'Basque Cider House' guided tour + meal from San Sebastian
4.9
25 Ratings
Donostia
Experience the Basque Cider House tour and meal from San Sebastian. Discover the secrets of this ancient drink and indulge in a traditional cider house menu.
Duration: 4 hours
Cancellation: 1 day learn more
Highlights
  • Sagardotegia Petritegi - Immerse yourself in the traditional \’Txotx!\’ ceremony, savor authentic Basque cider, and delve into our ancestral roots!

Are you keen to experience a cider house but unsure of how to find one? Our tour is your perfect answer. We offer a convenient pickup service from San Sebastian, where our expert guide will introduce you to the ancient beverage intimately tied to Basque heritage, culture, and culinary traditions. Explore the apple groves, the historical farmhouse cider presses and storage areas, the cider production zones, and the storied cellars. Of course, you\’ll also sample the naturally crafted cider as the Basques do: straight from the bottle and by engaging in the \’Txotx\’ ritual.

The call of \’Txoootx!\’ signals the time to enjoy Natural Cider directly from the cask while indulging in a Classic Cider House Menu. During the Txotx Ritual, you\’ll have the opportunity to try ciders from various barrels within our cider house cellars, accompanied by a customary cider house feast. Once the visit concludes, we\’ll transport you back to San Sebastian, allowing you to continue reveling in the beauty of our region.

What's Included
  • Private transportation
  • Snacks
  • In-vehicle air conditioning
  • All fees and/or taxes included
  • Alcoholic Beverages
  • Lunch provided
Additional Information

We will be there to collect you from San Sebastian, providing you an opportunity to uncover, guided by our expert, the mysteries of this age-old beverage so deeply rooted in the Basque Country and its culinary and cultural traditions. You’ll get to explore the apple groves, the farmhouse presses/stores, cider-making regions, storage areas and of course, indulge in some authentic, homemade cider the way we, the Basques do it: straight from the bottle, following the ‘Txotx’ ritual.

‘Txoootx!’ is an invitation to savour cider straight from the casks while feasting on a typical cider house menu. Experience the ritual of Txotx as you sample cider from several barrels in the basements of our cider houses, simultaneously relishing a traditional cider house spread. Ample time will be provided for you to fully appreciate the sumptuous cider house menu.

  • May be operated by a multi-lingual guide
Location
Bengoetxea Kalea, 2
Bengoetxea Kalea
City centre, next to Gipuzkoa square and in front of bar Koh Tao.
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
4.9
(25 Ratings)
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Geodoctress
May 21, 2024
This Cider House Rules! Vale! - Maia was a great guide! We learned so much about apples, cider-making, and Basque culture from her, including attitudes toward the land as well as the role that cider has played in the society and economy of the Basque region. We really enjoyed getting to know the others on our trip, too! 7 of us in total plus Maia. And then: the food! The award-winning all-you-can eat tortilla de bacalao, fried bacalao with sautéed peppers, and one of the very best T-bone steaks ever (and I am from Nebraska and take steak seriously!). Oh, and the non-stop sidre!!!! It is amazing that we weren’t drunk afterwards but the 3-hour pace was perfect. It really was an enjoyable afternoon. BTW, this tour operator also does a sheep farm experience. If we’d been around another day we would have done that,
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Yoel
Apr 19, 2024
Incredible - I am a single mother and this really was a very interesting adventure, the truth is that I really liked it, I went with my son Larry (who is autistic) he didn't like it very much because he couldn't try the cider, we already know how capricious these children are hehe , I attach a photo
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Linda-baxter77
Mar 8, 2024
Fabulous tour! - We got picked up promptly at 12 by Maia and she was such a wonderful guide, the cider house experience was fascinating and the whole process was really interesting. The cider itself was wonderful and it was great to try all of the different barrels, the food was outstanding and the service was excellent, all of the food piping hot and delicious. Really couldn’t have gone any better, my husband and I loved it. Thanks for looking after us.
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Abigage
Oct 15, 2023
No hesitation in recommending! - Truly awesome - had an amazing time and our guide was fantastic. No hesitation in recommending! The food is as superb as the tour and the cider - what a find!
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David_m
Sep 11, 2023
Great experience. - Great experience, and the cider and lunch (especially the t-bone steak) were delicious. Our guide Mia from Sagardoa Route was excellent. Would highly recommend.
Review provided by Viator
Rachael
Sep 6, 2023
A must visit! - This was a great day! I would highly recommend signing up. Miya was an incredible guide, multitasking between English and French and basque all day to communicate with the group. The cider house tour itself was very interesting and cool to see, it is family run and has been producing cider for the last 3 generations. Lunch provided was fantastic, we enjoyed the cod omelette, filet of cod, the best steak we have ever had in our lives, and some cookies and nuts and cheese for dessert. The cider is all you can drink and you are allowed to go to the cider room to pour your own. Such a fun day and would absolutely encourage everyone to visit!
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Théo
Aug 7, 2023
Very nice excursion! - Very friendly visit, the cider was excellent, the meal was delicious and very generous! Excellent quality/price ratio Our guide Maïalen took great care of us from start to finish, it shows that she is passionate about what she does every day! Really a great excursion, I recommend!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Mariaaaba
Jul 20, 2023
A memorable sidra (cider) tasting day - We had a great experience with Maddalen as our guide. She picked us up and dropped us off right in San Sebastián and it was obvious to see the pride she has for her region. She gave a thorough and very fun tour of the cider house called Saizar. I can't recommend this place enough. The cider was outstanding and the food was so delicious. The love and care that goes into this process is truly unreal. It was very special to be able to take part in a tradition that dates back so many centuries.
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Teresamx5010ic
Jun 23, 2023
Great afternoon - The guide was so friendly and informative. Food was very delicious. The girl in the barrel room was lovely. Topa!!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Rachh_477
Jun 4, 2023
Brilliant cider tour and traditional meal - A last minute booking and I am so glad I did this! The tour was by the wonderful Mya who took us around the Saizar cider house. Full of knowledge and able to explain the process really well. The self pouring of cider was brilliant and the sit down meal was delicious. Eating and drinking with strangers from around the world but they didn’t feel like strangers once the cider flowed!
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2 Adult
June 2024
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