Culinary Heritage: The Basque Country is renowned for its unique gastronomy, including pintxos (tapas) and its Michelin-starred restaurants, making it a culinary hotspot for food enthusiasts.
Natural Landscapes: The region features diverse landscapes, from rugged coastline along the Bay of Biscay to the mountainous terrain of the Pyrenees, ideal for outdoor activities like hiking and surfing.
Cultural Identity: The Basque people have a distinct cultural identity, with their own language (Euskara), traditional music, and festivals, reflecting a rich history that predates the Spanish and French states.
- Historic Sites: Must-see historical attractions include the medieval town of Guernica, famous for its significance in the Spanish Civil War, and the stunning architecture of Bilbao’s Guggenheim Museum, an icon of contemporary design.
Unseen, fascinating, evocative and adventurous, the on-the-road vacation in the Basque Country can turn out to be a real surprise! Let’s find out more…
Who loves a’alternative to the usual beach vacation or in the mountains in the summer and is a lover of unpublished travels will absolutely have to take into consideration a on-the-road trip to the Basque Country. This region that mesmerizes and enchants with its breathtaking beauty, culture and authentic traditions is located in the heart of theWestern Europeand between France and Spain and represents a truly unprecedented territory that is so different from both classic Spain and more picturesque France as to be discovered with a spirit of sincere freedom. The Basque Country is a succession of fascinating coastal cities, spectacular mountain landscapes and a deeply rooted cultural identity so unique that they offer an experience far beyond expectations. Whether you are a nature lover, a history buff, or a gourmand in search of local delicacies, here is what you absolutely must not miss for a on-the-road itinerary in the Basque Country…
Bilbao: the vibrant city Basque Country between past and future
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Starting point for a trip to the Basque Country absolutely must be Bilbao, the city, perhaps, most iconic of the Basque Country. Lively, charming, picturesque and inspiring, the city will immediately surprise you with its multifaceted soul. A continuous Intermittence between tradition and innovation will be the thread that will accompany you as you discover this city that is always popular with all kinds of travelers. The center of its artistic expression is the Guggenheim Museum, a museum hub designed by the firm of Frank Gehry and opened in 1997 quickly became an institution of international reference for art and culture. This museum, besides being important from an artistic point of view, represents the centerpiece of urban regeneration, creative and touristic of the Basque city. After immersing yourself in this truly unique universe of contemporary art to understand the other soul of Bilbao it is necessary to get lost in the Casco Viejo, the historic center, laid out on the right bank of the Ría de Bilbao. From the neoclassical Plaza Nueva up to the sixteenth-century Santuario de Nuestra Señora de Begoña, from the Ribeira market to the Axturi Train Station: everything will immediately make you love the capital of the Basque Country. Sunset must be experienced in Bilbao, evening tasted! Close the day on the banks of the Nervion is the best way to be invaded by wonderful energy.
San Sebastian: the bubbly and authentic city of the Basque Country.
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Iconic stop for the on-the-road trip to the Basque Country is San Sebastian. This small town along the coast will awaken in you an incredible vitality. La Cocha, a beautiful bay with golden sand, will welcome you with its characteristic seafaring style umbrellas and you will feel right in another world. The city is characterized at a glance by noble and elegant architecture so much so that San Sebastian becomes a delightful postcard of the Belle Epoque of the Basque Country.i, but it slowly transforms itself by taking on a more distinctive identity. It is then the vitality that will make you fall in love with San Sebastian with its trendy places to have a drink of pinxtos, the characteristic Atlantic tapas, skateboards and surfboards, hypster beards that bring out all its cosmopolitan soul. Don’t miss a ride on the Funicular with original carriages from 1912 that will give you a really crazy view.
Gexto: the seaside village of the Basque Country.
The journey must continue to Gexto where you experience one of the most unseen in the territory of the Basque Country because the town is reached where having crossed the choreographic Zubizuri bridge signed Calatrava and the puente de Bizcaya, iron structure that has been uniting the two banks of the rìa near the estuary since 1893, an original construction of such great impact on the landscape that it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This delightful seaside village develops on the top of the hill, above the long hemmed beaches by the waterfront promenade on which are flanked by early 20th-century villas and a truly distinctive fishing harbor. The Old Port of Gexto is a perfect place to practice surfing and enjoy a lively nightlife. Its narrow streets and whitewashed facades with brightly painted doors, windows and balconies make for a truly delightful and energetic environment. Don’t miss the sunset here to watch in the Usategi lookout where it is possible to admire splendid views of El Abra tasting pintxos and banderillas accompanied by the good rojo wine of the area.
Biarritz: the French soul of the Basque Country disheveled and trendy.
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Passing through the French side, the whole soul of the Basque Country changes. Just get to Biarritz, a timeless, captivating locality that moves with an energetic and disheveled rhythm, yet at the same time elegant and refined. A Biarritz the two souls coexist perfectly, the one never clashing with the other, but becoming complementary to it so much as to recall a international tourism that is always cool and exclusive. Biarritz is the soul of the Ocean, the water ignites the spirit of those who adore beach life, but also of the surfers who reach the coast to dance along with the waves. The city is an elegant core where buildings of art deco and rich of details of the Belle époque. Among the things to see is the striking viewpoint Rocher de la Vierge, which is reached from the footbridge at the bottom of Pointe Atalaye where, on the spur of a rock, is a statue of the Virgin and Child.
