46 Best Hotels in The Basque Country, Navarra, and La Rioja, Spain

Frank Gehry's post-Guggenheim hotel, presided over by Marriott, looks like an extraterrestrial colony in the middle of one of La Rioja's oldest vineyards. The jumble of pink-and-gold titanium sheets curves around rectilinear sandstone surfaces; inside, guest rooms are streamlined and appointed with designer furniture. Amenities include the winery visitor center, historic cellars, and horseback riding, and golf. There's also a spa featuring grape-based emollients and two award-winning restaurants.

Built in the mid-19th century for Empress Eugenia de Montijo, wife of Napoléon III, this neo-Gothic limestone castle-cum-hotel with rooms in the watchtowers and defensive walls is one of the most extraordinary lodgings in the area (and Relais & Châteaux agrees). Overlooking the Urdaibai Nature Reserve wetlands 30 minutes north of Bilbao, near Gernika, it's a favorite home base for bird-watchers, with excursions by canoe available for exploring the marshes. The excellent restaurant focuses on local products, from seafood to Txakoli, making this a culinary destination as well.

Rioja's renowned \"gastro hotel,\" Echaurren is a food lover's paradise with two envelope-pushing restaurants and Relais & Châteaux--certified digs. The crown jewel of the property is El Portal, a two-Michelin-star temple to Riojan cuisine with surprising offal preparations, but there's also casual bistro dining in El Cuartito. Rooms are minimal and modern with blond wood, large windows, and—in upgraded rooms—uncommon perks like double showers and wine-based bath products.

The oldest hotel in Pamplona, where Ernest Hemingway conceived of his first novel, The Sun Also Rises, is a comfortable and conservative hotel with some early-20th-century accents such as velvet bergères and ornate headboards. Hemingway watched the running of the bulls from room 201 in 1924. 

Arbaso means \"ancestor\" in Euskera, and though this newcomer is awash with modern comforts, it exudes Basqueness in its staff uniforms, inspired by traditional jai alai uniforms; cuisine at Narru restaurant, hinging on local meats and seafood; and design elements incorporating Basque timber and stone. Entry-level rooms peer out over a zen courtyard, while the best digs afford vistas of the bay and add fireplaces and living rooms. Keep an eye out for low-season deals. 

Belle Époque grace and opulence define San Sebastián's most legendary hotel, which has hosted countless movie stars and dignitaries since opening in 1912. Public spaces are appointed with Oriental rugs, potted palms, and Carrara marble columns, and there's a spacious gym in the basement. The renovated guest rooms—many with river views—feature elegant (if perhaps gaudy to some) design accents like tufted headboards and fuchsia wall art. Marble bathrooms add more pampering with deep-soak tubs and separate showers. A piano player teases out an eclectic medley of tunes nightly at the bar.

With its stone floors and rough-hewn ceiling beams, this 17th-century palace hotel transports you back in time, but it features thoroughly modern comforts: a terrific on-site tavern and winery, cushy beds, framed prints, and flower-fringed wrought-iron balconies.

This handsome hillside estate is among the province's most exquisite hideaways. It has bare stone walls, beamed ceilings, and windows overlooking lush green pastures, plus an elegant breakfast area and glass-walled reading nook. The on-site restaurant serves refined \"kilometer-zero\" dishes cooked over coals like grilled Navaz wood pigeon and txuletas de buey. 

You can live like a medieval lord in this 10th-century bastion, home in the 16th century to Spain's founding emperor, Carlos V—hence its alternative name: Parador El Emperador. Replete with suits of armor and other chivalric bric-à-brac, the place feels like a movie set (and has occasionally been used as one). Many rooms have views of the Bidasoa estuary; upgraded digs add canopy beds and baronial appointments and are worth the moderate extra expense. 

This mansion-cum-hotel retains many architectural bones from the original 1898 construction—such as vaulted ceilings, stained-glass windows, marble floors, and Victorian oak stairs—but virtually everything else, from the bathroom fixtures to the wall art, has been meticulously refurbished.

This clean-cut urban hotel steps from the river and Zurriola Beach is a dependable option for families and business travelers. Rooms are bright and modern with charcoal-gray furniture, large TVs, and (in upgraded digs) balconies and sofa beds.

This sleek art hotel, previously known as Gran Hotel Domine, is across from the Guggenheim and has design highlights including undulating seven-story walls in the lobby, glass elevators, and bathrooms with wood-plank floors. Rooms are minimalist yet well appointed and decorated in calming grays, whites, and earth tones.

Tastefully converted from a private mansion, this 1911 landmark on the shore is a favorite for quick overnight rail getaways from Bilbao, and scenery along the 37-km (23-mile) train ride is spectacular. Guest rooms are charming and comfortable in a grandmotherly kind of way. Those upstairs have balconies with marvelous views. (No. 22 is the best room in the house.)

Sandwiched between the Casco Viejo and the industrial area surrounding the Guggenheim, this corporate hotel soars seven stories over the Nervión, and its best rooms boast semicircular windows that make you feel like you're hovering over it. Cloudlike beds, exceptional breakfasts, and personable service make this hotel a regular choice among business and leisure travelers.

Close to—but not within earshot of—the raucous food fight that is Calle del Laurel, this hotel by the cathedral is within walking distance of all the major sights. It recently became a Eurostars property and now has a digital option at check-in and renovated rooms that can be unlocked with your phone. Stash your car in the garage beneath the nearby Plaza del Espolón (€15 per day).

Overlooking the San Mamés soccer stadium (known as "La Catedral") and with views of the Nervión River, this former schoolhouse is just a 15-minute walk through the lush Parque de Doña Casilda gardens from the Museo de Bellas Artes and the Guggenheim. Rooms are contemporary in style. The restaurant, El Botxo, serves carefully prepared Basque and international cuisine.

Amenities at this traditional hotel in a restored stone building include a complimentary glass of wine at check-in, to be taken in a 16th-century wine cave. Guest rooms, organized around an indoor courtyard, are baroquely furnished with heavy woods and flowy drapes. There are two restaurants—one formal, the other more down-home—which makes the Hospedería lively in the evenings.

Housed in a monastery atop a 9th-century hermitage, this rural hotel run by a Benedictine community is an ideal base for hiking. Rooms here are simple, and the restaurant offers local dishes at unbeatable prices.

While on the property, you can view the carving of the Virgin of Valvanera, patroness of the grape harvest and barren couples. She is portrayed with a pomegranate (symbolizing fertility) and vines.

This magnificent inn, under new management and with renovated public areas, occupies a wing of the historic Monasterio de Yuso. Heavy medieval stone walls conceal old-fashioned guest rooms, and there's a long baronial dining room on the ground floor that serves international fare as well as regional dishes.

On a mountaintop in the heart of Basque country’s “little Switzerland,” 20 minutes north of Vitoria-Gasteiz and 40 minutes south of Bilbao, this relaxing retreat features breathtaking views of the surrounding mountains and an excellent restaurant and spa. Etxegana is an ideal base from which to enjoy the region's natural splendor: hiking, fishing, cycling, and more. Rooms are adorned with rustic woodcarvings and furniture imported from Thailand; numbers 25 and 26 are particularly spectacular.

Just a few steps from the Plaza de los Fueros in downtown Gernika, the Boliña is a pleasant and modern base camp for exploring the Vizcayan coast. Rooms are simple and small but comfy, and the food is a great value.

Guests are treated like royalty in this castlelike 18th-century manor house. You don't have to choose between city convenience and country views: the property is located five minutes from the city center yet boasts spectacular views of the surrounding wine region. The hotel features an excellent restaurant, stained-glass windows, antique furniture, and a turreted tower whose spiral staircase empties onto a terrace overlooking the valley. Each room is individually styled, and upgraded digs add Jacuzzis and fireplaces.

On the main beachfront promenade overlooking La Concha, this stately hotel has a regal, old-world feel and Belle Époque aesthetic that starts in the marble lobby, with its shimmering chandeliers, and continues throughout the hotel. The gentlemanly bar and restaurant face the bay through large windows, and the classically styled, pastel-tone guest rooms boast gasp-worthy ocean views. Seventh-floor rooms have private terraces with superb vistas.

A prim business crowd fills this modern, centrally located hotel under the Marriott umbrella that's known for streamlined digs and professional service. The Guggenheim is a 10-minute walk away, and there's a busy cocktail bar and well-outfitted gym on the premises. 

More famous for its world-class Michelin-starred restaurant on the ground floor, this modestly priced hotel is one of Pamplona's best-kept secrets, a block and half from the bullring and within shouting distance of party central, Plaza del Castillo. The newly renovated property—awash with grays and whites—is a far cheaper alternative to most of the competition.

Across the street from the tourist office, Haro's best hotel is built into a 14th-century monastery with a cloister (now a beautiful covered patio) that's considered one of the finest in La Rioja. Arches, a great hall, and Renaissance tapestries complete the medieval look. The restaurant serves creditable local fare in two comfortable dining rooms, and the glassed-in wine cellar holds Haro's greatest treasures. Rooms are cozy if a bit basic and outdated.

This modern property is tucked away on a relatively quiet pedestrian street yet steps from the action on Plaza del Castillo and Calle Estafeta. It's popular with business travelers, thanks to reliable Wi-Fi, a gym, and a sauna. There are suites and triple rooms for families.

Between the Guggenheim and the Museo de Bellas Artes, this quiet boutique hotel with floor-to-ceiling windows and impeccable service is the sister property of The Artist hotel just up the street. Its Y2K aesthetic—picture all-white rooms, crimson throw pillows, and white leather sofas with polished steel legs—ironically feels current once again.

This majestic hotel, occupying a reconstructed 17th-century country palace by the airport, is a peaceful country retreat with a 9-hole pitch-and-putt and nearby activities including sand, surf, and sailing 15 km (9 miles) away in Plentzia and equestrian activities in Mungia. Unabashedly Victorian rooms are spacious and appointed with antique furniture, while the decidedly less ornate restaurant, Harria, serves polished Basque cuisine.

Overlooking the Kursaal concert hall and the Zurriola beach at the mouth of the Urumea, this small but inviting two-star is also steps from the bar-lined Parte Vieja. Some rooms have views northeast across the Urumea River and out to sea, and all are adorned with oversize photos of San Sebastián.