Eating San Sebastian: Beyond Pintxos Tour

Name: Eating San Sebastian: Beyond Pintxos Tour
Brand: GetYourGuide
Price: 116.00 USD
Availability: InStock
Rating: 5.00 (16 reviews)

5.0 (16 verified reviews)

Guide holding a beer and a plate of tortilla in front of a red bar wall painted in Basque

Guests sharing plates of tortilla inside a neighbourhood bar

Barmaid pouring a drink behind a counter covered with rows of pintxos

Group toasting around a wooden table set with pintxos plates in a panelled dining room

Pintxo of potato salad with olive oil and balsamic on a pale plate

About This Experience

Ten guests maximum, seated at every stop, and a route that crosses the river into Gros as well as working the Old Town — three things that make this the least crowded pintxos experience in the city.

Three hours, six tastings and four drink pours across five family-run bars and bakeries, at a pace built around sitting down rather than pushing through to a counter.

One of the six is hands-on: at a local couple's wine and beer shop in Gros you build your own pintxo, which is a better teacher than watching someone else do it. Another is Basque cider, poured the traditional txotx way.

The route also takes in the seafood that put San Sebastián on the culinary map, passes the market where locals shop daily for the same ingredients that end up on your plate, and finishes at the oldest bakery in the city — which the operator says has baked the same pastry recipe since 1886.

Between stops the guide fills in the Belle Époque history behind the architecture, which is the part of the city most food tours walk straight past.

It is also the clearest listing in San Sebastián on dietary requirements: the operator states plainly that vegetarian and gluten-free guests are well accommodated. Guests with severe or life-threatening allergies are declined on safety grounds, and children under four join free without food.

Highlights

Sit down for six tastings and four drink pours in Gros and the Old Town
Build your own pintxo at a local wine and beer shop in Gros
Discover the local seafood that put San Sebastián on the culinary map
Pour Basque cider the traditional txotx way
End at the city's oldest bakery, baking the same recipe since 1886

What's Included

✓ 6 pintxo & tapas tastings and 4 local drink pours across 5 family-run spots
✓ Hands-on pintxo-making at a local couple's wine and beer shop
✓ Traditional Basque cider poured txotx-style, the traditional way
✓ Guided walking tour through Gros and the Old Town's back streets
✓ Local English-speaking guide
✓ Food & the City' Insider Tips

Not Included

Gratuities / tips for the guide
Hotel pick-up and drop-off
Extra drinks

What to Bring

Flat, comfortable shoes — it is a walking tour
A bottle of water — walking between stops is thirsty work
An appetite: six tastings across three hours is a lot of food

Good to Know & Caveats

Wear flat shoes – it is, after all, a walking tour, so be comfortable.
Bring a bottle of water – we do have drinks stops throughout the tour, walking can be thirsty work.
Come hungry. You’ll be tasting lots of food!
The tastings mentioned are a selection of the delicious foods we often feature. Both offerings and tour stops may vary by day or season!
Have dietary requirements? Email us or add a note at booking, and we’ll do our best to accommodate vegetarians, gluten-free guests or other dietary needs where we can. For guest safety, this experience isn’t suitable for those with severe or life-threatening food allergies to ingredients found on the tour, and the company cannot take responsibility for any food allergies or intolerances.
This activity requires a minimum of 2 guests. Should this not be met, we will contact you directly to help you get rescheduled or reimbursed.
Children under 4 years old do not need a ticket and can join the tour for free. However, food is not included.

Not Suitable For

Guests with severe or life-threatening food allergies
Vegans

Meeting Point

Meeting point may vary depending on the option booked.

What Travelers Say

Rated 5.0/5 by 16 verified GetYourGuide travelers.

Alaia was super nice, more than able to answer all our questions, and took so much time to show us "her" city. Highly recommended :)!
— Barbara, August

It was a great tour because it was only two of us and the guide. :) It was Christina's second-only tour, and she did an wonderful job. She was very flexible with the itinerary because our cruise ship left the port hours before the original departure so we had to do the tour in under 3 hours in order to get back to the ship. She helped us get a taxi, and all was good. The pintxos and the traditional cake we ate on the tour were exceptional. We especially like the cider house and wish we could return to particiapte in the annual festival!
— Cindy, June 17

I can only recommend this tour. Inés was a fantastic guide, so dedicated and brilliant at getting the group to engage with each other. She gave us a fantastic insight into the food culture, what it's like to live locally in San Sebastian and not least into the history of the city and the Basque Country.
— Lars, June 17

Frequently Asked Questions

How many people are on this tour?

Ten maximum — the joint-smallest cap of any pintxos tour compared on this site. It is also the only one that sits its group down at all five stops, which is what the small cap makes possible.

Do you actually sit down?

Yes, at all five stops. That is unusual: standing at the counter is the Basque tradition and most pintxos tours in the city are standing-room throughout. If three hours on your feet is not appealing, this is the tour to look at first.

What is included?

Six pintxo and tapas tastings and four local drink pours across five family-run spots, a hands-on pintxo you build yourself at a wine and beer shop, Basque cider poured the traditional txotx way, a guided walk through Gros and the Old Town, a local English-speaking guide, and the operator's own insider tips. Gratuities, hotel pick-up and extra drinks are not included.

Is this tour good for vegetarians or gluten-free guests?

It is the best option in the city on this front. The operator states that vegetarian and gluten-free guests are well accommodated — email them or add a note at booking. Guests with severe or life-threatening food allergies are declined on safety grounds, so this is not the tour for a serious allergy.

Where does the tour go?

Gros, the surf-side neighbourhood across the river, as well as the Old Town — which is unusual, since most pintxos tours stay entirely inside the Parte Vieja. It starts near De Biteri Plaza, passes the Bretxa market, crosses into the Old Town and finishes on Narrika Kalea at the city's oldest bakery.

What should I bring?

Flat, comfortable shoes — it is a walking tour — and a bottle of water, since walking between stops is thirsty work even with drinks included. And come hungry: six tastings across three hours is a substantial amount of food.

Can children join?

Children under four do not need a ticket and can join free, though food is not included for them. There is no stated upper age floor of the kind the crowded-bar tours impose, which makes this a workable option for families.

Is there a minimum number of guests?

Two. If that minimum is not met the operator contacts you directly to help you reschedule or to arrange a refund.