Discover the Basque Country: Art, Coast and Culinary Delights
Accommodation in Basque Country
The Basque Country can be explored through a variety of themes: contemporary art, coastal towns, protected landscapes and trails with a long history of trade. When planning your trip, exhibitions and sculpture collections offer just as many points of interest as hiking and cycling opportunities or the history of wine and salt. This selection highlights different sides of the region, without requiring you to focus on just one of them.
Art and Sculpture
The Guggenheim Bilbao presents a dynamic program of temporary exhibitions of modern and contemporary art. The collection at Artium Museoa offers a different perspective, comprising Basque and Spanish contemporary art from the 1950s to the present day. Families can take part in activities and use areas designed specifically for them. Details of the family program may change.
Chillida-Leku offers another distinctive focus. Its collection comprises 391 sculptures and more than 300 works on paper. Set on 11 hectares, the Museo Chillida-Leku displays almost 40 original sculptures by the artist. The figures for the collection and the original works on display convey different scales: from the total number of works to the sculptures shown on the museum grounds.
Coast and Protected Landscapes
San Juan de Gaztelugatxe lies on the Basque coast between the coastal towns of Bakio and Bermeo. A stone bridge and a staircase of 241 steps connect the site to the coast. San Juan de Gaztelugatxe is also designated as a protected biotope. For public transport, line A3527 runs from Bilbao bus station (Termibus) toward Bermeo, stopping at San Juan de Gaztelugatxe. Line A3518 runs via Mungia toward Bakio; it may be supplemented by a seasonal bus service or, on winter weekdays, by a taxi-bus. As transport connections may change, check locally before setting out.
Urdaibai was designated a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve in 1984. Ekoetxea Urdaibai has a viewpoint with a 360-degree view, overlooking the marsh. The Flysch Route offers a different kind of landscape: the rocks reveal evidence of events such as the mass extinction of the dinosaurs. The region thus combines a protected landscape with a geological perspective on the distant past of the Earth.
Trails and Activities
The GR 38 is 166 kilometers long and follows a historic trade route. Fish was transported inland along it; on the return journey, people carried grain, salt, vinegar and wine. This list of goods brings trade along the route to life and gives the trail a historical dimension in addition to its length.
Gorbeia offers opportunities for hiking, cycling and horseback riding. The focus is on a variety of activities. Which one suits your trip depends on whether you want to experience the region on foot, by bike or on horseback. These options describe different ways to engage with the landscape.
Wine and Salt
Salt has been produced continuously in the Valle Salado de Salinas de Añana for more than 7,000 years. The long history of salt production adds a special insight into local production to the region’s cultural and landscape themes.
The Txakoli de Bakio experience includes visits to the vineyards, winery and distillery, as well as a tasting of two Txakolis with an aperitif. Bodega Berroja offers wine tourism activities, tastings and dining. At the Centro Temático del Vino Villa LucĂa in Laguardia, a wine route begins with an introductory course in wine tasting in Rioja Alavesa. The elements of the Txakoli experience and the offerings at Bodega Berroja may change; check before booking. You should also confirm the availability of the wine route at Villa LucĂa in advance.
Discover more destinations: Abaltzisketa, Llodio, Zarautz, Bizkaia, Gipuzkoa, Alava, Larraul, Condado De Treviño.
For the main travel overview: Spain.
