Basque valleys and cider houses

From La Concha, it’s a straight run south on the A-8 then the GI-2132: just 7 km to Astigarraga, a village famed for sagardotegis where cider is drawn straight from the barrel. Beyond, the valley fans out past Hernani and Andoain into the Goierri’s rolling hills, 350–600 m high, homeland of Latxa sheep and Idiazabal PDO cheese. The Baroque Sanctuary of Loyola, begun in 1689 around Ignatius’s birthplace, anchors this journey through Basque craft—apple orchards, wood smoke from grills, and Jesuit history.

For the day, your dedicated driver collects you at your San Sebastián hotel, the Mercedes on standby throughout—flexible pacing, stops on your terms—while you taste and tour without parking worries. Start in Astigarraga for seasonal txotx, continue gently via Tolosa into Goierri meadows, then Loyola and, time permitting, a detour to Azpeitia. Having a private chauffeur in Basque country also helps you hit tight cider-house seatings and sanctuary visiting slots, especially on busy weekends.