Travel by first-class rail from Yorkshire or London to the heart of the French wine region of Bordeaux, the Basque country and on to the famous Rioja vineyards of Spain, in this fully escorted tour with plenty of inclusions.
Hosted by our travel agency, The Travel Lounge, from Grassington, North Yorkshire
Main Group: Skipton Train Station (North Yorkshire)
Optional: Join the group in London before the Eurostar
2nd – 9th October 2026
Contact us about 2027 dates
We will be travelling by high-speed rail using scheduled trains, changing in London and Paris. In Paris we need to use public transport to change stations, so you need to be comfortable carrying a suitcase and walking up to 10 minutes as we navigate the metro system.
We arrive in Bordeaux the same day we leave the UK, travelling on the high-speed TGV across France and checking into a 4* hotel opposite the station. In Bordeaux we take a short regional train the next day to St Emilion for our first winery visit and tasting. You can spend time here wandering around and take some lunch, or hop on the vineyard road-train for a short visit into the surrounding areas.
The next day we take the TGV again to the border town of Hendaye/Irun, where again we transfer by public transport to our hotel in Hondarribia, the beautiful Basque village on the coast. Here we enjoy a Basque tasting menu complete with wine pairing in the evening.
We travel from Hondarribia to the Rioja region by coach, visiting another vineyard along the way and enjoying another wine tasting. We also stop for an included traditional lunch near Laguardia, a medieval village with stunning scenery in the region.
The following day you are free to explore the capital of the Rioja region, Logroño, until our tapas street tour in the evening, hosted by your tour leader.
We take a leisurely train to Bilbao for our last stop, where you have free time again to enjoy the city in the evening and next morning, before a bus to Santander where we catch the night ferry to Plymouth. Onboard, you will have a 2-berth inside cabin.
From Plymouth we take the direct train back to Leeds, and then finally on to Skipton.
For anyone not joining in Skipton, alternative rail arrangements can be made on request.
We’ll meet early at 06:30 at Skipton train station for the 06:56 direct LNER to London. Breakfast is included in the onboard dining service in first class. In London we arrive at King’s Cross and walk across the street to St Pancras, where we check-in for the Eurostar and pass security.
Onboard Eurostar we enjoy a complimentary light meal in Standard Premier, and arrive at Paris Gare du Nord in the afternoon. Here we take some time to cross Paris by metro, and stop for a coffee at Gare Montparnasse before our TGV first class train to Bordeaux.
We arrive in Bordeaux in the evening, and check in to our hotel across the street. This includes breakfasts on both mornings we are there.
We take a regional train out to the winery village of St Emilion. From the station, we walk half an hour through the vineyards and into the village itself, where we have a wine tasting booked and a visit to a local winery. Outside of this, you are free to explore and have lunch before you take any train back to Bordeaux. If you prefer to stay back a bit, you can do.
Otherwise, in the evening we will be exploring the old town of Bordeaux at our leisure.
After breakfast, we cross the street again to Bordeaux St Jean to take the TGV to Hendaye, on the Spanish/French border. Here we take public transport and cross in to Spain, heading up to the coastal village of Hondarribia.
We check in to our historic hotel overlooking the main square, and in the evening go to a traditional Basque eatery for a tasting menu of all local ingredients, with each course paired beautifully with a suitable wine.
A coach will pick us up from our hotel and we will embark on a full day tour while we travel to Logroño, the capital of the wine making region of Rioja. Along the way, we will stop off at a vineyard for some wine tasting, as well as at a traditional restaurant for a hearty Spanish lunch.
As we near the end of the tour we will spend an hour or two in Laguardia, the medieval village with stunning views just outside Logroño.
We check in to another historic hotel in the city centre and soak up the atmosphere of the city just after harvest season.
It’s a free day today to explore the city, relax, shop and do whatever you like.
In the evening, we will convene again for a guided “Tapas Street” tour, sampling each bar’s special tapas dish outside on the street, as the locals do.
We leave the hotel in the late morning and take a leisurely train to Bilbao, on the coast, ready for our return ferry the next day.
You’ll have free time in Bilbao to visit the city and learn more about Basque traditions. It is the biggest city in the autonomous region, and home to the world-famous Guggenheim.
Leave Bilbao for Santander at midday, where we check in for our ferry back to the UK.
Onboard you will stay in an inside 2-berth cabin. Please speak to us if you would like to enquiry about the availability of any other cabin for an upgrade cost.
The ferry has restaurants and bars onboard, and you can sit on deck as you wave goodbye to Spain, until next year!
After 7 nights away, take the direct train from Plymouth to Leeds and arrive back in Skipton in the late evening.
For alternative destinations, anywhere can be included for the same price as long as you can get there the same day.
