Walking North Spain — Attraction in San Sebastián

We just got back from the best girls’ trip of all time. Javier was the best guide ever, hands down. We called him very last minute to set up a trip in November, not the ideal time due to weather, but he did a fantastic job putting together a flawless trip down to the smallest detail. We loved how he combined culture, food, small town visits and first class hiking. Though we were a hiking-focused group, we appreciated seeing great towns, Roman churches, beautiful rural villages and learning all about Basque and Aragonese culture and history through the eyes of someone who grew up in this region. Fluent in Spanish, French, Euskari and English, Javier was able to explain everything to us in sharp detail.

We enjoyed hearing of his hiking exploits – he knows literally every peak in the Pyrenees and can tell you how high each one is and when he climbed it. He was very considerate and compassionate and even when the going got rough, he maintained his professional humor and grace.

He planned our trip down to the last detail which we appreciated, even at short notice. He met us in San Sebastian and from then on, he did all the driving, dinner reservations, hotels, and even phoned the restaurants in advance when he wasn’t at dinner with us to make sure they gave us white glove treatment. We jokingly nicknamed ourselves the “princesses” but only because he treated us like princesses, or even better, like family. Even during challenging hikes, he maintained a calm and supportive demeanor and we just couldn’t stop laughing and having fun at every turn. We have done several hiking trips in the Alps, but I can say that Javier was as knowledgeable if not more so than any of our previous guides. In terms of Northern Spain and France, there is not a road, bridge, tunnel or town that Javier doesn’t know intimately. It was so relaxing to leave all the planning to Javier (and his wife) and just enjoy the beautiful surroundings, amazing hikes, Spanish hospitality and good cheer. Though we saw a lot in a week, there is so much more to see and we look forward to returning every year to explore more mountains in the gorgeous Pyrenees and challenging ourselves. We can’t recommend him highly enough and look forward to returning as...

I can't say enough great things about Walking North Spain. From start to finish, Javier took great care of us. My wife, my son (age 6) and I were traveling to San Sebastian, and we wanted to see some of the natural beauty of Basque Country as well as the culture. Javier arranged everything from picking us up at the Hendaye train station to seeing us off on our last day, dropping us off at the bus station for the ride to Pamplona. There was no need to rent a car because most activities were within walking distance. For the less accessible places, Javier was able to drive us. Javier took us on a pintxo tour our first night in town. Obviously, he knew all the best places and helped us understand the culture around bars and eating in San Sebastian. He also organized some phenomenal hikes and cultural visits around the French and Spanish Basque Country. We have previously been almost exclusively independent travelers, never hiring a guide. We are extremely pleased that we chose to let Walking North Spain organize this trip. We learned so much more about the culture and saw places that tourists would never see thanks to Javier's experience and knowledge of the area. I can't recommend them...

Myself and 3 women friends ‘of a certain age’ were guided on an 8-day trip in the Western Pyrenees by Javier. From the moment he picked us up at the bus station to the moment he returned us to San Sebastián, he took care of absolutely everything, always graciously and with good humour. Arrangements for the trip were all made beforehand with Javier to determine beautiful walks, friendly accommodations, excellent (and plentiful) food and wine as well as transportation. As it happened, it was necessary for him to change some of the planned walks due to our limitations as walkers, but he did this seamlessly as he knows those mountains and villages intimately from a lifetime of hiking and many years as a mountain guide. We were all totally impressed with his generosity of spirit and love and knowledge of his Pyrenees! He went beyond what would be expected as a guide, even taking us around pintxos bars in San Sebastián a couple off days after the end of our trip. I am already looking at booking another trip with him: he is a gem and Walking North Spain is the way to go! Big hugs to to you Javier, until next time!...