Visiting Basque Cider House near San Sebastian was one of the most unique foodie experiences of my recent trip to Northern Spain. Booking a cider-tasting tour with a local guide is a travel plan that I can highly recommend to anyone heading to San Sebastian or The Basque Country.
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Visiting Basque Cider House near San Sebastian
Traveling to San Sebastian
One of the biggest discoveries of my recent trip to San Sebastian was a delicious homemade lunch & tour at the local Basque Cider House. While I have previously visited Northern Spain quite a few times, it was my first ever cider-tasting experience in the Basque Country. You can check out my past trips in the region under the Basque Country hashtag.
Cider & The Basque Country
Cider is one of the most traditional drinks in the Basque Country. Locals call it sagardoa, where sagar stands for apple and ardoa means wine. Through the Middle Ages, the Basque cider was often taken instead of water to prevent diseases or as a sailor´s drink rich in vitamin C.
These days 90% of the Basque cider is produced in the area surrounding San Sebastian, so visiting Basque Cider House is an amazing San Sebastian day trip idea. Currently, the popularity of cider in the Basque Country is growing and the drink itself has turned into an unmissable attribute of local festivities.
My Tour with EatWith
If you plan to spend a few days in San Sebastian, visiting Basque Cider House is one of the most unique things to do in the Basque Country. Eatwith is an ultimate platform for foodies, which offers dinners with locals, cooking classes & food tours around the world, while establishing connection between travelers and locals – you can read more here. Here´s the link to the unique Eatwith tour I was joining:
- Basque cider house & lunch with transport (check availability)
Visiting Basque Cider House
Basque Cider House Tour
For visiting Basque Cider House a local guide picked our mini-group up in the city center of San Sebastian (which was so comfortable given the fact that we did not need to search for the place on our own). During the tour, we walked around the apple orchards, the production areas, the original press, and the old cellar, while learning more about the traditional cider-making process in the Basque Country. Afterward, we got a chance to taste local cider with a few tapas.
Pouring cider into the glass straight from the barrel made us all feel so clumsy (and spill out, of course), but following this local tradition ( called “Txotx“) was so much fun. While I have previously tried Spanish cider in Asturias and visited one of the biggest Basque cider houses, Petritegi, this family-owned cider house tour was an entirely different experience.
Firstly, since we were a group of 8, it all felt way more local & personal. Secondly, the tour ended up with a delicious home-made lunch (which has turned out as one of the highlights of my recent culinary experiences in the Basque Country). Thirdly, the Basque Cider House we visited was founded in 1563 (so it partially felt like a museum tour).
The Traditional Cider House Menu
After the tour and brief tastings, it was time to gather around a huge table to share the traditional Cider House Menu – one of the most delicious meals I have ever had in the Basque country. It´s no secret that sharing food has been one of the most sacred bonding rituals around the world. In our case, we had people from 7 different countries raising and clinking the grasses together while saying “osasuna” (e.g. Cheers to health in Basque).
It is incredible how easily you can connect with strangers over a delicious meal. In our case, despite English being the main cultural bridge, the words of Basque, Spanish, German, Hebrew, and Russian we casually spoken out at the very same table. The Traditional Cider House Menu included a cod omelet, a baked cod, a local steak, and Idiazabal sheep-milk cheese (with apple jelly & nuts) for dessert. Everyone felt so full by the moment those 3 huge Grilled T-bone steaks were brought to the table: the waiter cheered us up with the Spanish “ole” lol.
While the traditional Basque Cuisine is all about meat & fish, we had a few vegetarians at the table too (their plates looked so good as well). You can check out more fun videos from my visit to this traditional Basque Cider House via this IG Highlight.
Beyond the cider, San Sebastián has so much to offer – and in the video below I give you my full honest comparison of Bilbao and San Sebastián, including my favourite experiences, tours worth booking, budget parking tips, and the day trips that genuinely blew me away.
Read more about my foodie adventures in Spain:
- Winter Foods in Spain: The Best Hearty Spanish Stews and Soups to Try (read it)
- Best Spanish Tapas and How to Make Them at Home (read it)
- Best Local Food Experiences in Spain Not To Miss (read it)
- Top Foods in the Pyrenees of Spain (read it)
- Tapas & Flamenco Tour in Barcelona (read it)
- Delicious Breakfast in Madrid: My Favorite Spots & Avocado Toasts (read it)
- My Amazing Spanish Cooking Class in Madrid (read it)
- Family, Countryside, and Cooking The Traditional Paella (read it)
- Breakfast in Valencia: Cute Cafes You Will Love (read it)
- Spanish Eating Habits: Almuerzo in Valencia (read it)
- 10+ Best Local Food Souvenirs from Spain (read it)
- Traditional Spanish Food in Local Villages: Part 1 (read it)
- An Amazing Artichoke Tasting Menu in Benicarlo (read it)
- Gastronomic Weeks in Spain: A Hazelnut Menu (read it)
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For more Spain travel tips check out my Pinterest board Spain Travel Collection and Flipboard Travel to Spain.
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Damn what a cool experience! That food looks amazing.
The meal looks absolutely delicious. A little bit big for a person like me, but I would definitely take a good taste of all the dishes. I’ve never tried (or heard of) a cod omelet, so now I know where to find it!
I didn’t realize cider tourism was thing, that’s awesome. This region of Spain is now on my list places I want to visit. Thanks for the article
Enjoyed your blog post! It is interesting that the Basque cide hourse visit in San Sebastian not only lets you taste the cider but also includes a nice meal. That cod omelette and Idiazabal cheese images look inviting! 🙂
I had no idea cider was so popular in Basque country. Your post inspired me to explore that part of Spain next. The tour looks amazing, and that baked cod looks delicious!