DAY 1 · Friday 2 October · BIARRITZ
Hôtel du Palais

The journey begins where Hemingway's journeys always began — in France, before the crossing into Spain. Guests arrive independently at the Hôtel du Palais, built as a summer palace for Empress Eugénie on the cliffs above the Atlantic. The afternoon is left entirely at leisure — time to settle in, breathe the ocean air and ease into the rhythm of the journey. As evening falls, the full group gathers for a private inaugural dinner, the first shared table of the expedition.

Included: accommodation at Hôtel du Palais · private inaugural dinner
Optional: private airport transfer upon request — please advise  flight details at time of booking

DAY 2 · Saturday 3 October · SAN SEBASTIÁN
Hotel Maria Cristina

A private transfer follows the Basque coastline — one of the great coastal drives in Europe — into San Sebastián. Check-in at the Hotel Maria Cristina, a Belle Époque palace on the banks of the Urumea river where film stars, royalty and writers have been guests for over a century. A private historical walking tour takes the group through the old town, La Concha and the streets Hemingway walked on his way south. Lunch is taken at a waterfront table overlooking the Bay of Biscay. The evening belongs to one of the great gastronomic cities of the world: a Michelin-starred dinner in San Sebastián.

Included: private transfer Biarritz → San Sebastián · accommodation Hotel Maria Cristina · private historical walking tour · waterfront lunch · Michelin dinner

DAY 3 · Sunday 4 October · BASQUE COUNTRY
Hotel Maria Cristina

The third day is devoted to the land itself. A specialist guide leads the group through the Basque Coast UNESCO Geopark — a coastline unlike any other in Europe, its flysch cliffs and stratified rock formations telling a geological story that spans millions of years. The group then moves inland into txakoli wine country for a curated wine tour and lunch in the heart of Basque viticulture. The day closes with dinner at one of the finest restaurants in the Basque Country.

Included: UNESCO Geopark specialist guided tour · txakoli wine tour & lunch · dinner

DAY 4 · Monday 5 October · PAMPLONA
Gran Hotel La Perla

This is the day the journey becomes literature. A private transfer takes the group to Pamplona — the city Hemingway placed at the centre of his greatest novel, the stage for the most vivid and unforgettable passages of The Sun Also Rises. There is only one place to stay: the Gran Hotel La Perla, on the corner of the Plaza del Castillo, where Hemingway himself had his room during the fiesta year after year. His suite is still there. Lunch is taken at the Plaza del Castillo, as Jake Barnes and his companions did. The afternoon brings a private guided tour of Hemingway's Pamplona — the bullring, the old town, the monuments, the bars. A private wine and vermouth tasting precedes a five-course dinner.

Included: private transfer · accommodation Gran Hotel La Perla · lunch at Plaza del Castillo · Hemingway's Pamplona private guided tour including bullring · private wine & vermouth tasting · 5-course dinner

DAY 5 · Tuesday 6 October · RONCESVALLES · BURGUETE
Gran Hotel La Perla

Day five is the day the novel comes fully alive. The group follows the exact route that Jake Barnes and Bill Gorton take in The Sun Also Rises — north out of Pamplona into the mountains, through the ancient pass at Roncesvalles and down into Burguete. The morning begins at the Monastery of Roncesvalles, one of the great medieval refuges on the Camino de Santiago, where pilgrims have rested for a thousand years.

The group then descends to Burguete for lunch in the village where Hemingway's characters stayed and fished. The afternoon is devoted to discovering the extraordinary natural landscapes surrounding Roncesvalles, Burguete and the Irati Forest region — one of Europe's finest mountain ecosystems, where ancient beech forests, crystal-clear rivers and quiet valleys define the landscape that inspired Hemingway's love for northern Spain.

The group returns to Pamplona, where dinner is reserved at one of the city's most celebrated traditional restaurants, renowned for its authentic Navarrese cuisine, warm hospitality and longstanding reputation among locals.

Included: private transportation for the day · guided visit to Roncesvalles Monastery · lunch in Burguete-Auritz · guided nature experience in the Roncesvalles–Burguete–Irati region · dinner in Pamplona

DAY 6 · Wednesday 7 October · SOMONTANO · ARAGONESE PYRENEES
Arén Lodge

The mountain chapter begins. The group transfers from Pamplona toward the Aragonese Pyrenees with a private stop in the Somontano wine region — a visit to the oldest winery in the Pyrenees, a curated tasting among the vines, and a gastronomic lunch before the final transfer into the mountains. Arén Lodge awaits: an exceptional base in the Prepirineo Oriental, set among the high valleys of the eastern Aragonese Pyrenees, purpose-built for exactly the kind of fishing and mountain experience this programme demands. Briefing, a light supper and an early night before the first day on the water.

Included: private transfer Pamplona → Somontano → Arén Lodge · private winery visit & tasting · gastronomic lunch · 1 night Arén Lodge

DAY 7 · Thursday 8 October · FLY FISHING DAY 1
Arén Lodge

The first full day on the water. Teddy Coulter leads the fishing group to the highland streams in pursuit of Zebra trout — a species found only in these waters, in a landscape that could have stepped from the pages of Hemingway's prose.

For companions, a carefully curated selection of parallel experiences is available — privately guided and tailored to each guest's interests. Those drawn to the mountains might choose a trekking excursion through the high valleys; others may prefer a visit to a local winery or bodega, a cultural tour of the comarca, or a wellness afternoon at the lodge. Each guest chooses what suits them best.

The group reunites for dinner at Arén Lodge.

Fishing guests: guided fly fishing — Zebra trout · highland streams · all equipment · Teddy Coulter
Companions: personalised selection of privately guided experiences — trekking, winery visits, cultural excursions, wellness & spa — tailored to individual preferences
All guests: dinner at Arén Lodge

DAY 8 · Friday 9 October · FLY FISHING DAY 2
Arén Lodge

The second day on the water takes the fishing group deeper — into remote streams and private waters with exclusive access, in pursuit of Brown trout.

Companions once again enjoy a bespoke day of their own choosing, selecting from the full range of privately guided experiences available in and around the Pyrenean valleys — from active mountain pursuits to unhurried cultural discoveries and moments of complete rest.

In the evening, the full group gathers for the farewell dinner at Arén Lodge — the final shared table before the descent to Zaragoza.

Fishing guests: guided fly fishing — Brown trout · remote private waters · exclusive access · Teddy Coulter
Companions: personalised selection of privately guided cultural, nature and wellness experiences
All guests: farewell dinner at Arén Lodge

DAY 9 · Saturday 10 October · ZARAGOZA
Gran Hotel Zaragoza

The descent from the mountains brings the group to Zaragoza — the ancient capital of Aragón, a city of layered civilisations that Hemingway passed through on his way to and from the corridas he followed with such devotion. After checking in at the Gran Hotel Zaragoza, the afternoon is given to the city: a guided tour of the old town, its Roman foundations, its Moorish palace and its great basilica on the river. The evening includes an exclusive experience connected to one of Spain's oldest and most storied traditions — the world Hemingway wrote about with such admiration — before a farewell dinner at one of Zaragoza's finest tables.

Included: private transfer Arén Lodge → Zaragoza · accommodation Gran Hotel Zaragoza · old town guided tour · exclusive bullfighting experience · farewell dinner

DAY 10 · Sunday 11 October · DEPARTURE

After breakfast, guests depart independently or with private transfers to Zaragoza airport or onward connections. The journey ends here — or rather, as Hemingway himself might have said, it does not entirely end.

Included: accommodation and breakfast
Optional: private departure transfer upon request

OPTIONAL EXTENSIONS

For those who wish to continue their journey through Hemingway's Spain, bespoke extensions are available to Madrid, Barcelona and Andalucía — all regions that Hemingway knew intimately and returned to throughout his life. Each extension is designed individually, in the same spirit and at the same standard as the main programme.

Reservations for The Sun Also Rises are handled personally by our travel consultant, not through online booking. Complete the form below and your enquiry will be sent directly to them. They will contact you within two business days to discuss dates, availability, and the details of the experience. Nothing is confirmed and no payment is taken at this stage.