“when we were in Spain…”

How tired are you of hearing El Lopo staff and regulars say that?

Well, if you come with us this year, you can be the new smuggest person in the room every time food or wine or travel comes up.

Last year being the first time we got to share our favorite destinations with so many of our favorite people, we tried to go everywhere and do everything. We succeeded, but it was a little exhausting. So this year, the plan is to go to just a few places and do everything.

The fall 2024 trip will focus exclusively on the north, with two smaller cities each serving as a hub for their respective region.

where we’re heading:

• oviedo and asturias

this rugged mountainous region along the north coast is not the spain you see in postcards. cider and cheese displace wine and jamon on most tables, and on the shores you’re more likely to see someone harvesting barnacles in a wetsuit than tanning in a bikini. we’ll spend our nights in oviedo, the picturesque medieval capital, but most days we’ll venture out to explore orchards, ranches, cheese caves, or rural towns each claiming to make the best bean stew. this will be the first time visiting asturias for anyone on el lopo’s crew, so you’ll get to discover it with us.

• san sebastian and the basque country

san sebastian (a.k.a. donostia) is a compact, quirky, and food-obsessed coastal town that feels like a major city. try to imagine san francisco with only soft drugs. and no tech bros. and things that are open late.

within a 90-minute drive are wineries, once-in-a-lifetime destination restaurants, a forest of hand-painted trees, and an entire town specializing in grilled fish.

If you’re like us, you’ve probably been conditioned to roll your eyes at the mere suggestion of a guided group tour. And that’s a great instinct. This is different.

This is some people who fetishize Spanish gastronomy going to eat and drink all the things, and inviting you to tag along.

that sound like you? here’s how to join:

just give us some money please, and get yourself to the relevant starting point and home from the end point. book yourself places to stay too, unless you want us to handle that.

9/21-26 in Asturias: $1560 per traveler; +$740 per room for lodging

9/27-10/2 in the Basque region: $1630 per traveler; +$795 per room for lodging

all of it (includes a bonus day in between): $3390 per traveler; +$1655 per room for lodging

what’s included in the price:

• a lot of food. a few splurgy options will cost extra, and if you insist on pretending breakfast is a real thing you’ll be on your own in that endeavor. but if you hang with us every day after 2pm and are content with (shockingly good) casual dining, you’ll never be hungry and you’ll never go out of pocket.

• all the wine, sherry, vermouth, cider, and beer your little liver desires (although we reserve the right to tell you how much that is if you don’t know). 

• insider access to wineries, bodegas, distilleries, ranches, and canneries that make the things we sell at el lopo.

• all ground transportation while you’re with us. this may include trains, rental cars, buses, taxis, and subways. 

• more advice, information, cultural and historical context, and well-informed opinions than you could ever ask for.

• excellent company. we’re capping the group at 12 travelers, and if someone who sucks wants to come we will tell them it's full. 

• (if you opt to pay for lodging) a private room in a stylish and centrally-located small hotel.

questions? 

check out our FAQ page, or drop us a line and we'll follow up within a day.

Here are some photos from last year's trip!