Basque Region Retreat & Camino del Norte Pilgrimage

We’ll begin our retreat in the charming fishing village of Getaria, a small, walkable town on Spain’s beautiful Basque Coast. Known for its fresh grilled fish and Txakoli, a slightly sparkling white wine produced in the surrounding hills, Getaria is full of character and history. It’s even the birthplace of famous fashion designer Cristóbal Balenciaga and Juan Sebastián Elcano, whose expedition completed the first voyage around the world!

For our first three nights, we’ll stay at Saiaz Getaria Hotel, right between the old town and Gaztetape Beach. I love the character of this hotel! Part of it is housed in a 15th-century Gothic tower, complete with thick stone walls, fireplaces, and antiques. Every room in our group will have a water view, and we’ll enjoy breakfast overlooking the Bay of Biscay. Not a bad way to start our day!

Once you arrive, get settled in and take some time to explore. At 4:30, we’ll gather for appetizers, our first teaching session, and a chance to get to know everyone. Then we’ll head into town for dinner at a great local restaurant, where you can try some of the fresh seafood Getaria is famous for or choose from plenty of other delicious options!

After breakfast, we’ll have our morning session and then workout together before heading into town for lunch.

The afternoon is completely up to you. You can kayak, walk the beach, shop, explore Getaria, or head out on foot toward nearby Zarautz or Zumaia. Zarautz has the longest beach in the Basque Country, while the coastline around Zumaia is famous for its dramatic flysch rock formations. 

We’re also working on something really fun for dinner: a private boat trip with pizza, drinks, and a couple of hours out on the water!

Foodies, this is a big day for you!

After breakfast and our morning session, we’ll head to San Sebastián, one of the world’s great food cities. Fun fact: the official tourism organization calls it a world-famous gastronomic capital, and the city and surrounding area are home to 10 Michelin-starred restaurants, including three with three stars. 

But you don’t need a white tablecloth to eat incredibly well here.

For lunch, we’re going for pintxos, the Basque Country’s answer to tapas. You’ll see counters lined with little creations featuring seafood, cheeses, cured meats, vegetables, and all kinds of combinations. The name comes from pinchar, meaning “to pierce,” because traditionally many were held to bread with a small skewer.

We’ll spend the afternoon eating and exploring San Sebastián, and for those who want to take their love of food a step further, we’ve planned something really fun!

At 5:30, you’ll have the option to join a local chef for a hands-on Basque cooking experience. We’ll start by shopping with the Chef for fresh ingredients at a local market, then head into the kitchen to prepare a multi-course dinner featuring regional specialties. And of course, we’ll enjoy everything we make, along with some delicious Spanish wines!

✓Market tour

✓Welcome drink

✓Expert chef instruction

✓Apron

✓100% hands-on class

✓Multi-course lunch comprised of the dishes made in class

✓Selection of Spanish wines

✓Recipes

If you'd rather skip this experience you can wander around the city and find your own special place to enjoy dinner. 

We will be shuttled back to our hotel at 9:00pm with full bellies and big smiles!

Today we hit the trail!

After breakfast, we’ll drive about 2½ hours to Cóbreces, where we’ll begin our first section of the Camino del Norte. This part of northern Spain is wonderfully rustic, with green countryside, old villages and glimpses of the Cantabrian coast.

During this 8 mile hike you'll have beautiful views of the water as well as some time on tree lined streets. 

Our destination is Comillas, one of the most architecturally interesting towns on this part of the Camino. One fun surprise: Comillas is home to El Capricho de Gaudí, one of Antoni Gaudí’s early works and one of the town’s standout Modernist buildings. 

Lunch is on your own today, and we’ll give you some good suggestions so you can stop when and where it works for you.

We’ll stay at Hotel Joseín, perched right along Comillas Beach. The hotel has direct beach access, and its rooms look out toward the sea.

At 6:00, we’ll meet for drinks on the beach. After seven miles of walking, I think we’ll have earned them. Then it will be time for a beautiful dinner where we can also share stories from our first day on the Camino del Norte.

We’ll begin with breakfast and a short devotional before heading back onto the Camino.

Today’s walk takes us through the area around Oyambre Natural Park before we cross the historic Puente de la Maza into San Vicente de la Barquera. The original stone bridge dates back to the Middle Ages, and San Vicente itself is an old fishing town with a castle, Gothic church, beaches, marshes and the Picos de Europa rising in the distance.

Lunch is on your own once we arrive in San Vicente, so you can find whatever sounds good after the walk.

We’ll meet again at 5:30 for more teaching and discussion, then switch up the food scene for dinner at Italianuco. I love this one because it combines authentic Italian cooking with ingredients and influences from Cantabria. After a couple of days of Spanish food, a great Italian dinner will be a nice change!

After breakfast and our devotional, we’ll leave San Vicente and make our way through small villages and countryside before crossing the Deva River and officially entering Asturias.

This is the northern Spain I can't wait for you to experience: green hills, farms, little towns, the Cantabrian Sea, and places that still feel wonderfully untouched.

One of the interesting places along this section is Colombres. During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, people from this area emigrated to the Americas, made their fortunes and returned home. They became known as Indianos, and many built elaborate homes that still stand today. Colombres has more than ten of these distinctive houses along a marked route.

Our destination is La Franca, where we’ll stay at Hotel Mirador de La Franca, right by a beautiful beach at the mouth of the Cabra River. At low tide, the beach connects with several neighboring coves.

Dinner tonight will be at the hotel, where the restaurant focuses on traditional cooking and local, seasonal ingredients. After 12 miles, it will be nice to "stay home" for dinner. 

I really like how we’re doing this day because you get to choose your challenge. We will shuttle you to the start of the hike depending on how long you would like to hike.

Want the full experience? Walk approximately 14 miles from La Franca to Llanes.

Want a good hike but not quite that much? Start in Pendueles and walk about 10 miles.

Want a shorter day? We’ll have an approximately 4-mile option that still lets you experience the Camino and the amazing views from up high and then walk into Llanes.

This stretch can be more challenging, with some elevation, but the scenery makes it worth the effort. Llanes sits between the sea and the mountains, with the Picos de Europa nearby and an Asturian coastline filled with cliffs, coves and beaches.

I also want us to use some of this last walk to think about the week: what God has shown us, what we’ve learned, and what we want to do differently when we get home. 

When you arrive in Llanes, we will meet up at the Silken Hotel where our shuttle bus will meet us at 2:00pm and drive us to Hotel Naforrola, an intimate eight-room hotel in a restored Basque farmhouse surrounded by vineyards, forests and countryside in the Urdaibai Biosphere Reserve. This is one of the nicest hotels I have ever seen! 

At 6:00, we’ll stretch outside so we can enjoy the views and then have drinks on the terrace before dinner.

And this is not just any dinner.

We’ll eat at ROLA, a 2026 MICHELIN Guide restaurant. Chef Gaizka Goikoetxea creates a tasting menu inspired by the region of Urdaibai, using local and organic ingredients, including produce from the hotel’s own garden. The menu changes with the seasons, so what ends up on our plates will reflect what’s actually growing and available when we’re there. It's going to be amazing!

Today is going to be a special day because you will have hours to just sit with God so that together you can put together a plan to help you live the life you were created to live.

After breakfast, we'll have a short  discussion, enjoy a group workout and an amazing lunch. Then comes one of the most special parts of the day. You will have hours to find your own peaceful spot, step away from the distractions of everyday life, and simply be with God. We’ve prepared several questions to help guide your thoughts and reflections during this time.

I truly believe that the One who created you wants to guide you into the full, abundant life He has waiting for you. Imagine what it might feel like to slow down, listen, and make space for Him to show you what that life could look like.

Later in the day, you will come back together to share your reflections and begin putting together your own personal plan for moving forward. You’ll leave with a clearer vision of the life you want to live and some practical steps to help you get there.

We’ll end our time together with one final dinner at the spectacular ROLO Restaurant, where our Michelin Guide chefs will prepare another incredible meal for you to enjoy!

We’ll have one final breakfast together before our retreat officially comes to an end.

We’ll be only about 25–30 minutes from the airport, and the hotel can help arrange taxis when we’re there. Please plan your departing flight for after 1:00 PM on September 13 so you have plenty of time to enjoy breakfast and get to the airport without rushing.

Saying goodbye is never my favorite part, but after days of walking, talking, eating, laughing, learning, and experiencing this beautiful part of Spain together, I hope we’ll have a lot to look back on, some new things to think about, and a clear plan to help us live the life we were created to live!