Original Food Tour, Wine Pairings

A guided walk through Bilbao's pintxo bars, with local wine pairings poured alongside each stop. The tour runs about 3 hours and is rated 4.8 from 1025 reviews, with from-prices at $117 per person. Expect a mix of old-town taverns and neighborhood counters, plus txakoli and Basque cider along the way.

Overview

Five bars, eight or nine pintxos, and five drinks, all packed into three hours of bar hopping through the oldest part of Bilbao. The guides are Basque, born and raised in the city, and the whole point of the tour is to eat the way locals do: moving from bar to bar, ordering the special pintxos that never sit out on the counter, and drinking whatever pairs best with what is on the plate.

The route mixes old and new. Some stops are among the oldest bars in the city, others are modern, and the pintxos range from traditional bites to winners from pintxo competitions. Between stops the guide covers Basque culture and history, plus a few historical sites in a part of town that dates back to 1300. Drinks include red and white wine, cider, and other options, each matched to the food.

One practical thread runs through the whole tour: learning how to order. Pintxo bars can overwhelm a first-time visitor, so the guide shows you the system and how to ask for the off-counter specials. By the end, the idea is that you can walk into any bar in the city and know exactly what to ask for. Come hungry, because the listing is blunt about it: this is a full dinner, not a snack.

What's Included

Itinerary

1. Meet the guideMeet right in front of the KFC. There is no hotel pickup or drop-off.
2. Guided walk and tastingsA guided tour of Bilbao with wine tasting and food tasting over 3 hours, moving between five bars in the oldest part of the city.
3. Bar hopping with pairingsAt each stop, sample pintxos with a drink chosen to suit the food. Options include red wine, white wine, cider, beer, and water.
4. Tour endsThe listing does not state an end location. The listing suggests returning to your favorite bars later in your trip for more pintxo sampling on your own.

What To Expect From The Tour

A few things are worth knowing before you book, from the meeting point to how much food is actually involved.

• Come hungry. The listing is clear that the tour amounts to a full dinner, not a light tasting. Eight or nine pintxos across five bars is a proper meal.
• Meeting point. There is no hotel pickup, so you need to make your own way to the KFC meeting point.
• Guides set the tone. Reviewers repeatedly praise the guides for their knowledge of Basque history and gastronomy, and several mention their enthusiasm and sense of fun. The guides are Basque, born and raised in Bilbao.
• History with the food. Several travellers said the historical context was a highlight, not a filler. Expect commentary on Bilbao and the Basque Country between stops, not just a list of what you are eating.
• Drinks and pairings. Five drinks are included, with red wine, white wine, cider, beer, and water as options. The guide pairs the wine with the food, and reviewers often single out the pairings as a strength.
• Book early in your stay. The listing suggests taking the tour at the beginning of a Bilbao trip. You learn the best bars and how to order in them, which is useful for the rest of your visit.

Common issues. A few reviewers felt the price was high for what was included, which is worth weighing against the amount of food and drink. Gratuities are not included, and neither is hotel pickup or drop-off. The tour runs in English only.

Common Questions