I am a Basque native, in love with my country, culture and gastronomy. And after be working with travelers 7 years, in 2015 I started offering artisan, unique and authentic experiences in my own. Aiming to offer the possibility to enjoy feeling and living, the true essence of the Basque Country, out of the commercial and away from the tourist masses. And this is the best experience I offer ever about our gastronomy in San Sebastian and probably the most pure that is offered in the city. If you don’t believe me, came on to buy all we will need, in the market and old stores, for cooking and eating, one of our most classic menus in my "gastronomic society". And after completing the experience, you are not satisfied. I will return you, the amount paid for it. * The gastronomic society : Is where you can experience the region’s gastronomy from first hand. The love of food and social dining is what brings together to cook top quality ingredients with loving care.
From the operator’s live schedule on Viator, checked Oct 7.
Reviews collected by Viator and Tripadvisor
Excurgo comparison of 390 Viator tours, recalculated daily.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
From the market, to the secret kitchen lasts about 8 hours.
Prices start at $734 per person for this San Sebastian experience, booked through Viator with the price shown before checkout. There is 1 booking option, so the final price depends on the option you choose.
According to the operator’s current schedule, it runs on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays.
Children aged 7–12 pay from $257, adults from $734. Infants go free.
Yes. Cancel at least 1 day before the start for a full refund. Later cancellations are non-refundable.
The meeting point is You will see me, up in the kiosk wearing a typical black Basque beret. Hotel pickup is not part of this experience.
The experience is available in EN, ES.
It is a small-group experience with a maximum of 6 participants.
Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap Specialized infant seats are available
Wheelchair accessible All areas and surfaces are wheelchair accessible
Confirmation is sent by the operator within 24 hours of booking.
Reviews collected by Viator and Tripadvisor
Julen is the best local guide we have encountered anywhere in our travels. If you want an authentically local experience, you must connect with him. We have been to Basque Country three times now and it is only because of his knowledge that we have enjoyed coming back so often and experiencing the local culture
Valleys, vegetable garden, sun, delicious tomatoes, fresh cider, cooking with love, txakoli and vital energy. "Full kitty: happy heart." All that Julen gave us!
K bueno Antonia, muchisimas gracias y un abrazo enorme !
Julen is delightful, thoughtful. Provided a good comprehensive guide of San Sebastian (our request rather than his standard tours), the city's history and basque culture. He suggested supplementing a 3 hour walking tour of the city with a buying tour in the streets and market, followed by cooking our produce - ended up being 6 hours. Great introduction to some very good providores, v good explanation of the basque cuisine, and an excellent lunch, with some great tips on how to cook certain foods. Too much food (in a good way), cooked with a very generous host.
Hey couple ! So glad to know that you had a great time with me, it was the same for me too. You are great and sweet people, so it was a pleasure to work with you. Thank you for taking time to write this nice review. Huge hug, health and much love from Basque country !
Beautiful unforgettable day with Julen visiting a local farm, picking produce, and having home cooked breakfast ... Then later going to a txoko in the mountains where we cooked a Basque meal. Both places had beautiful vistas where we took lots of photos we'll cherish forever. Julen was incredibly hospitable and fun to hang out with - it never felt like a boring tour, it felt like we were truly doing something special with the locals. I remarked to my family what a great experience that was as someone who typically avoids tours. Would definitely tour with them again.
I'm so grateful you took the time to write this lovely review. I also have very fond memories of you. Hugs from the Basque Country !
We had a great and wonderful time with the Chef,he was very knowledgeable, he created such good and tasty pintxs, and of course we had to help to do the job right. It was such a great and memorable experience, that we’ll remember the rest of our lives.
Thank you so much for taking the time to write this lovely review. Hugs from the Basque Country !
If you’re heading to Basque, do yourself a favor and book a tour with Julen (@aupahi). He managed to organize a balcony for the running of the bulls, guide us through the history and traditions in a way that actually kept our kids engaged, and then led us on the most interactive and delicious food tour through San Sebastián. Every stop was thoughtful, everything we ate was incredible, and the whole experience felt super personal. He tailored it to our family, made it fun, answered every random question we threw his way—and by the end, we felt like we were just hanging out with a friend. Truly one of the best parts of our trip. We’d recommend him to anyone. Ten stars if we could. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Thank you so much for taking the time to write this lovely review. Hugs from the Basque Country !
We arranged a private tour of the countryside, which included most of the "market and kitchen" parts of the tour and added a short hike. We had a marvelous day! Julen is a great guide and truly loves this region. He picked us up at our hotel and we headed to a lovely small organic farm, where we had the opportunity to get to know the farmer, his work, the climate, and the general growing region. It provided context to the food we had been enjoying in San Sebastian. From this farm, we left with a lot of vegetables. We then visited a couple of butcher shops to get chorizo and meat (plus a coffee in the morning and some wine in the afternoon). It was fun to see a bit of village life in a way that we wouldn't have observed if we were driving through ourselves. Our hike came next, which was short and easy because we were saving time for cooking! We went to the Gastronomical society of which Julen is now a member in the village where he grew up. We enjoyed learning cooking methods and approaches and also observing different members of the club come and go with their families and friends to prepare meals and socialize. It was a window into life in the smaller towns of the region. I would book a tour with Julen again and highly recommend Aupa Hi for unique experiences in this region.
Thank you so much Joanne, I am so glad to know that you found my services worthwhile. I really appreciate you taking the time to write this review. Thank you very much, and big hug from the Basque country !
Fun experience with grocery shopping for our dinner and then taking it back to secret kitchen and watching the cooking . Everything was delicious and wonderful with wine and our host, Colm. Highly recommend!
Thanks a lot and best from San Sebastian !
This was one of the best experiences i had on my trip this summer. Julian not only showed us an amazing time shopping and cooking, he also elevated my understanding of San Sebastián. This is a significant investment of time but well worth it.
Hey Kenan, Thank you very much for taking time to write me this great review. I had a very nice time with you, you are awesome. Keep enjoying. Best from San Sebastian !
Julen is one of the finest people I've ever met. A Basque native he is a true Renaissance man with a proud passion for his homeland people and culture. From hiking, biking, pintos to a cooking class at a secret gastronomy society, Julen does it all!! But Surfing is his passion, and Nature his religion. Not a tour guide, but a friend. No matter what experience you choose, Any experience with Julen is worth it. A kind humble man you can Trust him to take of care of you and give you a lifelong memory of happiness. Im going back to book another excursion as soon as I learn Spanish,lol Aupa HI!!
Yeah Kurt ! What a review, love it, thank you very much... It has even raised my morale lol ! You know that you are also a very special person and you are also lucky to be very rich, because you have the ability to value the little things in life, which are really the best but many times we do not pay attention to them… And you also know that here you have a friend for life, who is looking forward to sharing with you again. Stop learning Spanish dude, you'd better learn Basque, lol... A giant hug, much love and all the best because we deserve it lol... AUPA HI !
| Tour | Duration | Rating | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| From the market, to the secret kitchen | 8 hours | 5.0 (15) | $734 | |
 San Sebastian Premium Pintxo Food, Wine & Market Foodie Tour | 3 hours | 5.0 (816) | $166 | View |
 Basque Cooking Experience: Market Tour & Hands-On Class English | 3h 30min | 4.9 (307) | $159 | View |
 Private Secret Rioja: Exclusive Wineries from San Sebastián | 8–9 hours | 5.0 (15) | $296 | View |
 San Sebastian Market Visit and Cooking Class | 3h 30min | 5.0 (4) | $149 | View |
 San Sebastian Old Town Pintxos & Wine Tour Small Group Tour | 3 hours | 4.9 (1,296) | $118 | View |
 Small-Group Electric Bike Tour in San Sebastián | 3 hours | 4.9 (708) | $64 | View |