Spain Gourmet Tours

Luxury Spain Gourmet Tours:

Highlights:

• Chauffeured Food and Wine Tours Spain
• Private cooking classes in Madrid and San Sebastian
• VIP Winery Visits in La Rioja
• Excellent Dining in Wine Country
• Excursions to Toledo, Ávila, Salamanca, Burgos, Laguardia and Lerma
• Gourmet walking tour of Madrid
• Wonderful gourmet gifts
• Top class wining and dining

View images of Rioja & Gourmet Basquelands

This Luxury Spain Gourmet Tour of Central and Northern Spain is designed for those who don't want to concentrate exclusively on a theme vacation, rather "taste" a bit of everything, from cooking to wine tasting to sightseeing. On all of our tours, there is always huge importance placed on food and wine and on this tour you will dine at some of the best restaurants in Spain, as well as take in unique experiences such as a "tapas tour", culinary classes in chef's private homes VIP winery visits including walks through vineyards and ancient caves and much more. Accommodation is selected carefully, and all of your hotels are charming and historic, many in old palaces. Many small surprises and gifts will be presented throughout the tour, as well as "extras" in your rooms. Some of the most beautiful cities and villages in Spain are included in this food and wine tour including Madrid, Toledo, Avila, Salamanca, Burgos, Lerma, Laguardia and San Sebastian.

Your visit to Madrid will include a cooking lesson of Colonial Spanish cuisine. Toledo is famous as being the home to "Las Tres Culturas", referring to the Christians, Jews and Moors, who lived together side by side in an atmosphere of tolerance for centuries. We'll taste food inspired by Christian, Jewish and Moorish influences. In San Sebastian, you'll indulge in creative haute cuisine, from Michelin starred dining to Basque "Pintxos". Finally, we will some very special winery visits in Ribera del Duero and La Rioja. This is an excellent, well-balanced tour for food and wine lovers who want to enjoy Spain at a relaxing pace, and villages slightly off the beaten path. Disfruta!

Arrive Madrid

Transfer by luxury coach or Mercedes to charming palatial hotel, right downtown. Check in and relax

Evening: Your dinner will consist of a "Tapas Tour" of old Madrid, a gastronomic walking tour, from your hotel and back to last for about 3 hours. You'll take in: The Royal Palace, Opera House, Cathedral (where Spain's Prince and Princess were recently married), and an array of charming tapas bars where you will stop for dishes of fresh seafood, grilled vegetables, and creative pastries, paired with magical Spanish wines.

You'll find a welcome gourmet basket waiting for you in your room with some special gifts to take home with you.

Overnight:

4* Historic Palace Hotel, Madrid

Meals Included in Price:

Tapas Dinner with wines, gourmet gift in your room

Transfers:

Madrid airport-hotel

Full breakfast with beautiful views over the historic Opera House of Madrid

Today's morning and early afternoon activity will include a private Cooking Class with the very charming Pilar Latorre, in her beautiful private home! Enjoy a welcome aperitif of Catalan sparkling Cava before commencing on your cooking class, where you can both participate in the preparation hands on, and relax with your cava and watch Pilar do her magic. After the class, you'll dine in Pilar's own dining room, with state of the art silverware and dishes, and enjoy a convivial lunch with the chef, surrounded by part of her art collection. Before departing, you'll also receive a gourmet cooking gift to take back to your kitchen!

After the culinary experience, enjoy a free afternoon in Madrid, for shopping or art museums. Dinner on your own to enjoy the capital's many highly rated eateries.

Overnight:

4* Historic Palace Hotel, Madrid

Meals Included in Price:

Full breakfast, Cooking class lunch with wine

Transfers:

none

Full breakfast with beautiful views over the historic Opera House of Madrid

After your entertaining sojourn in Madrid, next stop is the historic town of Toledo. We'll enjoy a "Gourmet walking tour" of Toledo, taking in the best Marzipan shops, an aperitif, and you'll hear an explanation of these "Three Cultures" in Toledo and the impact on Spanish Cuisine. You'll have an official guide give you a complete historic context of the town's monuments, and amazing history.

Lunch is a huge highlight, a feast at the top gourmet restaurant in town, where you might bump into celebrities or politicians, where there is an enormous cellar.

After lunch, you'll have free time to enjoy some shopping or more of the museums such as El Greco's house (the painter was based in Toledo for years). The evening is yours to enjoy is the supremely romantic town.

Overnight:

4* Historic and charming Hotel, Toledo

Meals Included in Price:

Full breakfast, Gourmet lunch with wine

Transfers:

Madrid- Toledo- La Mancha region-Toledo

Full breakfast in pretty patio courtyard.

From Toledo, we'll carry on north to the gorgeous city of Salamanca, a city they say "glows" as nearly all the architecture is made with sandstone, which creates a bright reflection when the sun beats down.

But first, a stop to lovely Avila, a medieval village surrounded by a completely preserved 14th century fortified wall. We'll have lunch in Avila in the best Asador, enjoying roast lamb (a local specialty) and rich red wines from the wine region of Toro. We'll climb the ramparts of the wall, and scale over the village, enjoying the views of the many churches and stork's nests.

After a digestive walk, Salamanca is the next port of call. The afternoon will be spent enjoying a walking tour of the old part and an aperitif in the gorgeous Plaza Mayor. Highlights include the "House of Shells" an unusual palace covered in scallop shells (related to the pilgrimage of Saint James) and the exquisite cathedral. Your hotel is the old rector's mansion, now a tastefully renovated hotel. Dinner on your own to enjoy, either tapas or a stylish venue.

Overnight:

4* Historic Hotel, Salamanca

Meals Included in Price:

Full breakfast, Lunch with wine

Transfers:

Toledo- Avila- Salamanca

Full breakfast in historic hotel

Leaving lovely Salamanca, you'll head east towards the historic village of Peñafiel, stopping for a VIP wine tasting at a famed cellar. A private tour of the wine caves, installations and vineyards will be followed by a fun and informative wine tasting of the whole range of wines.

After wine tasting, you'll be starving, and lunch will be fantastic, in the town of Burgos, another hour north. Burgos is one of the most important pilgrimage cities and its gothic cathedral one of the most spectacular in the world. Lunch will be in a historic restaurant with old wood fired ovens, right in the heart of the old town. After a convivial long Spanish lunch, you'll enjoy the afternoon free (for digestive walks or a siesta). Your hotel is in a converted monastery, recently refurbished and very elegant. Dinner on your own. Your hotel is walking distance to a multitude of restaurants and tapas bars.

Overnight:

4* Historic Hotel, Burgos

Meals Included in Price:

Full breakfast, wine tasting, Lunch with wine

Transfers:

Salamanca- Ribera del Duero wine region- Burgos

Full breakfast in historic hotel

Our next day will be delightful- taking in vineyard walks and visits to 19th century wine caves. From Burgos, we'll travel 2 hours northeast to the pretty wine region of La Rioja. We will be received as VIPs at two very prestigious cellars, both historic, getting fascinating tours at both, as well as wine gifts.

Lunch will be at an art nouveau castle in a medieval hilltop village set in vineyards. The early evening will be to enjoy on your own in one of the prettiest tiny villages of Spain, surrounded by a medieval wall and full of gourmet shops and restaurants.

Dinner on your own to enjoy at the hotel (where they have a superb Basque chef) or at a 16th century nobleman's house, now a gourmet restaurant, 10 minutes walk from the hotel.

Overnight:

4* Wine Hotel, overlooking vineyards

Meals Included in Price:

Full breakfast, Lunch with wine

Transfers:

Burgos- La Rioja

Full breakfast at wine hotel.

From La Rioja- we drive to the sea! The Basque coastline is just beautiful, and our hotel is right on the sea, with views from the bedrooms. Upon arrival to San Sebastian, we will check in and drop off our luggage, before commencing on a walking tour from the hotel along the sea into the old town. The old part of San Sebastian is quaint, with a beautiful town hall, 3 major churches, narrow streets lined with tapas bars and brightly colored boats in the port.

Lunch will be a highlight today, as Basque gastronomy is considered to be the best in Spain. We'll enjoy a few pre-lunch tapas and glasses of Rioja or the white Txacoli wine, or even Basque cider before sitting down to a creatively presented lunch at a tiny hole in the wall gourmet haunt. After a four course lunch, enjoy the rest of the afternoon at your leisure. There is a spa 5 minutes walk from your hotel, and there are plenty of elegant shops if you are looking for retail therapy.

Evening free to enjoy on your own.

Overnight:

4* Belle Époque hotel, right on the sea

Meals Included in Price:

Full breakfast, Gourmet Lunch with wine

Transfers:

La Rioja- San Sebastian

Full breakfast in seaside hotel.

Today's events will be a major highlight. You'll receive a private VIP cooking class at a top culinary academy, run by an award winning chef (who is also a famed author of cook books and Vice President of a Gastronomic Society, cultural institutions in Basque Country). Typical Basque dishes, which could be the recipes on the day, include: Lubina a la pimienta verde (sea bass with green pepper) and Marmitako (typical fisherman's dish made of bonito tuna, potatoes, onions, peppers, and tomato).

After your hands on cooking lesson, you'll sit down with your culinary instructor and dig into your Basque feast (the fruit of your efforts), accompanied by excellent wines from Rioja Alavesa. A free afternoon and evening are yours to enjoy San Sebastian "a tu bola", at your own pace. This short stay in San Sebastian will give you a taste for the region, and those who visit this jewel of a city tend to fall in love; you'll be back! Dinner on your own to enjoy at Arzak, Akelare, Berasetegui (all Michelin starred mythical restaurants) or local, charming tapas bars.

Overnight:

4* Belle Époque hotel, right on the sea

Meals Included in Price:

Full breakfast, Cooking class lunch with wine

Transfers:

San Sebastian hotel- culinary academy- hotel

Full breakfast in seaside hotel.

We'll say farewell to San Sebastian, and make our way back down to Madrid on this last day of the tour, stopping for lunch in the historic town of Lerma. We'll dine in the newly opened Parador. The stunning building, dating back to the 17th century, once belonged to the notoriously amorous Duke of Lerma. The palace was built on the site of an earlier medieval castle, and in the early 1600's was used as a retreat by King Philip III. We'll have lunch in the restaurant of the palace, oozing with history.

After a three-course gourmet feast, we'll have a walk around the old village before making our way for Madrid, with an early evening arrival. You will be dropped off at the airport or your hotel in Madrid and this will conclude this cooking and wine tasting tour of Spain. Hasta la proxima!

Meals Included in Price:

Full breakfast, Lunch with wine

Transfers:

San Sebastian- Lerma- Madrid

What's Included:

What's Not Included:

Prices:

This is a SAMPLE TOUR ITINERARY. Please note that our chauffeured luxury tours have the following starting prices:

More Information on Spain Gourmet Tours:

If you are interested in this package, contact us today for more information. This tour can also be adapted for bigger groups with a substantial discount. All of our tours are available year round upon request for your private group of minimum 2 people. If you would like us to customize a luxury gourmet tour for you, contact us with your requirements, and we can send you a free itinerary and quote with no obligations. We organize cooking packages and wine tours from 1 day, to weekends to longer food and wine discoveries throughout Spain, Portugal & Italy. Contact us at

Email us at: info@cellartours.com