Six Things to do in Basque Country

The Basque Country actually straddles two countries along the Atlantic Coast – stretching 100 miles from Bilbao in Northern Spain to Bayonne in France.

Basque Country is famed for its natural beauty – it’s said that you’re never more than 30 metres away from the nearest green space here.

Earlier this summer, we caught up with the team from Basque Country Tourism and asked them about the 10 top things a first-time visitor to Basque Country should put on their ‘must see’ list:

Check out the Architecture in Bilbao

Basque Country is renowned for its modern architecture. Perhaps the most famous example is the Guggenheim Bilbao modern-art museum – a unique architectural gem designed by Frank Gehry. But there’s no need to fight through the crowds to the region’s number one tourist spot – the city of Bilbao is a mecca for modern design, with a metro system designed by Sir Norman Foster, and a community centre courtesy of Philippe Starck, for starters. Elsewhere in the region, cities such as Vitoria and San Sebastien are home to beautiful churches, monasteries and historic buildings.

Take a Gastronomic Tour in San Sebastien

San Sebastien is a beautiful, upscale beach city that offers some of the best restaurants in the world. In fact, 2 of the world’s top 10 restaurants are in the city, and San Sebastien boasts 15 Michelin stars (including three 3* establishments). But you don’t need to go upmarket to eat well here. Try some traditional Basque Country tapas (known as pinxtos in this part of Spain) – the ‘Gilda Bilbao Berria’ is a regional specialty, said to be named after the character Rita Hayworth played in the movie “Gilda”.

Lunch at a Basque Cider House

Basque Country cider is a rather different experience than its English namesake – with a flavour of red apples rather than green, and a fresh, dry taste, it’s best drunk quickly and fresh, alongside a daily lunch ‘menu’. The region has dozens of boutique cider houses where you can enjoy local dishes such as chorizo in cider and salt-cod omelette with unlimited cider. Just remember to toast your fellow diners with “txotz” (“chotch“) which is a version of cheers reserved just for drinking cider!

Visit the Salt Valley Spa

The most famous spa in Basque Country isn’t quite a slippers and robe sort of spot – it’s a rather more rough and ready experience, where you can experience hand and foot treatments using the unique salt from the Añana Salt Valley. More than 200 million years ago, the ocean covered the valley of Salinas de Añana – today, the ocean is gone but what remains is a unique geological landscape and platforms on which brine is poured to create salt. The flavour is as unique as the landscape – chefs from all over the world have their restaurant salt imported specifically from the valley.

Go Green in Vitoria-Gasteiz

Vitoria-Gasteiz is the European Green Capital and the city is made for strolling – there are broad paths lined with trees, huge numbers of parks and green spaces even around the public buildings. It’s the perfect city to stroll around, and you’ll love the plazas lined with bars and busy restaurants, connected with narrow, winding streets with belle epoque houses and beautiful churches and palaces.

Hang Ten in San Sebastien

San Sebastien isn’t just known for its restaurants – this coastal gem is also home to some of the best surfing on the Atlantic coast. Actually, there are 250m of beaches in Basque Country, producing no fewer than 50 different varieties of wave, making the area an international mecca for surfers. At Mundaka, in Biscay, the surf scene is internationally famous, and known for its diversity and regular 4m high waves.

Travel Bloggers take on Basque Country

Want to know more about visiting Basque Country? Check out what some of our favourite travel bloggers found on their travels:

• A Weekend in Bilbao, by Travelhack
• The BBK Live Festival in Bilbao, by Flip Flip Travels
• The Best Pinxtos in San Sebastien, by Lines of Escape
• Beautiful Basondo, by This Girl Loves

Photos: Borja Laria/Karol Kozlowski/Shutterstock.com