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Monumental Cities and Towns

• Bilbao: among its many monuments the Guggenheim Museum is the most famous. Also remarkable are the Basilica of Begona, Church of San Anton, the gothic Santiago Cathedral, the old town, Fine Arts Museum, Dona Casilda Park.
• San Sebastian: City overlooking the superb La Concha Bay.  Delightful Old Quarter with excellent `pinchos´ bars.  Fine monumental buildings including the Miramar Palace. Paseo de la Concha, the Town Hall, Mount Urgull Castle, San Telmo Museum.
• Vitoria: Capital of the Basque Country with remarkable monumental buildings such as the Gothic Santa Maria Cathedral, the Churches of San Pedro and San Miguel. Also the Plaza de la Virgen Blanca, Palaces of Escoriaza-Esquibel and Montehermoso.
• Gernika: symbolic home of all Basques and the Caja de Juntas, with the Oak Tree. Inspiration for Picasso´s `Gernika painting´. Also worth seeing are the Museum and Church of Santa Maria la Antigua.
• Laguardia: medieval walled town with superb gothic Church of Santa Maria de los Reyes and dozens of subterranean wine cellars below it´s atmospheric, cobbled streets.
• Hondarribia: picturesque fishing town with a walled old quarter and ancestral homes. Charming maritime area also.

History and Geography

The Cantabrian sea and the Atlantic Pyrenees provide the backdrop for an emerald green landscape with gentle mountains and valleys, a craggy coastline, highlands of beech and oak trees, and to the south, the Mediterranean-like landscape of Rioja. For centuries its inhabitants have been sailors, farmers, and shepherds, who speak an ancient language the origin of which must be sought in legends rather than history.

The Basque Country stands in the North part of Spain. It occupies an area of 7,261 square kilometres and has a population of approximately 2,500,000 inhabitants.  It is constituted as an Autonomous Community whose capital is Vitoria, and it is divided into three provinces: Alava, Bizkaia y Gipuzkoa. The climate is humid and warm, being milder and wetter on the Atlantic coast, while inland there are bigger temperature changes.

There are signs of the dawning of human life in the Basque Country from the end of the Early Stone Ages, some 100,000 years ago. The Basque of today descends, through slow evolution, from Cro-Magnon man, the earliest proof of which dates back 7000 years. For centuries, the Basques have been sailors, farmers, and shepherds who speak an ancient language, bearing no relationship to any other known language.  Their origin must be sought in legends rather than history.  One thing is certain though, the Basques are the oldest and purest ethnic group on the Iberian Peninsula.

 

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Cuisine

Basque cuisine, without a doubt, is the finest in Spain. It consists primarily of products from the sea: baked sea bream, spider crab, salted cod, baby eels, marmitako (a stew made from tuna and potatoes) and sardines. Other typical dishes include dried beans from Tolosa, green peppers from Gernika, truffles from Campezo, sardines from Hondarribia, cheese from Idiazabal and marmitako from Bermeo and Lekeitio. Wines from Rioja Alavesa are outstanding as are liqueurs such as pacharan (made from anise and sloe berries), txakoli white wine and traditional apple cider.

There is an extremely high concentration of Michelin 1*, 2** & 3*** star restaurants in the Basque Country.  These include the following restaurants at which we would be happy to make reservations for you in conjunction with your holiday:

VITORIA - Restaurante Zaldiaran (*) Restaurante Andra (*)

BILBAO - Restaurante Zortziko (*) Restaurante Goizeko Kabi (*) Restaurante Etxanobe (*)

SAN SEBASTIAN - Restaurante Arzak (***) Restaurante Miramon Arbelaitz  (*) Restaurante Akelare  (**) Restaurante Martin Berasategui  (***) Restaurante Fagollaga  (*)

HONDARRIBIA - Restaurante Alameda (*)

Festivals

• January: La Tamborrada, San Sebastian.
• February: Carnival in Vitoria, Bilbao & San Sebastian
• May: International Dance Festival, San Sebastian.
• June: International Blues Festival in Getxo (mid-June).
• July: International Jazz Festivals in Getxo (1st week July), Vitoria (3rd week July), San Sebastian (end July).
• August: Annual Fiestas in Vitoria (1st week), San Sebastian (2nd week), Bilbao (3rd week).
• September: International Film Festival-San Sebastian, International Folk Festival-Getxo.

Others

Totally Spain is extremely knowledgeable about Basque Country Travel and Tourism.  Please contact us and we can help you plan an unforgettable Basque Country Spain Tour.

 

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See below a selection of suggested itineraries on this website which feature the Basque Country.

Itineraries that feature this region

Themed Spain Tours

• Camino de Santiago - Coastal Road
• Gastronomic Tour for small groups
• National Parks of Northern Spain
• Spanish Architecture: From Gaudi to Gehry

Basque Country Tours

• Vitoria and the Rioja Wine Region
• Vitoria, Bilbao and the Rioja Wine Region
• Vitoria, Rioja, San Sebastian & Bilbao
• Vitoria, Bilbao, Rioja & Hondarribia
• Architecture in the Basque Country
• Nature in the Basque Country
• Churches & Sanctuaries of the Basque Country
• Basque Country Rambler

Accommodation

Please click on the symbol to see the Spanish Hotels in this area and obtain information about each.

Map of Basque Country } Map of Spain