PYRENEES–THE ADVENTURE
BILBAO -> BARCELONA
3–16 September 2026
In a gigantic zigzag you will once again experience every facet of Europe’s southernmost high mountain range on the sports‑car tour “THE PYRENEES — THE ADVENTURE” in September 2026. From west to east, from Bilbao to Barcelona, from the Atlantic to the Mediterranean — constantly crossing between Spain and France, sometimes several times a day.
The Pyrenees — an absolute dreamland for the touring sports‑car driver!
Over thirteen days and nights, staying in nine very different hotels (hand‑picked charming, strongly local 4‑star country hotels up to world‑class luxury establishments), you will undertake a monumental road trip from Bilbao to Barcelona. You will visit metropolises such as Bilbao, San Sebastián and Barcelona as well as brilliantly solitary mountain and valley roads that will guide you along the entire Pyrenean chain and adjacent ranges such as the Serra de Cadí and the Corbières. You will experience the full spectrum of Europe’s southern high mountains: from the wild Cantabrian Atlantic to the pleasantly warm Catalan Mediterranean. We add a touch of culture (Guggenheim, txakoli, vins doux naturels, Gaudí), a sailing experience on the Costa Brava and — right in the middle — two days in Andorra, and you have a veritable feast for the senses.
And: you will see more animals on and immediately beside the route than almost anywhere else (except perhaps Norway, where most of them are goats): cows, horses, donkeys, goats, sheep, pigs — anything with four legs is out and about and will be encountered frequently! People on the other hand are scarce.
But when you do meet people you will find them unusually friendly in these parts of the Pyrenees. They will smile or laugh at you in your sports car, communicate with warm gestures or crack a joke. This can happen anywhere on the drive — in the breathtaking national parks with their crystal‑clear lakes and secluded valleys where ancient rites are still kept alive, on routes through stark, inhospitable high mountains, over green, densely wooded hills, or across wide, plateau‑like landscapes. The people here are open and benevolent, and they hugely enhance the welcoming atmosphere of this varied long road trip between Atlantic and Mediterranean.
You will also encounter a true treasure trove of service partners: Laura and Ludger, our guides in Bilbao and Barcelona; Didier and Catherine in the small, repeatedly award‑winning village/boutique hotel near Lourdes; Javier and Mercedes in their gem of a boutique hotel on the edge of the Aigüestortes i Estany de Sant Maurici National Park; Montserrat and Manuel, the mother‑and‑son team running Andorra’s best restaurant (who will open exclusively for our group); and Peter Schickling, GM of the W Hotel in Barcelona — all passionate, all capable of an excellence that will bring you great pleasure during your days in the Pyrenees, and that makes us proud. Because: network is everything.
A small warning: I personally cannot remember ever having eaten so consistently well across an entire event as during those nearly two weeks in the Pyrenees. Whether at a simple truckers’ roadside diner, pintxos or tapas bars, highly decorated restaurants, or the self‑taught Javier — the cuisine was extraordinary.
THE PYRENEES
BILBAO->BARCELONA 3–16 September 2026
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You will experience the Pyrenees in their entirety.
From Bilbao to Barcelona we have woven nine selected stops into an experience of considerable scope that will send you home after 13 travel days with a rich impression of Europe’s southernmost high mountain range. At times, less (by which we mean periods of rest and regeneration) will actually be more.
During the first two days in Bilbao you will gain a distinct insight into the Basque soul — not least through your palate. We will take you on a pintxos tour through several typical Old Town venues and visit Etxanobe, one of the city’s true traditional institutions. You will dine royally.
You will also experience the Guggenheim — by far the most famous building in the Basque Country — up close with a museum visit, and you will stay with a direct view of the city’s most characteristic landmark at the Grand Hotel “The Artist.”
On the day excursion between the two Bilbao nights we will lead you into and through Cantabria and into the Castile and León region — areas not usually associated with the Pyrenees or the Basque Country, except perhaps through centuries of feuds and enmity. This day thus becomes an excursion into deeply Spanish royal lands — because of their unreal beauty of hills, mountains and coastal landscapes.
The next day it’s back to pure Basque territory with the transfer to Hondarribia. You will tour the txakoli wine region, make a stop in San Sebastián and marvel at the panoramic route over the Jaizkibel. You will overnight in Hondarribia in the old Palace of Charles V, now a 4‑star Parador where original Rubens tapestries meet contemporary hotel luxury.
From Hondarribia begins the large‑scale zigzag between Aragón and the Hautes‑Pyrénées department, between Catalonia and the Pyrénées‑Orientales — a zigzag from east to west with multiple crossings of the Pyrenean main ridge. You will encounter breathtaking scenery in abundance and will overnight alternately in Spain, France and even Andorra. The rhythm will be:
- Bilbao, 2 nights, Spain (Basque Country)
- Hondarribia, 1 night, Spain (Basque Country)
- Canfranc, 1 night, Spain (Aragón)
- Near Lourdes, 2 nights, France (Hautes‑Pyrénées)
- Bonansa, 1 night, Spain (Aragón)
- Andorra, 2 nights, Andorra (Encamp)
- Molitg‑les‑Bains, 1 night, Spain (Catalonia)
- Collioure, 1 night, France (Pyrénées‑Orientales)
- Barcelona, 2 nights, Spain (Catalonia)
The sports‑car adventure through the Pyrenees will culminate in Barcelona at the iconic W Hotel. Two nights there, right on the Mediterranean coast and within walking distance of the Ramblas and Ciutat Vella (Barcelona’s Old Town), will give you the opportunity to add one or two extra treats. We will take you on an evening sailing trip so you can watch the sunset over the city with a tapa or two and the occasional glass of cava in hand. The following day you will enjoy a lively, private Gaudí tour. The closing dinner on the W Hotel rooftop restaurant invites you to let your gaze wander — out over the water toward the horizon and back over the eventful days you’ve spent in the Pyrenees.
You will have plenty to talk about.
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13½‑day guided sports‑car tour in your own or a rented sports car
Individual arrival to Bilbao
13 (in words: thirteen) meticulously planned driving days as described in the itinerary
Concept and guiding by Reinhard Loeven
Accommodation:
- 2 nights at the *****Grand Hotel THE ARTIST, Bilbao, Spain
- 1 night at the ****PARADOR de Hondarribia, Hondarribia, Spain
- 1 night at a *****country hotel in Canfranc, Aragón, Spain
- 2 nights at a ****hideaway near Lourdes, France
- 1 night at a ****boutique hotel near Anso, Spain
- 2 nights at a *****Mountain Hotel & SPA, Encamp, Andorra
- 1 night at the *****GL CHATEAU DE RIELL, Mollig‑les‑bains, France
- 1 night at the ****coastal hotel LES ROCHES BRUNES, Collioure, France
- 2 nights at the *****W‑HOTEL, Barcelona, Spain
Included services and highlights:
13 time‑ and enjoyment‑optimized lunches in typical local venues or as picnic/lunch packs
13 dinners ranging from rustic country menus through classic pintxos and tapas to refined Michelin‑level cuisine
Sunset sailing on the Mediterranean
Gaudí tour in Barcelona
Winery visits in the Basque Country and in Roussillon
Route map
Extensive photographic documentation of the trip
Various agency services and network contacts
Prices:
- Tour price per person, “Superior” arrangement: €7,985
- Tour price per person, “Superior plus” arrangement: €8,215
- Tour price per person, JS/Suite arrangement: €9,275
- Tour price per single driver from: €13,490
