Bermeo

The charm of Bermeo is easy to miss if you don't park and walk from the old town to the port. Before the town became synonymous with the commercial fishing industry (it once boasted the largest fishing fleet in Spain), it was a booming whaling center. In the 16th century, Bermeo whalers reportedly were obliged to donate the tongue of every whale to raise money for the church. Bermeo has one of only two wooden-boat shipyards on the northern coast, and the boats docked in its busy harbor make a colorful picture. Drive to the top of the windswept hill above town, where a cemetery overlooks the crashing waves below.