Places to Explore

• Axpe

  The village of Axpe, in the valley of Atxondo, nestles under the limestone heights of 4,777-foot Amboto—one of the highest peaks in the Basque Country outside of the Pyrenees. Home of the legendary... (more)

• Bermeo

  The charm of Bermeo is easy to miss if you don't park and walk through the old part of town to the port. With the largest fishing fleet in Spain—some 60 long-distance tuna freezer ships of more than... (more)

• Bilbao

  Time in Bilbao (Bilbo, in Euskera) may be recorded as bg or ag (Before Guggenheim, After Guggenheim). Never has a single monument of art and architecture so radically changed a city—or, for that... (more)

• Elantxobe

  The tiny fishing village of Elantxobe (Elanchove, in Spanish) is surrounded by huge, steep cliffs, with a small breakwater that protects its fleet from the storms of the Bay of Biscay. The view of the... (more)

• Estella

  Once the seat of the Royal Court of Navarra, Estella (Lizarra, in Euskera) is an inspiring stop on the Camino de Santiago.... (more)

• Gernika-Lumo (Guernica y Lumo)

  On Monday, April 26, 1937—market day—Gernika suffered history's second terror bombing against a civilian population. (The first, much less famous, was against neighboring Durango, about a month... (more)

• Getaria (Guetaria)

  From Zumaia, the coast road and several good footpaths lead to Getaria (Guetaria, in Spanish), known as la cocina de Guipúzcoa, the kitchen of Guipúzcoa province, for its many restaurants... (more)

• Haro

  Haro is the wine capital of La Rioja. Its Casco Viejo (Old Quarter) and best taverns are concentrated along the loop known as La Herradura (the Horseshoe), with the Santo Tomás church at the apex... (more)

• The Highlands

  The rivers forming the seven main valleys of the Ebro basin originate in the Sierra de la Demanda, Sierra de Cameros, and Sierra de Alcarama. Ezcaray is La Rioja's skiing capital in the valley of the Rio... (more)

• Hondarribia

  Hondarribia (Fuenterrabía, in Spanish) is the last fishing port before the French border. Lined with fishermen's homes and small fishing boats, the harbor is a beautiful but touristy spot. If you... (more)

• La Rioja Alta

  The Upper Rioja, the most prosperous part of La Rioja's wine country, extends from the Ebro River to the Sierra de la Demanda. La Rioja Alta has the most fertile soil, the best vineyards and agriculture... (more)

• Laguardia

  Founded in 908 to stand guard—as its name suggests—over Navarra's southwestern flank, Laguardia is on a promontory overlooking the Ebro River and the vineyards of the Rioja Alavesa-La Rioja... (more)

• Lekeitio

  This bright little town is similar to Bermeo but has two wide, sandy beaches right by its harbor. Soaring over the Gothic church of Santa María (open for mass only) is a graceful set of flying buttresses... (more)

• Logroño

  A busy industrial city of 130,000, Logroño's lovely old-quarter is bordered by the Ebro and the medieval walls, with Breton de los Herreros and Muro Francisco de la Mata the most characteristic... (more)

• Mundaka

  Tiny Mundaka, famous with surfers all over the world for its left-breaking roller at the mouth of the Ría de Guernica, has much to offer nonsurfers as well. The town's elegant summer homes and stately... (more)

• Pamplona

  Pamplona (Iruña, in Euskera) is known worldwide for its running of the bulls, made famous by Ernest Hemingway in his 1926 novel The Sun Also Rises. The occasion is the festival of San Fermín... (more)

• Pasajes de San Juan

  Generally marked as Pasaia Donibane, in Euskera, there are actually three towns around the commercial port of Rentería: Pasajes Ancho, an industrial port; Pasajes de San Pedro, a large fishing harbor... (more)

• Puente la Reina

  Puente la Reina (Gares, in Euskera) is an important nexus on the Camino de Santiago: the junction of the two pilgrimage routes from northern Europe, one passing through Somport and Jaca and the other through... (more)

• San Juan de Gaztelugatxe

  This tiny, gemlike hermitage clinging to its rocky promontory over the Bay of Biscay is exactly 231 steps up along a narrow corridor built into the top of a rocky ledge connecting what would otherwise... (more)

• San Sebastián

  San Sebastián (Donostia, in Euskera) is a sophisticated city arched around one of the finest urban beaches in the world, La Concha (the Shell), so named for its resemblance to the shape of a scallop... (more)

• Santuario de San Ignacio de Loyola

• Vitoria-Gasteiz

  Vitoria's standard of living is currently rated among the highest in Spain, based on such criteria as square meters of green space per inhabitant (14), sports and cultural facilities, and pedestrian-only... (more)