ToursByBasques Private Guided Tours
ToursByBasques Private Guided Tours
ToursByBasques Private Guided Tours
5
City ToursHistorical & Heritage ToursSightseeing ToursFood ToursWine Tours & Tastings
8:00 AM - 10:00 PM
Monday
8:00 AM - 10:00 PM
Tuesday
8:00 AM - 10:00 PM
Wednesday
8:00 AM - 10:00 PM
Thursday
8:00 AM - 10:00 PM
Friday
8:00 AM - 10:00 PM
Saturday
8:00 AM - 10:00 PM
Sunday
8:00 AM - 10:00 PM
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About
Private premium tours for those that look for something unique and different in their visit to the Basque Country, based on an Off-The-Beaten-Path philosophy (but of course, the "can't miss places" as well). Focused on private tours for visitors interested in our particular culture and way of life, I love to show the Basque way of life and my favorite places as a local insider.
Bilbao, Basque Country, Spain
Awards
Travelers' Choice
2023
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ToursByBasques Private Guided Tours
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
5.0
250 reviews
Excellent
246
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4
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0
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0
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Jerry H
Metro Minneapolis-Saint Paul, MN2 contributions
Mar 2024 • Family
My wife and I booked two tours with Mikel: the San Juan de Gaztelugatxe tour and the San Sebastian tour which are both well-described on his web page. Every place he took us to was charming, beautiful, and full of interesting history. And the restaurant/bars he took us to for pintxos were delicious. We have found that it's a lot easier to take in the scenery and learn about the local culture when someone is driving you around the countryside or helping you navigate a city.
But besides all that, what we found so great about Mikel's tours were two things: 1) His wealth of knowledge about the Basque culture, history, economics, politics and architecture. He probably got sick of me peppering him with questions, but by the end of our two tours, I felt like I had just completed a college course in ancient and modern Basque culture (and cuisine!). It was wonderful! 2) it was the little things (little for him, big for us) that were the icing on the cake. From the time I inquired about the tours to the end of the tours, he was always quickly responsive to all our questions. He also provided a detailed list of recommended hotels in Bilbao and places for dinner, pintxos, desserts, and good drinks and sites to visit in the city. These lists were invaluable when it came time to choosing where we'd stay, what to visit and where to eat each day. He was spot on with his recommendations.
Finally, Mikel is kind, responsible and engaging to talk to. The day before our tour to San Sebastian, the electrical system in his comfortable car decided to flash warning signs. He decided the right thing to do was to take it in to the mechanic. He then followed through by renting a similar comfortable car so that we wouldn't miss our tour the next day. Mikel is a true professional and I would highly recommend any of his tours. We hope to come back and do the Rioja tour with him.
But besides all that, what we found so great about Mikel's tours were two things: 1) His wealth of knowledge about the Basque culture, history, economics, politics and architecture. He probably got sick of me peppering him with questions, but by the end of our two tours, I felt like I had just completed a college course in ancient and modern Basque culture (and cuisine!). It was wonderful! 2) it was the little things (little for him, big for us) that were the icing on the cake. From the time I inquired about the tours to the end of the tours, he was always quickly responsive to all our questions. He also provided a detailed list of recommended hotels in Bilbao and places for dinner, pintxos, desserts, and good drinks and sites to visit in the city. These lists were invaluable when it came time to choosing where we'd stay, what to visit and where to eat each day. He was spot on with his recommendations.
Finally, Mikel is kind, responsible and engaging to talk to. The day before our tour to San Sebastian, the electrical system in his comfortable car decided to flash warning signs. He decided the right thing to do was to take it in to the mechanic. He then followed through by renting a similar comfortable car so that we wouldn't miss our tour the next day. Mikel is a true professional and I would highly recommend any of his tours. We hope to come back and do the Rioja tour with him.
Written March 16, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Alexis R
Fort Collins, CO1 contribution
Mar 2024 • Family
This was my first time visiting Bilbao and the the surrounding areas of Basque Country. Mikel was incredibly kind and welcoming on the two tours we had with him. He made me feel so much more comfortable navigating the country while also customizing both experiences for my mom and I which made the tours feel even more special. We were even given advice on things to do on the days that we weren’t booked with him which I thought was amazing. To anyone thinking about visiting this area, I highly recommend booking a tour with ToursByBasques!
Written March 13, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
suebock
San Ramon, CA39 contributions
Feb 2024 • Couples
We didn’t know where to start for wine tasting in Basque Country, or for anything other than the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao. When we found Mikel, we breathed a sigh of relief. As a local and a native born in Bilbao, we knew we had hired the right guide. After finding out he was an exchange student in Michigan (I think), we knew he would understand some of the nuances of English. With all that said, Mikel was a delightful, funny, knowledgeable, and knew when to step back from our wine experience. We had some excellent conversations and would hire him again as the need arises. Highly recommend him.
Written February 28, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
la15ota
Morgan Hill, CA132 contributions
Dec 2023 • Family
We have the best time with Mikel. I contacted him about a tour and transportation from Bilbao to San Sebastian. We communicated via email and used Mikel's expertise to design our tour. During our tour, we learned a lot about the Basque region, its autonomy, past conflicts in the region, culture, and food. The vehicle was spacious for our family, and the drive was comfortable. We stopped and learned about unique places that only locals knew about. We saw "Dragonstone", a local surfing haunt, visited Guernica, and had a wonderful lunch in a local restaurant and continued on our way to San Sebastian where we discussed what we could expect for New Year's Eve from the locals.
Don't hesitate to work with Mikel, he knows his stuff and he's wonderful to work with.
Don't hesitate to work with Mikel, he knows his stuff and he's wonderful to work with.
Written January 9, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
love2cookandtravel
Brisbane, Australia340 contributions
Oct 2023 • Friends
A little late with our review but a huge highlight for us on a 2 week trip to Spain in Nov 23 was meeting Mikel & travelling with him on a private & personalised tour of the stunning Basque Country
Short on time with only a couple of days in Bilbao Mikel was able to fit in so much in the short time available
He met us at our hotel, provided an informative walking tour to markets, monuments & pintxos places while imparting heaps of interesting stories only a born & bred local could know
Ending the tour at the stunning Guggenheim Mikel stayed with us to point out so many secret spaces as our guide
Next day was even better
We were picked up in Mikel’s car and toured several towns along the coast, all with fascinating stories and some off the beaten path
We had time for Mikel to take us to a favourite restaurant for lunch to try local delicacies
We could never have covered the amount of attractions & highlights on our own and Mikel proved to be excellent company
On his website it states ‘come as a visitor, leave as a friend’ & that is exactly how we felt
Short on time with only a couple of days in Bilbao Mikel was able to fit in so much in the short time available
He met us at our hotel, provided an informative walking tour to markets, monuments & pintxos places while imparting heaps of interesting stories only a born & bred local could know
Ending the tour at the stunning Guggenheim Mikel stayed with us to point out so many secret spaces as our guide
Next day was even better
We were picked up in Mikel’s car and toured several towns along the coast, all with fascinating stories and some off the beaten path
We had time for Mikel to take us to a favourite restaurant for lunch to try local delicacies
We could never have covered the amount of attractions & highlights on our own and Mikel proved to be excellent company
On his website it states ‘come as a visitor, leave as a friend’ & that is exactly how we felt
Written January 1, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Sarah M
1 contribution
Nov 2023 • Friends
My brother and I had such a wonderful time with Mikel during the two days he showed us around Bilbao and the neighboring areas. We saw things with him we never would have found on our own (the Salt Valley!) and it felt more like spending the day with a friend than with a guide.
He is knowledgeable but also very personable. Him taking us to a bunch of pinxtos places was one of my favorite days in Spain and really let us feel like we were experiencing Bilbao as a local would. I would highly recommend his tours and plan to see him again if I one day return to the Basque country.
He is knowledgeable but also very personable. Him taking us to a bunch of pinxtos places was one of my favorite days in Spain and really let us feel like we were experiencing Bilbao as a local would. I would highly recommend his tours and plan to see him again if I one day return to the Basque country.
Written December 16, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Megan B
1 contribution
Nov 2023 • Couples
Spending a week in Spain was amazing, having tours with Mikel in the Bilbao area was epic. He has a way about him that he shares a lot of knowledge, but makes it digestible, entertaining, and fun. We saw things that are not the typical tourist attractions nor would we have found on our own or with another tour guide. Our time with him felt more like spending a acuople of days wiht a very well informed friend than it did a tour of the area.
I have some finicky food preferences which made navigating the pintxos experience on our own and not speaking the language difficult. The pintxos tour experience with Mikel changed that entirely and was so much fun - and delicious!
If you are heading to the Basque Country, his input, expertise and experience with him is not to be missed to get the best of the area! we look forward to returning and seeing more with him.
I have some finicky food preferences which made navigating the pintxos experience on our own and not speaking the language difficult. The pintxos tour experience with Mikel changed that entirely and was so much fun - and delicious!
If you are heading to the Basque Country, his input, expertise and experience with him is not to be missed to get the best of the area! we look forward to returning and seeing more with him.
Written December 3, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Shilpi P
2 contributions
Nov 2023 • Couples
What a wonderful way to learn about Bilbao, from the old town Bilbao, off the beaten paths, the museum, cathedrals dated back from 12th to 14th century, to of course the pintxos. It is steeped in history and surrounded by nice and beautiful towns.
I will say having Mikel show his hometown with pride in a good way and eat pintxos at the best bars, where he frequents, and make it personable left indelible memories. We have had many tour guides, but for us, what made this the "best" experience was having someone who was native to the region, grew up, and most importantly, we hit it off Mikel right away. He is personable, and a wonderful person, more than a guide! We highly recommend him! Thank you Mikel!
I will say having Mikel show his hometown with pride in a good way and eat pintxos at the best bars, where he frequents, and make it personable left indelible memories. We have had many tour guides, but for us, what made this the "best" experience was having someone who was native to the region, grew up, and most importantly, we hit it off Mikel right away. He is personable, and a wonderful person, more than a guide! We highly recommend him! Thank you Mikel!
Written November 25, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
FRW99
Roseville, CA145 contributions
Oct 2023 • Couples
My wife and I recently spent 2+ weeks in Spain and one of the highlights was spending a day and a half touring with Mikel. We found Mikel personable, accommodating, and a wealth of knowledge all things in Basque country. He is one of the best private guides we've had the pleasure of knowing.
The first tour we had was the walking tour of Bilbao/Pintxos tour. This was a great introduction and orientation to Bilbao. Also, Mikel took us to several of his favorite Basque bars and "showed us the ropes" on how to order wine and Pintxos. We were blown away by the quality of the wine (Txakoli!) and the wonderful PIntxos.
Due to weather, we had to make some last minute changes to our second (full day) tour, but Mikel quickly put together a wonderful itinerary that did not disappoint. The highlight of the second tour was seeing Gernika. Seeing Gernika is foundational to appreciating the Basque people and its history. Additionally, Gernika's historical significance to Democracy is right up there with Boston and Philadelphia.
One of our favorite aspects of the experience was getting to know Mikel, learning about the Basque culture and history. He will take you to the bars and restaurants that locals favor. Mikel will also take you to sights that you would never find on your own (like a medieval castle hidden in the woods). We could have never have had the same, great experience on our own...so glad we took these tours with Mikel. We look forward to coming back some day and doing another tour with Mikel.
The first tour we had was the walking tour of Bilbao/Pintxos tour. This was a great introduction and orientation to Bilbao. Also, Mikel took us to several of his favorite Basque bars and "showed us the ropes" on how to order wine and Pintxos. We were blown away by the quality of the wine (Txakoli!) and the wonderful PIntxos.
Due to weather, we had to make some last minute changes to our second (full day) tour, but Mikel quickly put together a wonderful itinerary that did not disappoint. The highlight of the second tour was seeing Gernika. Seeing Gernika is foundational to appreciating the Basque people and its history. Additionally, Gernika's historical significance to Democracy is right up there with Boston and Philadelphia.
One of our favorite aspects of the experience was getting to know Mikel, learning about the Basque culture and history. He will take you to the bars and restaurants that locals favor. Mikel will also take you to sights that you would never find on your own (like a medieval castle hidden in the woods). We could have never have had the same, great experience on our own...so glad we took these tours with Mikel. We look forward to coming back some day and doing another tour with Mikel.
Written November 22, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Mila
Brooklyn, NY6 contributions
Nov 2023 • Couples
Great experience spending a day driving thru Basque Country with Mikel. We got picked up in Bilbao, spent 7+ hours driving thru little towns, making stops to see beautiful coastal views and places, had a great lunch at a small cafe where we were introduced to a very tasty local food, and then dropped off at the hotel in San Sebastián.
It was very easy to communicate and coordinate with Mikel. His knowledge of the area, personal expertise, all suggestions and recommendations for places to see and foods to try, made our visit so much more memorable. Highly recommend Mikel as your guide if you plan to visit Basque Country.
It was very easy to communicate and coordinate with Mikel. His knowledge of the area, personal expertise, all suggestions and recommendations for places to see and foods to try, made our visit so much more memorable. Highly recommend Mikel as your guide if you plan to visit Basque Country.
Written November 17, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
morels123
Detroit, MI32 contributions
Recommendation and cost of private driver in northern Spain
MikelBasqueGuide
Bilbao, Spain4,427 contributions
Hi!! Thanks for contacting! What are your plans and when are you planning to come? There´s so much to do and to see! You may want to contact me through my email on my web page (TripAdvisor does not allow me to send this kind of info)
Jay168
New York City, NY1 contribution
How do I contact Toursbybasques?
MikelBasqueGuide
Bilbao, Spain4,427 contributions
Hi, TripAdvisor does not allow me to send you may email or my web page, so please google "Toursbybasques" (one word) and most probably I´ll be on the first page. Thanks!
Lou A
New York City, NY69 contributions
We will be visiting the Bilbao area the week of September 22 and are interested in a private tour, (6 adults) of the wine region.
Can you organize a trip for us?
Lou Ambrogio
MikelBasqueGuide
Bilbao, Spain4,427 contributions
Hi Lou, thanks very much! Yes, that´s my kind of tour, I love the Rioja wine region. Can you please send me an email to my web address (TripAdvisor does not allow me to send you my email or web, it´s ToursByBasques on the web), so I can send you a proposal? Thanks!
philk2011
Newcastle, Australia19 contributions
My wife and I will be visiting Bilbao and San Sebastian from 7th July until 10th July. We would like to experience a wine tasting and food experience in the Rioja region for a day on Saturday 7th, from Bilbao.
Do you have any tours you could offer or recommend.
thank you,
Phill
0413608011
MikelBasqueGuide
Bilbao, Spain4,427 contributions
Hi Phill, thanks for contacting. I offer a private tour to Rioja based on visiting two family wineries where they´ve been producing wine for generations, as well as the walled medieval town of Laguardia. Could you send my your email or contact me through my email so I can send you some tour proposals? Thanks!
arrussell84
Brooklyn, NY
How do I book a tour with ToursByBasques? Interested in March 29 tour focusing on art.
MikelBasqueGuide
Bilbao, Spain4,427 contributions
Hi, thanks so much for contacting, but unfortunately I´ll be away on Easter vacation that same day. I´m available on March 28, not sure if it´d fit you...but thanks so much in any case for contacting!
tata1215
Miami, FL41 contributions
My husband&I planning trip to Northern Spain,we would like to rent a car & drive as much as possible while visiting towns,villages,wineries,etc.In my research,found ideas,however not certain if we should begin in Barcelona.Flying from Florida,USA. Like to spend 2-3 nights in Barcelona.....maybe on our return back home??
MikelBasqueGuide
Bilbao, Spain4,427 contributions
Weather is highly unpredictable, northern Spain is a rainy area, while Barcelona and the mediterranean is mostly dry. What areas of northern Spain you plan to visit? You may want to contact me at my direct email.