In my opinion, the Basque Country of Spain is the most underrated region in the whole of the nation! Of course, when you think of a visit to Spain, the first places you’d think of would be Madrid, Barcelona, Seville, but what if i were to tell you that you’d be making a huge mistake.
In these series of blogs (implying there’ll be more to come) i’ll be presenting to you the best of what this plentiful land has to offer while also including some interesting cultural insights that you almost definitely haven’t heard of before. All content coming to you first hand from your Boy in Bizkaia aka the Young Brit in Bilbao, operating on the front lines for a genuine perspective on the region.
In this entry i want to give you a brief overview on the 3 main parts that make up the country, focusing on their major cities, and make a case as to why they’re so worthwhile visiting. Other than; “Oh, the people are really nice” or “Oh yeah, the food is great”. Which to be fair, is still pretty true, but i’ll try offer up some other cases too!
The whole region is located at the very north of Spain, being called Euskadi in native tongue, and is split into 3 parts having one major city in each.The first being Bizkaia aka Biscay, home to Bilbao and the Guggenheim Museum. Gipuzkoa which hosts San Sebastian aka Donostia, the so called gem of the entire Basque Country. And lastly but not least, Álava or Araba where you can find the capital of Euskadi; Vitoria-Gasteiz.
Each part really has its own distinct vibe with its own unique versions of the Basque traditions, cultural practices, way of life and even different languages. If your looking for the most traditional and ancestral representation of Spain then look no further because the oldest remains discovered in the region date back to 150,000 BC! No lie, thats pretty old, but realistically the traditions you’d see today would have originated from the period just before Romanisation took place, around 2500–900 BC. The point i’m trying to make here is that Basque Country has a deep rooted history and sense of tradition which they’ve done a class job of upholding. It’s something they’re very proud of and trust me, you’ll clock it when you get here, there is no one more prouder than an Euskaldun (Basque person).
The first place we’ll get into is Bizkaia and Bilbao where i’m currently doing my year abroad, studying at the Universidad de Deusto. Out of the 3 major cities the vibe here is by far the most creative and imaginative. Every form of art is thriving here wether its music, film, theatre, contemporary art or architecture, you can find it. Every other weekend there seems to be a music or film festival going on in Casco Viejo (the Old Town) where you’ll definitely be visiting as the scenes there are sensational.can’t upload videos straight to here so the quality is a bit peak 
In a classic early-modern Spanish style the narrow streets of Casco Viejo are rammed with countless bars, restaurants and artisan style shops/stalls. The streets are always active and bustling with people as this side of Bilbao is also greatly loved by the locals too. I’d say you’d really want to go Plaza Nueva as you can munch on some of the finest pintxos (‘pinchos’ in Basque) the city has to offer. They look like these things…
This is Muz and these were from Culmen Bilbao in Plaza Nueva, they were very piff.
Make sure you also check out Restaurant Víctor Montes, located in the square too, if your after some proper gourmet Basque cuisine.
Now, you can’t say that you’ve made the most of a holiday if you haven’t gone to a museum, so i’m going to help you out. Luckily for you, Bilbao has a nice variety of museums to really help you gather a better idea of the history of the region, or if you’d just like to look at some cool things. The first museum we went to was the Museo de Bellas Artes de Bilbao, less historically inclined but it’s definitely one for you art heads, there’s lots of cool stuff there too. But if you really want to sink your teeth into some history then head back to Casco Viejo with your notebook and go to the Museo Vasco to understand more about the long struggle of the Basque people.
If you had any idea of Bilbao and the Basque Country before reading this post you’re probably thinking “what’s this guy got against the Guggenheim Museum?”. Nothing, i just think it deserves its own section as the museum holds a greater weight than just simply being a fancy piece of architecture.
Opened in 1997, the museum was built on the river where the old shipping ports used to be in the times of the Spanish Republics and the Dictatorship of General Franco. Having always been a heavily industrialised part of Spain, in the wake of Globalisation and in Spain’s transition to democracy (c. 1975), the city went through some very tough times in the process of de-industrialisation. Especially after an estuary flood in 1983 which cost the city around 360 million Euro in damages! But the city managed to bounce back due to massive investments in infrastructure and urban renewal, the first of which being this museum, which now helps bring in a steady income to the community. By paying homage to its roots in the style of a shipyard, this museum is a symbol of the city’s survival of a very tough economic transition that many other places are still struggling to overcome today.
Despite being round 5th on my list of things to do, the Guggenheim Museum should be the 1st on yours.
I’ve only just scratched the surface when it comes to stuff to do here, not evening mentioning some of the more rural spectacles of Bizkaia, but don’t worry, there’ll be much more to come. We’ll finish up Bilbao with an honourable mention to the funicular or ‘cable car’ for normal people (didn’t know what it meant either) as you can get a magnificent view from on top of the hill of the whole city!
The next part of Euskadi we’ll have a look at is Gipuzkoa and it’s main city San Sebastian (Donostia). This place is literally like a second home for me as it’s where all my mother’s family are from and live. As previously mentioned Donostia is regarded as the jewel of the entire Basque region and its very worthy of that title. With three beaches and many sights to see this costal sensation is a must visit.
It’s impossible to miss the Playa de La Concha where the bay and harbour are located. The long stretch of beach connecting the two mountains either side of the bay makes for a hefty three course visual feast. I’d have a walk up Monte Urgull which is the mountain with the statue of Jesus on it. It only takes 25–30 minutes to reach the old fort which has been converted into a museum/cafe and the views from up there are 11/10. Climb up a little further and you’ll end up reaching the massive statue and alter to catch a few blessings, Amen!
You have the luxury of knowing that whenever you plan to come here there’ll be some sort of festival to get involved with! In mid-August is when Donostia celebrates Semana Grande, which as the name implies is a large week of festivities that carries on until the start of September when the Euskal Jaiak takes place (a big regatta). All centred around La Concha the streets of the old town and the bay are packed with people all drinking and having a good time.scenes from the main beach (Playa de La Concha)
Besides catching the firework displays of Semana Grande another hugely popular pass time here is surfing. Having three beaches you could have guessed it but the one you’d need to go to is Playa Zurriola just east of the bay if your looking for some certified big waves. Donostia has a great mix of coast and city making for a very diverse holiday having the best of both worlds.
Before we wrap up with San Sebastian the most important point must be said, and it’s about food! When we’re talking about food Donostia has not come to play any games. There are five restaurants in the whole of the country that boast having three Michelin stars to their name, and three of them are right here! With a total of 16 stars across the entire city, the knock on affects of having such a high quality inspires the less so fancy places to really hold a very high standard of themselves. To finish there’s two places i highly recommend, and with the up most seriousness you can’t overlook these spots. If you want proper seafood of all sorts then go to Txoko, on the harbour at the base of Monte Urgull, and order the monkfish, that’s all i’m going to say. If your after some high quality tapas (different to pintxos these are like starter sized plates) then Txuleta in the Old Town is undoubtedly the one. No lies when i tell you the best calamari i have ever eaten is distributed here. That’s a fact.
The last of our locations is Vitoria-Gasteiz situated in Álava. Admittedly, i have the least depth of knowledge and least to say about this part of Euskadi but it’s importance is still very significant. As was said earlier, Vitoria is the political capital of the Basque Country as its home to the Basque Parliament (Eusko Jaurlaritza) and it’s also where the Basque Prime Minister lives. Anyone with a bit of political/historical knowledge of nationalism could appreciate the importance of a place like Vitoria and the role it plays in not only Basque but Spanish modern history too.
Despite being one of the oldest officially founded cities, excluding the Old Town, the rest of city hadn’t experienced major developments until around 60 years ago, so it’s still regarded as a relatively young city. It probably wouldn’t be the first place i’d say to go check out but if your into your politics and want to know how the autonomous government can exist in close quarters with the national government, it could be worth your while.
What i can say is that the Old Town (i know i love to bang on about these) is what the city really has going for it. I don’t normally get taken back by cathedrals but the Cathedral de Santa María de Vitoria had something else about it. The scale of the building is what makes it attention grabbing i think. Coupled with the fact that many of the original city wallsare still standing, you can loose your sense of time as it feels like you’ve jumped back 500 years.
I feel for Vitoria a bit by not being able to do it proper justice as i’ve only ever made a quick stop there on the way to Madrid. Either way, the Basque Country has plenty more things to offer, however, Vitoria should still not be forgotten.
And with all that being said, i hope you now have a much better idea of what this normally overlooked region has going for it. Without repeating myself i hope that what i’ve shown you in this post sparks interest in this underrated land. You can expect much more content coming to you soon as i’ve still got half a year left of living here and there’s plenty more to talk about.
Until then i’ve been your Boy in Bizkaia aka the Young Brit in Bilbao wishing you more life and prosperity.
Boy In Bizcaya 