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Gastronomic Navarra - Spain’s kitchen garden
9
days
from
US$6,700
Book today with a deposit from
US$1,005
26th September 2026 - 4th October 2026, 25th September 2027 - 3rd October 2027
Tour highlights
- Small, special and lesser-visited, Navarra is the source of some of Spain’s finest produce.
- Rustic lunch in hilltop villages, and a Michelin-starred meal at El Molino de Urdániz, Navarra’s only two-star restaurant.
- The region’s vegetables, celebrated above all else in Navarrese cooking, are prized across Spain.
- Special arrangements include access to chef Luis Salcedo’s own kitchen garden and a private dining club in Pamplona.
- Town walks and visits balance the food with Romanesque and Gothic architecture, from Pamplona’s cathedral to Eunate.
In a world after Ferran Adrià Spain’s chefs, armed with formidable technique and extraordinary produce, are turning back to the food of hearth and home. Nowhere is that shift better tasted than in Navarra, a small, little-visited region and a source of some of Spain’s finest produce.
We begin in Zaragoza, capital of neighbouring Aragón, ruled in quick succession by the Arab dynasties of the Banu Qasi, the Banu Tijab and the Banu Hud, before its transformation, in the 15th century, into a stronghold of the Kingdom of Aragón. Under Christian rule, monastic kitchens prized simplicity and local sourcing – a plain, practical creed that modern menus now market as “0km”.
An hour upstream along the Ebro, Tudela grows some of the finest vegetables in Spain; we visit chef Luis Salcedo’s kitchen garden before lunch at his restaurant, and a nearby organic olive oil farm, in Navarra’s northernmost growing region. It is this landscape that leads the larder: minutes from the fertile floodplain lies the Bardenas desert, home to rabbit and snail; from there the road climbs to the Pyrenees and the beech forests of Irati, for a morning mushroom hunting.
Pamplona, our base for six nights, is a city buzzing with bars: one devoted to peppers stewed slowly in garlic, another to the spiced chistorra sausage, others to cheeses and constructions that pack whole histories into a single bite. One evening we have privileged access to one of the city’s historic gastronomic societies, as guests of the club’s president.
Navarra rewards curiosity beyond the table too. Pamplona’s cathedral has a cloister among Spain’s finest achievements of High Gothic architecture. South of the city, hilltop villages give way to Eunate, where a round chapel rises alone from a cornfield; above Pamplona, the Jorge Oteiza Museum houses the work of one of Spain’s foremost 20th-century sculptors.
Navarra’s winemaking has long chased quality over volume, and its bodegas surprise: from rustic rosés in hilltop villages to Otazu, where the vineyards sit alongside a contemporary art collection and wines of pago classification.
From bakery lunches of lamb stew in Ujué to barbecued artichoke hearts, the tour closes at El Molino de Urdániz – Navarra’s only two-Michelin-starred restaurant – where chef David Yárnoz cooks with a discretion that is also, somehow, showmanship.
Itinerary
Fly at c. 9.15am (Iberia) from London Heathrow to Madrid. Continue by coach to Zaragoza (c. 3 1/2 hours), arriving in time for dinner. First of two nights in Zaragoza.
Capital of neighbouring Aragón, Zaragoza lies just 50 km from the border with Navarra. From here, trade, information and people flowed along the Ebro valley into Navarra during the Middle Ages. Roman, Arab and Christian monuments offer a snapshot of Spanish history and the various civilisations that settled here. Lunch includes recipes inspired by Juan Altamiras, an Aragonese friar and the ‘18th-century Ferran Adrià’. His recipe book from 1745 revolutionised Spanish gastronomy, with ideas so ahead of their time that they are not out of place today. A group of Aragonese chefs continues to pay homage to his original recipes on their own menus.
Drive north along the Ebro valley into Navarra. Visit an organic olive oil farm; Navarra is Spain’s most northerly olive oil growing region, with a production that is smaller than its southern rivals but of exceptional quality. The floodplains around Tudela produce the finest vegetables in all of Spain, which are celebrated above all else in Navarrese cuisine, and renowned across the country. Chef Luis Salcedo leads a visit of his vegetable garden, before tasting his produce for lunch at his restaurant, Remigio. Continue north to Pamplona for the first of six nights. Evening walk via some of the city’s bustling pintxos bars, which rival anything in San Sebastián.
A morning spent exploring the Navarrese capital, and walking the streets of the famous San Fermín bull-running route. Pamplona cathedral has a cloister ranking among the finest achievements of High Gothic architecture in Spain, while the Museum of Navarra, housed within a medieval hospital, has an eclectic collection of archaeological finds and artworks. Lunch is at Europa (1 Michelin star), the most traditional restaurant in Navarra, which has held its star since 1993.
Today we visit several hilltop villages and medieval towns to the south of Pamplona. First to Máximo Abete, a family-run winery that has revitalised the abandoned vineyards on the slopes around their hometown of San Martín de Unx. Rustic lunch at a humble restaurant-cum-bakery in Ujué, with sweeping views over the surrounding hills and valleys. Afternoon visit to Olite, where the royal palace served as the seat of the Kings of Navarra until its conquest by Castile in the 16th century.
Just outside Pamplona, Otazu is a winery combining contemporary architecture and art with wines of pago classification, one of only a handful of Spanish estates to hold it. Continue to the medieval riverside town of Estella for some free time. Return to Pamplona via Eunate, where a mysterious round chapel with encircling arcade rises from the midst of a cornfield. For dinner we have privileged access to one of Pamplona’s historic gastronomic societies, as guests of the club’s president.
Scenic drive north into the foothills of the Pyrenees. The mountain pass above Roncesvalles offers views across the border into France, and is the traditional starting point of the Camino de Santiago. The Selva de Irati is the second largest fir and beech forest in Europe, home to deer, wild boar, vultures and golden eagles. On a gentle walk through the forest we observe the myriad varieties of mushrooms that grow on the mossy forest floor, before tasting them for lunch at a nearby casa rural.
Perched on a hillside overlooking Pamplona, the Jorge Oteiza Museum houses a collection of works by the renowned 20th-century sculptor. Continue for a final lunch at El Molino de Urdániz, the only restaurant in Navarra to hold two Michelin stars, plus a Michelin green star. Chef David Yárnoz combines local produce and tradition with real technical ambition.
Drive to Bilbao (c. 2 hours) for an afternoon flight to London Heathrow (Vueling), arriving at c. 2.45pm.
Fly at c. 9.15am (Iberia) from London Heathrow to Madrid. Continue by coach to Zaragoza (c. 3 1/2 hours), arriving in time for dinner. First of two nights in Zaragoza.
Capital of neighbouring Aragón, Zaragoza lies just 50 km from the border with Navarra. From here, trade, information and people flowed along the Ebro valley into Navarra during the Middle Ages. Roman, Arab and Christian monuments offer a snapshot of Spanish history and the various civilisations that settled here. Lunch includes recipes inspired by Juan Altamiras, an Aragonese friar and the ‘18th-century Ferran Adrià’. His recipe book from 1745 revolutionised Spanish gastronomy, with ideas so ahead of their time that they are not out of place today. A group of Aragonese chefs continues to pay homage to his original recipes on their own menus.
Drive north along the Ebro valley into Navarra. Visit an organic olive oil farm; Navarra is Spain’s most northerly olive oil growing region, with a production that is smaller than its southern rivals but of exceptional quality. The floodplains around Tudela produce the finest vegetables in all of Spain, which are celebrated above all else in Navarrese cuisine, and renowned across the country. Chef Luis Salcedo leads a visit of his vegetable garden, before tasting his produce for lunch at his restaurant, Remigio. Continue north to Pamplona for the first of six nights. Evening walk via some of the city’s bustling pintxos bars, which rival anything in San Sebastián.
A morning spent exploring the Navarrese capital, and walking the streets of the famous San Fermín bull-running route. Pamplona cathedral has a cloister ranking among the finest achievements of High Gothic architecture in Spain, while the Museum of Navarra, housed within a medieval hospital, has an eclectic collection of archaeological finds and artworks. Lunch is at Europa (1 Michelin star), the most traditional restaurant in Navarra, which has held its star since 1993.
Today we visit several hilltop villages and medieval towns to the south of Pamplona. First to Máximo Abete, a family-run winery that has revitalised the abandoned vineyards on the slopes around their hometown of San Martín de Unx. Rustic lunch at a humble restaurant-cum-bakery in Ujué, with sweeping views over the surrounding hills and valleys. Afternoon visit to Olite, where the royal palace served as the seat of the Kings of Navarra until its conquest by Castile in the 16th century.
Just outside Pamplona, Otazu is a winery combining contemporary architecture and art with wines of pago classification, one of only a handful of Spanish estates to hold it. Continue to the medieval riverside town of Estella for some free time. Return to Pamplona via Eunate, where a mysterious round chapel with encircling arcade rises from the midst of a cornfield. For dinner we have privileged access to one of Pamplona’s historic gastronomic societies, as guests of the club’s president.
Scenic drive north into the foothills of the Pyrenees. The mountain pass above Roncesvalles offers views across the border into France, and is the traditional starting point of the Camino de Santiago. The Selva de Irati is the second largest fir and beech forest in Europe, home to deer, wild boar, vultures and golden eagles. On a gentle walk through the forest we observe the myriad varieties of mushrooms that grow on the mossy forest floor, before tasting them for lunch at a nearby casa rural.
Drive to Bilbao (c. 2 hours) for an afternoon flight to London Heathrow (Vueling), arriving at c. 2.45pm.
Expert speaker
Mr Gijs van Hensbergen
Art historian and author specialising in Spain and the USA. His books include The Sagrada Familia (2017), Gaudí, In the Kitchens of Castile and Guernica and he has published in the Burlington Magazine and Wall Street Journal. He read languages at Utrecht University and Art History at the Courtauld, and undertook postgraduate studies in American art of the 1960s. He has worked in England, the USA and Spain as exhibitions organiser, TV researcher and critic and is a Fellow of the Cañada Blanch Centre for Contemporary Spanish Studies at the LSE. Twitter: @GvanHensbergen | Website: gijsvanhensbergen.com
More tours led by Mr Gijs van Hensbergen
Practicalities
In 2026: Two sharing: US$6,940 or US$6,700 without flights. Single occupancy: US$7,960 or US$7,720 without flights.
In 2027: Two sharing: US$7,420 or US$7,020 without flights. Single occupancy: US$8,540 or US$8,140 without flights.
Private coach; accommodation as described below; breakfasts, six lunches and three dinners with wine, water and coffee; all wine and food tastings; all admissions; all tips; all taxes; the services of the lecturer and tour manager.
Hotel Catalonia el Pilar, Zaragoza: modern 4-star hotel in an attractive turn-of-the-century building in the historic centre. Gran Hotel La Perla, Pamplona: historic 5-star hotel on Pamplona’s main square. Single occupancy rooms are doubles for sole use.
Evening meals tend to begin at 9.00pm and some late nights are inevitable, though most of the main meals are at lunch time. There is a fair amount of walking in city centres where vehicle access is restricted. Much of the area covered is hilly, and some visits require walking and standing around on steep and uneven terrain. There is a country walk lasting up to 2 hours over hilly but gentle terrain on day 7. A good level of fitness is essential; you will be on your feet for lengthy stretches of time. Some days involve a lot of driving – average distance by coach per day: 75 miles.
On a tour that focuses on food, wine and cooking traditions, we regret that participants with special diets may not have the same gastronomic experience as those with no restrictions. Please discuss your requirements with us before booking.
Between 10 and 24 participants.
Before booking, please refer to Travel.State.Gov to ensure you are happy with the travel advice for the destination(s) you are visiting. As a British company we follow the advice of the UK Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office.
Dates & prices
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2026
Date
Speaker
Price
Date:
26th September - 4th October 2026
Speaker:
Mr Gijs van Hensbergen
Price:
from US$6,700
(Based on two sharing)
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2027
Date
Speaker
Price
Date:
25th September - 3rd October 2027
Speaker:
Mr Gijs van Hensbergen
Price:
from US$7,020
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