Witches and Other Cross-Border Tales

Day one
Your adventure begins in Pamplona. With a guide in tow, you explore the city’s historic centre and its cathedral, whose cloister and museum offer a first taste of Navarrese heritage. The discovery continues at the table, with a selection of pintxos and Navarrese wines, before soaking up the capital’s cultural buzz.

Day two
This second day takes you from Pamplona to Cambo-les-Bains, crossing the Baztán valley. First stop: Arizkun, where the Santxotena park-museum weaves contemporary sculpture and nature together while paying tribute to the Agotes — a mysterious community of these valleys for centuries. You press on to Zugarramurdi, a village bound up with the history of witches and akelarres: a visit to the museum and caves sheds light on a dark chapter where superstition and the Inquisition collided. On the way to France, a stop in Espelette is a must — famous, of course, for its iconic Basque pepper.

Day three
From Cambo-les-Bains to Bayonne, this day celebrates the artisan heritage of the French Basque Country. You begin with a visit to the Puyodebat chocolate museum, which traces the story of cocoa and its deep roots in Basque tradition. Then on to La Bastide-Clairence, one of the prettiest villages in the French Basque Country, where glassblowing and macaron workshops bring the backstreets to life. Come afternoon, you reach Bayonne, which you can explore by bike or on a leisurely wander through its historic streets.

Day four
A day between the ocean and the border, from Bayonne to Bera. You start with the urban art that has been brightening the walls of Bayonne since the Point de Vue festival, before taking the road to Biarritz. A walk along the coast, from the lighthouse to the Rocher de la Vierge, rewards you with a sweeping Atlantic panorama. Come afternoon, you cross the border to reach Bera, a Navarrese town whose centuries-old facades are steeped in stories — from 16th-century palaces to Indiano mansions.

Day five
This fifth day reveals the hidden valleys of Bidasoa and Malerreka. In Sumbilla, you dive into the area’s smuggling past through a hands-on, playful experience. The road continues to Santesteban, then through villages steeped in age-old traditions such as Ituren and Zubieta. In Leitza the Stone Park-Museum introduces you to traditional Basque rural sports. The stage winds up in Lekunberri, a characterful village where Hemingway himself once pitched up.

Day six
For this final stage, you climb towards the sanctuary of San Miguel de Aralar — a sacred site for millennia, as the many megaliths dotting the hillside attest. Along a winding road through beech forests, you descend into the Sakana valley to visit the recently restored Romanesque monastery of Zamartze. One last stop in Arruazu brings you to the Forja Brun, a family forge in operation since 1772. The return to Pamplona closes a loop rich in legends and living traditions.