San Sebastián: Traditional Cider House Tour with Lunch
About This Experience
The one tour on this site that leaves the city, and a completely different day from a pintxos crawl: four hours out in the Gipuzkoa hills at a working sagardotegi, with transport from San Sebastián included.
Cider is not a sideline in the Basque Country. It is a thousand-year-old tradition tied directly to the region's culture and cooking, and the cider house is where that tradition is still practised rather than explained.
The tour walks you through the apple orchards on the hillside, the farmhouses, the cider-making areas and the cellar, so the drink arrives with the whole process behind it rather than as a novelty pour.
Then comes the txotx: the call that opens a barrel, at which everyone gets up and catches cider straight from the cask in a thin stream at the bottom of a wide glass. You drink it immediately, in a couple of mouthfuls, and go back when the next barrel is called. It is the single most Basque thing you can do at a table.
Lunch is the traditional cider-house menu, served family-style at long shared benches: a cod omelette, a grilled t-bone steak, cheese with quince jelly and walnuts, bread, and as much cider as the barrels are pouring.
Because the tour is a shared service, the guiding may run in several languages depending on who is on the bus that day. Transport from a meeting point is included; hotel pick-up and drop-off are not, and no food or alcohol is permitted in the vehicle.
Highlights
- Explore a cider house in Basque Country and partake in a Txotx ritual
- Stroll through the apple orchards and learn about the production of cider
- Admire the cider cellars and get the chance to taste Basque natural cider
- Enjoy a traditional lunch with a serving of cheeses, jelly, and walnuts
- Relax with a drink knowing transportation from San Sebastián is included
What's Included
- ✓ Cider house guided tour
- ✓ Transportation from a meeting point
- ✓ Lunch (cod omelet, grilled t-bone steak, cheese with jelly and walnuts, bread and cider)
- ✓ Cider and pintxo tasting
Not Included
- Hotel pickup and drop-off
What to Bring
- Comfortable shoes for the orchards
- An appetite — lunch is a full cider-house menu
Good to Know & Caveats
- Transport from a meeting point in San Sebastián is included; hotel pick-up and drop-off are not.
- The guide waits at the meeting point in a van marked Sagardoa Route.
- As this is a shared service, the guiding may run in several languages depending on that day's guests.
- No food or alcoholic drinks are allowed in the vehicle.
- Lunch is served family-style at long shared tables — the format is communal by design.
Meeting Point
A meeting point in San Sebastián, where the guide waits in a van marked Sagardoa Route. Transport to the cider house and back is included; hotel pick-up and drop-off are not.
What Travelers Say
Rated 4.9/5 by 166 verified GetYourGuide travelers.
Telmo did a fantastic tour of the cider house and surrounding areas. We enjoyed hearing about its history and the amazing lunch provided with lots of cider!
— Sarah, Septemb
Everything about the visit was excellent. Maialen, our tour guide and driver, had a deep knowledge of and love for the region, its culture and the art of producing sagardoa. Would have been worth it for the lunch and cider alone, but to be picked up from and dropped back off in Donostia, and to be so well hosted and welcomed was lovely. Would highly recommend this to anyone visiting the region.
— Richard, Septemb
We enjoyed the trip. Everything was very smooth and well planned. Worth to mention that lunch takes quite some time. You really have time to enjoy food, cider and the area.
— Mateusz, August
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a Basque cider house?
A sagardotegi — a working cider farm, usually in the hills outside the city, where cider is pressed, fermented and drunk on the premises. The tradition is around a thousand years old and is tied directly to Basque culture and cooking. This tour visits one with the orchards, the production areas and the cellar included.
What is the txotx ritual?
Txotx is the call that goes up when a barrel is opened. Everyone rises, walks to the cask and catches a thin stream of cider at the bottom of a wide glass, then drinks it straight away in a couple of mouthfuls. You do not fill a glass and carry it back — you go to the barrel each time it is called.
What is served for lunch?
The traditional cider-house menu, family-style at long shared tables: a cod omelette, a grilled t-bone steak, cheese with quince jelly and walnuts, and bread, with cider throughout. A cider and pintxo tasting is also included in the tour.
Is transport included?
Yes — transport from a meeting point in San Sebastián is included in the price, which is what makes this a straightforward half-day out. Hotel pick-up and drop-off are not included. The guide waits at the meeting point in a van marked Sagardoa Route.
How long does the cider house tour take?
About four hours, including the drive out into the Gipuzkoa hills and back. That is longer than any pintxos tour on this site, and most of the extra is the transport.
What language is the tour in?
It varies. Because this is a shared service, the operator states the guiding may run in several languages depending on where that day's guests are from. If a specific language matters to you, contact the operator before booking.
Should I do this instead of a pintxos tour?
Alongside it, not instead. A pintxos tour teaches you the city's bars and how to use them; the cider house is a communal feast in the countryside. They complement each other, and the cider house works well in daylight on a second or third day.
Are there rules about the vehicle?
Yes — alcoholic drinks and food are not permitted in the vehicle on the way out or back. Everything you eat and drink happens at the cider house itself.
Other San Sebastian Pintxos & Wine Tours
Eating San Sebastian: Beyond Pintxos Tour
San Sebastian Like a Local: Evening Pintxos Tour
Premium Evening Pintxos Tour in San Sebastian’s Old Town
San Sebastian: Premium Market, Pintxos and Wine Tasting Tour
San Sebastian: Private Pintxos Basque -Tapas Tour
San Sebastian Food Tour with Pintxos & Drinks with a Local
San Sebastian food tour: pintxo tasting paired with wines
San Sebastian: walking tour with pintxo and drink
