04/09/2026
As August came to a close, so too did Kelly’s final tour development trip of the summer, this time to the Basque region of France.
A potential tour to the Basque regions of both France and Spain, also known as Euskal Herria in Basque, was, like Wales, popular with our Travelers’ Circle during our last survey.
The region has an incredibly beautiful coastline, with bright blue waters, beaches, and coves. But if you turn your back on the ocean (the Bay of Biscay), you are faced with the green foothills of the Pyrénées, and on a clear day you can see the high peaks of the central Pyrénées.
In France, Euskal Herria is known for a number of regional food products, such as piment d’Espelette, a pepper with AOC status; the sheep’s cheese Ossau-Iraty; Basque cider; Kintoa pork; the gâteau Basque; and AOC Irouléguy wine, from one of the smallest wine regions in France.
The Pays Basque (French Basque region) does not have an autonomous status like its counterpart in Spain, but culturally it does feel quite distinct. As you enter towns and villages, the name is always listed in both languages. (Sometimes the French name has even been crossed out with spray-paint!) Variations of a sport called pelota are played in nearly every town and village across the Basque region, but does not extend to other parts of Spain and France. Villages and towns have an interesting uniformity - most buildings are white, usually with red shutters and timber framing, and sometimes green… and together these three colors make up the Basque flag! This Labourd style of architecture also extends to the churches, which have large wooden gallery systems unlike anything else in France.
This is all to say that this is such a special part of France. You know you’re in France, but it just feels a bit different, in many ways. We’re excited to continue developing this tour over the next couple of years, and to see what the Spanish Basque region has in store for us!
