GoPlaces59246743586, Aug 2026
Excellent week in the Basque Region of Spain and France with The Basque Way
Our group of four couples had a most enjoyable trip to the Basque region of Spain and southern France, guided by Etienne Lecuivre of The Basque Way. Our excellent experience with him started with our planning our itinerary together. Of all the guiding firms we contacted, Etienne clearly had the best knowledge of the region and command of the English language, which proved to be most helpful the entire trip. Not only did he command English, but he also spoke French, Basque, Spanish, and probably other languages. We asked him to design an itinerary where we could focus on the people, culture, art, history, and food/wine of the region. For our week with Etienne, we spent three nights in Bilbao and four nights in San Sebastian. From there we took walking tours of the cities and excursions to the surrounding cities/villages of the Basque region. Etienne performed in every respect. He provided a comfortable Mercedes van that accommodated us 8 with luggage, he drove us the entire week and guided us in many locations personally. Since he knew of our particular interest in history and culture, he also subcontracted guides in several locations. Cameron guided us in Gernika and Getaria and provided excellent walking tour of the history and culture of the region. In Hondarribia, Marta was excellent. Charles guided us in Saint-Jean-de-Luz and Bayonne and couldn’t have been more informative, positive, and educational. One day we spent in the countryside of the region and Etienne’s colleague, Arnaud, guided us there. He has particular insight in the region, is a native of the area, and introduced us to things that most tours would not have covered. He was also excellent and even challenged us to a game of Pala on an outside court in one of the villages. One of the highlights of the week was a preparing our own meal with a local chef Jerôme in Bayonne at L’Appartenance. All in all, we can recommend Etienne and The Basque Way without reservation.
