Would you like to offer your group a stay where Basque villages, Pyrenean peaks, the Atlantic coast and regional flavours follow one another from one excursion to the next? From the Résidence Les Collines Iduki in La Bastide-Clairence, travellers can enjoy a group tour in the Basque Country lasting from 2 to 8 days. Espelette, La Rhune, Sare, Saint-Jean-de-Luz, Bayonne and Biarritz make up a programme rich in heritage, scenery and encounters with local craftspeople and producers. Here is a package designed to make life easier for associations, agencies, coach operators and group travel professionals.
A group tour at the heart of the Basque Country, from La Bastide-Clairence
The stay starts out from La Bastide-Clairence, at the heart of the Basque Country. Listed among the “Plus Beaux Villages de France” (Most Beautiful Villages of France), according to the stay’s description, the village is an ideal base for a tour that radiates out between the inland countryside and the coast. Each day takes travellers to a new side of the region before they return to the same accommodation.
The group stays at the Résidence Les Collines Iduki, a 4-star hotel residence made up of 36 cottages. According to CircuitGroupes, it lies less than 30 minutes from the coast and from several Basque Country sites, which makes excursions easy. The same accommodation serves as a base throughout the stay, which also simplifies luggage handling and the pace of each day.
On arrival, participants settle into their apartments, where a welcome gift awaits them. The stay is then presented, followed by a complimentary aperitif at a dinner with a local flavour. The programme can then get under way, balancing cultural visits, scenery, regional specialities and meetings with producers.
This format fits perfectly with the Culture and Heritage tours offered by CircuitGroupes: the region itself becomes the common thread of the trip, with several complementary experiences in the course of a single stay.
Espelette, Sare and La Bastide-Clairence: villages steeped in Basque tradition
Villages play a major role in the tour. Espelette is one of the first stops. The group visits the village before meeting a pepper grower. On his farm, he presents his work and what makes the production of Espelette pepper so distinctive. A tasting rounds off the visit.
The day continues in Cambo-les-Bains with another speciality tied to local history: chocolate. The programme includes a visit to the chocolate museum of the artisan chocolatier Puyodebat, followed by a tasting of ten chocolates. The stay thus combines site visits with meetings with the people who keep regional know-how alive.
Sare brings another dimension to the tour. After the excursion to La Rhune, the group heads to this village, which the programme links to the history of smugglers. The day ends with a demonstration of how gâteau basque is made, followed by a tasting. Each stop thus brings together a place, a story and a speciality.
La Bastide-Clairence also features in the programme beyond its role as a starting point. A visit is devoted to the village before the journey to Saint-Martin-d’Arbéroue. This gives travellers time to get to know the area where they are staying.
La Rhune and Saint-Jean-de-Luz: between mountains and ocean
The Basque Country’s scenery changes quickly. The tour takes the group to La Rhune, which stands 905 metres high according to the programme. The ascent is made aboard the little rack railway, which CircuitGroupes dates back to 1924. From the summit, the panorama stretches from San Sebastián to the beaches of the Landes.
This day adds a scenic dimension to the stay that complements the heritage visits. Travellers move from inland villages to the Pyrenean peaks, then return to Sare and its local traditions.
The tour then heads to Saint-Jean-de-Luz for a guided visit. The fishing port, the bay and the narrow streets are all on the programme for this stop on the Basque coast. Once again the atmosphere changes: after the mountains and villages, the group discovers a maritime setting.
This variety is one of the stay’s great strengths. The distances in the programme make it possible to alternate between several settings from the same accommodation: countryside, mountains, towns and coastline.
For groups who would like to give even more room to scenery and walking, CircuitGroupes also offers a hiking stay in the Basque Country from Les Collines Iduki, with several routes led by a qualified mountain guide.
Bayonne and Biarritz: two stops on the Basque coast
Bayonne brings a new urban chapter to the tour. After La Bastide-Clairence and a meeting with a family of dairy sheep farmers, the group heads to the city for a visit. The day continues at an artisan charcutier’s, with a presentation of how Bayonne ham is made, followed by a tasting.
The programme also includes a stop in Biarritz. The group enjoys a ride on the little tourist train between the lighthouse and the Rocher de la Vierge. This excursion completes the discovery of the coast after Saint-Jean-de-Luz and opens the stay further onto the Atlantic Ocean.
The days therefore complement one another. The trip alternates between historic centres, villages, natural landscapes and gastronomic encounters. This diversity allows an association, a club or an agency to offer a group programme with a range of interests.
Basque specialities and know-how throughout the tour
Gastronomy features regularly throughout the stay. It comes through visits, meetings and tastings that bring the different stops to life. Espelette pepper opens the programme, followed by chocolate in Cambo-les-Bains and gâteau basque after the visit to Sare.
In Saint-Martin-d’Arbéroue, the group meets a family of dairy sheep farmers who make and mature Ossau-Iraty PDO cheeses on the farm. In Bayonne, the visit to an artisan offers a closer look at how the ham that bears the city’s name is made.
The stay also devotes a day to the Landes, with a market, a guided visit and a presentation on foie gras making as well as the smoking of salmon and trout. The programme thus broadens the trip to include the specialities of neighbouring areas.
These visits give local produce a tangible place in the trip. Participants meet producers and artisans, learn about each stage of production and taste the products discussed during the visits.
To plan other stays built around regional produce, you can also browse the Gastronomy tours from CircuitGroupes. This selection brings together programmes in which local specialities play an important part in the course of the trip.
A trip to the Spanish Basque Country and neighbouring areas
The programme also crosses the border after the visit to Saint-Jean-de-Luz. The group heads to Hondarribia for some free time in this Spanish fishing village with its colourful pedestrian streets. The outing continues in Irun, where participants have time set aside for the “ventas”, the shops mentioned in the tour programme.
This excursion adds a cross-border dimension to the stay. It enriches the programme while keeping La Bastide-Clairence as the place of accommodation.
Later on, a day takes travellers to Pau. The programme includes a visit to the Château of Henri IV, followed by a lunch of poule au pot (the traditional stuffed chicken in broth). The itinerary continues in Oloron-Sainte-Marie, with a visit to Tissages Lartigue 1910, a house dedicated to textile craftsmanship.
The tour thus goes beyond Basque stops alone, with several forays into neighbouring areas. This structure brings even more variety to a full eight-day programme.
Les Collines Iduki, accommodation suited to groups
Between excursions, the group returns to Les Collines Iduki in La Bastide-Clairence. The 4-star hotel residence has 36 cottages and is set in the countryside. CircuitGroupes also lists 36 possible room configurations: twin, double, triple and quadruple.
The restaurant seats 150 and serves Basque cuisine. For business groups or stays that require a shared space, the establishment also has a meeting room for 60 people.
Participants can enjoy a range of facilities in their free time: swimming pool, table tennis, table football and a pétanque court. These amenities complement the excursion days and offer opportunities to relax on site.
Choosing a single accommodation also makes the organisation easier to follow. The group returns to the same establishment every evening and has a stable point of reference throughout the stay.
Les Collines Iduki also offers several other programmes listed on CircuitGroupes, including a hiking stay, a stay built around the Basque festivals and a wellness package. These different options let you adapt the theme of the trip to the profile of your participants.
An all-inclusive package from 2 to 8 days
The “In the very heart of the Basque Country” tour can be offered over 2 to 8 days. The full programme presented by CircuitGroupes covers 8 days and 7 nights. This flexibility lets you tailor the stay to the time available, the profile of the group and the number of excursions you want.
The package brings together several services designed to make planning the trip easier:
- welcome drink;
- full board;
- accommodation based on a double room;
- visits and excursions;
- guide;
- first free place for every 20 paying participants, granted to the driver;
- second free place from 40 paying participants.
More broadly, CircuitGroupes presents its tours as all-inclusive programmes designed for groups, with accommodation, meals and tourist services. Programmes can be adjusted on request. The site also promises a reply to enquiries within 48 hours.
If you would like to compare this offer with other destinations, the selection of group tours in Nouvelle-Aquitaine brings together the programmes currently listed in the region.
Plan your group tour in the Basque Country with CircuitGroupes
From Espelette pepper to the panoramic views from La Rhune, from the narrow streets of Saint-Jean-de-Luz to the Biarritz coastline, this tour creates a stay in which heritage, scenery and gastronomy each have their place. Meetings with producers, tastings and excursions to Spain and neighbouring areas bring even more variety to the programme.
With a single accommodation in La Bastide-Clairence and a flexible package from 2 to 8 days, you have a clear basis for planning your next group trip. With CircuitGroupes, we offer programmes designed for group professionals and organisers, with all services brought together in a single package.
Explore the “In the very heart of the Basque Country” tour, adapt its length to your project and request a quote to plan your group’s next stay.
