2. Visit along the coast and inland.

Gernika, Urdaibai Biosphere Reserve and San Juan de Gaztelugatxe.

This activity is an opportunity to discover the beautiful scenery of some well-known municipalities inland and along the coast. A coach will take the group from Bilbao to Gernika, just 35 kilometres away, which became one of the best-known Basque places internationally after the appalling bombing of the town in 1937.

n Gernika, the first stop will be at Assembly House and the Tree of Gernika: symbols of the history of the Basque People, and 2 places where leading Basque politicians would meet historically to decide on the future of their people. This tradition has continued to the present; it is here – next to the Tree of Gernika, the symbol of the freedoms and traditions of the Basque People – where the Lehendakari (leader of the Basque Country) swears their oath of office before taking up their duties at the head of the Basque Government.

After visiting Gernika, the group will be taken to the Baserri Maitea Restaurant, a 17th-century caserío (the typical farmstead of the Basque Country), decorated with attention to detail and in an idyllic location, where lunch will feature some of the typical dishes of Basque cuisine.

After lunch, the coach will take you to San Juan de Gaztelegutxe. The route will take in the Urdaibai Biosphere Reserve; this natural paradise was declared a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve in 1984 and its landscape of marshland surrounded by rolling mountains is brimming with animal and human life. The journey will end at the world-famous San Juan de Gaztelugatxe islet.

San Juan de Gaztelugatxe island is one of the most magical and unmissable spots in Bizkaia and has been used as a filming location for famous international productions. It is connected to the mainland by a stone bridge that ends in a narrow path with 241 steps up to the chapel on the summit.

The steps have been recognised as one of the world’s most spectacular staircases.

The last stop on the tour is the seafaring charter town of Bermeo, one of the few fishing villages where the residents still make their livelihood from the sea and fishing, in the same way as their ancestors. A fact that is obvious from the fishing boats in the harbour and the number of local canning companies.

At the end of the visit, the coach will take you back to Bilbao.