About this tour
Travel from San Sebastian into Basque cider country to explore the thousand-year heritage of sidra. A local guide walks you through working orchards, traditional presses, and barrel-lined cellars where you'll taste natural cider pulled straight from oak. The afternoon culminates in a proper cider house meal—salt cod omelette, peppers and bacalao, grilled steak, cheese, quince—paired with barrel tastings. Four hours round trip, including transport and the rowdy Txotx ritual that defines how Basques drink cider.
Highlights
- Tour working apple orchards and 100-year-old family presses
- Taste natural cider straight from barrel during Txotx ritual
- Traditional five-course cider house menu with paired tastings
- Visit working cellars still fermenting this season's batch
- Return transport from San Sebastian included
- Multi-lingual guide depending on group composition
What to expect
Your guide meets you in San Sebastian and drives you into the rolling Basque hills. You'll walk through the orchards and working farmhouse where cider ferments in barrels, learning the process as you go. At the cider house, the Txotx begins—a traditional call where everyone tastes from different barrels while seated at long tables. Between pours, courses arrive: salt cod omelette, then cod with peppers, then grilled steak and local cheese, finishing with quince paste and nuts. It's social, noisy, unhurried. The guide handles logistics; you handle the eating and drinking.
Good to know
Tours operate in multiple languages depending on who else books that day. Transport is air-conditioned and pick-up is from your San Sebastian accommodation. Infants can sit on laps or use specialised seats. All alcoholic beverages, food, taxes and entrance fees are included. Public transport alternatives exist if you prefer independent travel.
Tour sold and operated by Viator via Viator. Descriptions on this page are original BugBitten summaries written by our team — not copied from the operator. Prices and availability are confirmed at checkout.