, which lead to lush or bold textures.

You can relax in the comforts of your hotel in the morning by basking in the comforts of a luxury spa before transferring to the charming town of Logrono. The stately architecture that rises out of the wine country features cobblestone streets and plazas that are shaded by vibrant trees. The scent of pintxos will drift out of the intermittent bars to reveal layers of garlic, tomato, and onion. After settling in to the comforts of your hotel, your guide will lead you on a private tour to discover the Basque region's typical tapas, such as grilled mushrooms with butter and garlic topped with shrimp.

In the morning, the diverse styles of the Cathedral of Santa Maria de la Redonda will come to light. The Museo de la Rioja is located inside a beautiful 18th-century building and displays a timeline of the region through artifacts from the mystifying Celtiberian stone to lavish Roman jewelry. After breakfast, your private transfer will escort you from Logrono to Bilbao, where the lush landscape leads to the contrasting architectural marvels of sleek modern architecture.

Today, you will traverse the halls of the Guggenheim Museum with your private guide for deeper insight into the history, prestige, and unique perspective of the artwork on display. The museum contains 20 galleries that span more than 258,333 square feet of exhibition space. The building itself resembles a work of art because it expanded the concept of 20th-century architectural possibilities that were designed by the renowned architect Frank Gehry. Once inside the museum, you can find work by famous artists, such as Willem de Kooning and Christian Boltanski. Jose Manuel Ballester's The Raft of the Medusa demonstrates the balance of space and light.

The beauty of Bilbao will fade as you transfer to the Basque city of San Sebastian, which is located on the Bay of Biscay. Golden sands slope into the water, and lush hillsides border winding streets and grand architecture. The cobblestone lanes add to the authentic ambiance that sweeps to the seaside promenade. In the evening, you can indulge in dinner at one of the most coveted restaurants in Spain with an unforgettable eight-course meal that will be accompanied by a selection of local wines chosen by a sommelier. Each dish focuses on texture, flavor, aesthetics, and aroma to create a visceral dining experience.

The day will be yours to enjoy at your pace, from basking on the sands of La Concha Bay to strolling through the Old Town. The arcade of Plaza de la Constitucion once acted as a space for bullfights but now offers a charming ambiance with rows of balconies that overlook the cafes, restaurants, and shops. You will once again enjoy the immersive cuisine of San Sebastian with a private pintxos tour that will unveil the diverse flavors of the fresh, local, and traditional cuisine. Crab croquettes, mussels in a bechamel sauce, and baby squid in ink embody local customs and exceptional tastes.

The marvels of Bordeaux provide a contrasting view of the past and present with 18th-century flair, contemporary tech, boulevards lined with elegant mansions, and forward-thinking university students. The spires of the Bordeaux Cathedral towers over the city and textures the skyline at 357 feet tall. Your private transfer will take you to the train station for your train over the border of France. You will continue to the comforts of your hotel in Bordeaux with a private driver. Here, you can enjoy the remainder of the day at your leisure.

Your guide will escort you on a delightful wine tour of the Medoc, which hosts some of the most celebrated vineyards of the Bordeaux region. Dunes and lagoons border the edges of the wineries and are shaped by the confluence of the Garonne and Dordogne rivers. You will follow the Route des Chateaux and travel between Grand Cru estates, from Margqux to St. Julien. You may witness a gravity-flow cellar that uses tanks to accentuate the natural flow of gravity to bring out different characteristics in the wine. You will find hints of dusty Earth and tobacco intertwined with plush fruit.

The heritage village of St. Emilion will showcase two millennia of history with medieval architecture that decorate the cobblestone lanes. The traditions of wine cultivation in the region focus on grapes like merlot, cabernet sauvignon, cabernet franc, and malbec. As you explore the vineyards of the region, you will discover how the sand, clay, and limestone shape the flavors of the wines and support the sophisticated gardens of the chateaus across the region. As you taste a Grand Cru, you will find hints of oak, tobacco.

The morning will be yours to enjoy Bordeaux at your preferred pace. You can explore the largest square in Europe at the Esplanade des Quinconces to indulge in the serene waterfront views and a replica of the original 19th-century fountain. The Palais Gallien represents the last vestige of the Roman Empire in the city with foundations that date back to the 2nd century AD. The amphitheater could once accommodate up to 15,000 spectators. When you are ready, your private transfer will take you to the train station to board a train destined for the city of Paris.

Paris is a majestic city that is known for the charming banks of the Seine River and the captivating aromas of chocolate shops along the Boulevard Saint-Germain. The distinctive neighborhoods reflect the diverse heritage of the French capital, ranging from shading manicured trees and elegant cafes to Belle Epoque brasseries to sophisticated art galleries. You can enjoy the city as you wish before your private transfer meets you at the hotel and escorts you to Charles de Gaulle Airport for your flight home.