Midday in the Parte Vieja, When You Can Reach the Bar

This is the lunchtime departure, and the hour changes the experience more than the itinerary does. In the evening the Old Town bars are three deep and you eat with your elbows tucked in. At midday you can get to the counter, see what is actually on it, and talk to the person serving.

Three hours through the winding streets of the Parte Vieja with a gastronomic guide, meeting at the cooking school in the basement of the Hotel María Cristina, and calling at six places.

The range is deliberate: some are the old bars where the pintxos sit on the counter under cling film and have not changed in decades, some are the newer kitchens making everything to order. Both are correct, and the difference between them is most of what there is to learn here.

At each stop you get one or two pintxos with a cider or a wine chosen for them.

All food and drink is included, and you go away with the guide's own recommendations for the days after, which is worth as much as the tour.

Ten people at most, guided in English. Service animals welcome. Vegetarian versions with notice at booking; not recommended for vegans. Children must be accompanied by an adult. You say goodbye at the last bar and can carry on from there.