Go beyond the riverbanks with AmaWaterways. You can widen your horizons with a fully curated stay in Basque Country before or after your Bordeaux river cruise. We’ll pair your seven-night voyage with two nights in Bilbao and two nights in San Sebastián and let the discoveries unfold.

Cosmopolitan Bilbao has long been a vibrant seaport on the Bay of Biscay, but it was Frank Gehry’s Guggenheim Museum that transformed it into a must-see destination. The grand, curved lines and gleaming titanium exterior stands over the river and houses some of the world’s most intriguing contemporary art. The Atrium is the museum’s heart, its ceiling seeming to swirl with sunlight streaming through glass curtains. Compare this architectural marvel with Catedral de Santiago, Bilbao’s oldest building that stands tall with its Gothic Revival façade.

In the dining realm, Bilbao has long been overshadowed by its neighbor, San Sebastián, but it has emerged as its own culinary powerhouse. Zortziko is a Michelin-starred restaurant presenting refined reimaginations of traditional Basque cuisine (think stewed cod with cuttlefish ink ice cream served with an apple compote). Inside the Guggenheim itself is Nerua, where art and food come together on a plate. The menus changes seasonally, drawing inspiration and ingredients from the surroundings and the sea. You’ll truly understand the flavors of Basque Country with dishes like green olive gazpacho and crayfish in traditional pilpil sauce (made from salt cod and oil).

When chefs talk about modern gastronomy, San Sebastián is one of the first places that comes to mind. That’s because this seaside city is the birthplace of Arzak, the avant-garde Basque restaurant founded by Juan Mari Arzak and now also run by his daughter, Elena — widely considered one of the world’s best chefs. Countless iconic chefs have honed their skills in the Arzak kitchen, and other award-winning restaurants have sprung up in San Sebastián like Akelarre and Martín Berasategui.

You can’t experience Basque Country without stopping by a pintxos bar. These Basque-style tapas include local favorites such as skewers of olives, pickled peppers and salted anchovies, salt cod (bacalao) in pilpil sauce, peppers stuffed with crab, and sautéed mushrooms (cèpes). Pair these small bites with txakoli, an effervescent young wine that’s poured from above to maximize the bubbles.