Basque Pyrenees Traveller Reviews

We completed the 6 night Basque Pyrenees to San Sebastian hike and loved every minute. There was enough challenge in the hill climbs to get the blood pumping and the legs working, and enough drama in the via ferrata section to get a buzz, without real fear of of slipping (much easier to say no it is done!). We went in late May and the weather was perfect. I am not sure if this is normal for for that time of the year but the sun shone us and the breeze came in when we needed it. The accommodation each night was of a high standard, with most being places we would definitely chose to stay in. Last time we used On Foot (Dolomites) we extended our stay by additional nights and if we had the time for this trip we really would have loved to have stayed in some of the same accommodations in the villages/towns for an additional night - just to make the most of them! We used the map app and walking notes - this took all the stress out of having to map read and we were able to take it all in and enjoy what was going on around us. Forest and farmlands, ridge walks, Pyrenees ponies, and every corner turned opening up to another spectacular view. Aznar, our local contact, was there if we needed him and the recommendations made for where to eat when dinner was not included were spot on. We were absolutely confident that if anything happened or support was required, Aznar would have been able to sort it out. San Sebastian is the perfect reward at the end of the hike! We had an extra night there at the end, and could have easily had another. A gorgeous place to explore, and eat/drink your way around. Finally, the other two groups doing the hike at the same time as us were brilliant. Great to be able to catch up with others at the end of the day, but still feel like the mountains all to ourselves.

As mentioned we have used On Foot before and are making plans to book again. We feel confident in booking with them knowing that everything will be taken care of and all we need to do is make sure we are hike ready. Any questions are answered quickly and all efforts are made to ensure there is nothing to worry about in the lead up to the trip, and during it. Love the range of options on offer and how easy it is to add nights. On Foot also make sure there are options to shorten distances or skip trickier bits. We haven't had to use these options - yet - but appreciate that they are there!

We set out for our starting point in Arizkun, with some trepidation, as the weather forecast, for the next five days, was very overcast and wet. However, we had mostly glorious sunshine and no rain at all for the four days of walking. We explored very interesting landscapes, architecture and culture and we thoroughly enjoyed this On Foot Holiday. Would strongly recommend, but a good level of fitness is needed.

Tour operator could not have been more helpful and attentive.

We walked from place to place in the Basque pyrenees ending up in San Sebastian.

They're lovely to deal with, highly efficient and helpful in a crisis.

This was a fantastic and varied walk, beginning in the mountains, then opening out as we neared the coast, veering into France for a bit, before finally arriving in San Sebastian. The itinerary even included a couple of short boat rides, which were fun. Our accommodations along the way were fantastic and always a welcome rest at the end of each day. We had some gorgeous views along the way, which kept us going, especially after some of the steeper climbs. And we really enjoyed the opportunity to take a bit of a detour to "bag a French peak" along the way. Our local guide, though we never actually met him, had great recommendations for fun places to eat and other helpful advice. The route notes provided by On Foot, along with the electronic route data they provided for the Pocket Earth app, made navigating easy and worry free. It was a wonderful eight days in the hills and along the coast!

We felt the whole trip was extremely well organized and everything went very smoothly. The help, guidance and advice we received from the On Foot team in planning our trip was excellent, and we couldn’t have asked for more. We did two hikes back-to-back, and their coordination and advice about our travel details between and at the end of each hike (including details about connecting trains and buses) was very useful and beyond what we expected for the sections of our trip which they weren’t planning. The local guide contacts were also super helpful, responsive and a pleasure to work with.

The eight-day hike through the Basque Pyrenees was delightful. The trails and terrain were varied in difficulty and scenery, and the accommodations included some of the most comfortable and quaint we’ve stayed in on similar hikes. Notable, too, was the exceptional customer service from On Foot. We were assigned a local contact that provided immediate assistance when needed, let us know about weather conditions that might have affected our day’s hike, made dinner recommendations, and even suggested a route alteration when a storm was on the horizon so we wouldn’t miss out on what was billed as the most stunning portion of the trip.in addition to the local contact, the office staff provided on-the-ground support when we had a question about the GPS file for our trip. We’ve done self-guided trips with other companies and this one with On Foot ranked at the top.

See above.

Seven solid days walking in the Baztan valley then along the French border, down to the Atlantic and along the coast to San Sebastián. Excellent routes cleverly joining small villages, no transfers required at all, and finishing in bigger Hondarribia then SS.

Our third OnFoot holiday, all been very good but this one absolutely excellent. In other words it was what we were looking for - lots of walking, largely unspoilt countryside, interesting culture (history, farming, food and drink, language), not many Brits!! Excellent walking notes and maps.

A delightful combination of characterful villages, varied, scenic walking on ridges and coast and a unique mix of charming accommodation that allowed us to experience friendly Basque culture and cuisine. Thoroughly enjoyed exploring this hidden area of rural Spain.

Very efficient, knowledgeable and helpful. Walking routes were attractive and original, supported with very detailed written notes, with the option of digital maps. In addition, the WhatsApp contact with local guide was a real bonus.

All of it was fantastic.

All communication was excellent.

A fantastic well planned walk full of delightful cultural experiences and surprises - enchanting villages and valleys (each one with a different character); amazing oak forests; verdant green (so green) pastures; colourful spring wildflowers; misty mornings followed by sunny afternoons; welcoming hosts who treated us to very warm hospitality; varied walking through farmland, forests, and some lovely ridge walks. One of our favourite days was a day when the country was cloaked in misty rain all day and we we arrived to a local guest house in one of the smaller villages to be treated to a welcoming meal of pimientos, a glass of wine and fresh local cherries for desert. The memory will stay with us always! The trip had so many highlights it is hard to name them all but one that was very special was the night we discovered by chance that the whole village was gathering in the town square for a night of storytelling and traditional Basque dancing and singing, accompanied by local musicians. It was fantastic to gain these small insights into Basque culture, and left us wanting to know more about the history and ways of life of the Basque people.

This was our fourth walk with On Foot, and as always the support from the central office in advance of the walk was very helpful. Every question we had was answered promptly, and the advice for planning our itinerary (including some rest days) was excellent. The combination of walking notes, maps and GPS routes made planning each day easy, and we never had any difficulty navigating any of the routes. We had planned to take some of the shortening options, but the walking notes and opportunity to see different parts of the region enticed us to take the longer options most days. The support from Aznar - our local contact - was outstanding. He made sure we knew what restaurants were open, gave us advice when were a bit concerned about the impact of the rain on our next day's route, checked in on how we were going especially early on, and made sure our luggage got from Bera to Hondarribia before a local strike blockaded the border.

We walked Basque Pyrenees to San Sebastian. The daily routes were challenging but all achievable with some great places to stay and of course recommendations where to find excellent food in the evening. The walk had a purpose heading back to the coast and was meticulously planned from village to village through magnificent green Basque countryside. It’s yet another great job by On Foot in finding and mapping the route and also the charming small hotels and village houses each night.

On Foot are for us consistently the best walking holiday company with challenging routes with a sense of purpose, great places to stay of an interesting variety and good places to eat. They reply promptly when setting up the holiday and working through available dates and the knowledgable staff are all hugely helpful and a pleasure to work with.