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BASQUE COUNTRY HOLIDAYS > SPAIN
Holiday in Basque Country - Tourist information, where to go, what to do.
Nature and culture are blended in unique proportions in the Basque Country.
The language, history and traditions are deeply rooted in the natural surroundings, home of the Basques for thousands of years.
Provinces in Basque Country : Alava, Guipuzcoa and Vizcaya
Capital of Basque Country: Vitoria-Gasteiz
Basque Country, located in the most eastern area of the Cantabrian coast, with boundaries with the south eastern areas of France.
Each valley, each fishing port, each of the summits in the Basque Country is yet another beautiful spot to be discovered.
The savagely green beauty that is present in most of the territory, contrasts against the craggy and winding coastline, with the beautiful beaches and the picturesque fishing ports. All the community
shelters unique natural spots from which to contemplate and enjoy its people, its gastronomy or its monuments.
holiday rentals, hotels, tour operators - basque tours, travel guides, travel the basque country
links
Campsites & Caravanning Pays Vasco
 Eurocampings - ACSI Camping Guide
Camping & Caravaning en Espana
Holiday Rentals / Self Catering
Interhome - Holiday homes Basque Country
All properties are checked on a regular basis. All homes can be booked on-line. Properties are shown by destination.
Holidaylettings.co.uk
Spanish-Web.com - Self Catering Holiday Rentals
Find your Villa, Apartment or Country House to Rent
Hotels in Basque Country
Booking - Hotels in Basque Country
Hotels in Bilbao, San Sebastián, Vitoria-Gasteiz, Lasarte, Sondika, Barakaldo, Irún, Laguardia, Derio, Portugalete, Santurce-Antiguo, Murguía, and more...
 Hesperia Hotels in Bilbao (Spain) from 70 €
Hotel María Cristina, a Westin Hotel *****
San Sebastián is one of Spain's most fashionable seaside resorts. The Hotel María Cristina, inaugurated in
1912, is decorated in the Belle Époque style and has always been a pillar in the social, gastronomic and cultural live of the city.
Located in the city center overlooking the Urumea River and Cantabric Sea, the Hotel is surrounded by lovely
promenades and gardens. The shopping area, the Kursaal Convention Center and the Old Quarter with its
famous 'pintxos' bars, as well as the beach and seaside promenade are all within walking distance.
Golf courses, tennis courts and the casino are nearby, the famous Guggenheim Museum as well as the Bilbao International Airport are within 60 minutes drive.
Centrally located hotels ranging from small family run budget accommodation to world-class five star hotels.
Hostelbookers.com is one of the worlds largest online booking services for hostels. All hostels you see here are offering realtime prices and availability.
Travel Agencies / Tour Operators
lastminute.com
San Sebastian.
- Create your perfect trip to Basque Country
Flight, Hotel and Car.
Thomas Cook
Incoming and Tourist services
Castillo de Amaiur - Tourism a la carte in the Basque Country
Cultural exploration tours, Architecture & Fine Arts Tours, Rural and Ecological Tourism, Adventure trips
(hiking, river rafting, sea kayaking, etc.), Cooking Tours, Educational Tours, and Basque folk exhibitions.
N.I.S.
North Incoming Service is a travel agency located in Bilbao, the financial capital of Basque
Country, in the North of Spain. NIS provides its clients with assistance to organize cultural tours, incentive trips, conventions and cruise stopovers.
Packages & Tours : Incentive trips, Students trips, Gastronomic and wine tours, Cultural and artistic circuits, Religious tours, Nature and ecological trips, and Adventure and sports trips.
Romo Tours - incoming services
Relax plans, Nature breaks, City Breaks, Golf.
Stop Bilbao
Travel Guides Basque Country / Related books
Amazon.com - Travel Guides Basque Country
Basque Country: Of Spain and France - Philip Cooper (Author)
The Basque Country's coastline runs east from Bilbao (with its award-winning Guggenheim Museum) and
San Sebastian (some of the best food in Europe) to chic Biarritz with its splendid beaches. This pocket-sized
full-colour guide describes car tours and walks on the coast and inland - throughout the seven provices
making up the area, including the lush green flanks of the Pyrenees with their picture-postcard villages and
famous places like Pamplona and the Pilgrims' Route to Santiago de Compostela. Fold-out touring map, large
-scale (1:50,000) topo walking maps. Local transport timetables. Free on-line update service with specific
route change information. Series (50 destinations) dubbed 'the blue Bibles' by the Sunday Times.
Paperback: 136 pages; Publisher: Sunflower Books; May 2010; ISBN-10: 1856913813.
Transport / How do I travel to Basque Country
Donostia-San Sebastian Airport
In Hondarribia, 20 km from San Sebastian. It is located less than 5 km from the French town of Hendaia, 30 km
from Biarritz, and 20 km from San Juan de Luz.
Vitoria Airport
Bilbao Airport
Biarritz Airport in France
See Aena [ Aeropuertos Españoles y Navegación Aérea ] for information about these Spanish airports.
Book cheap flights to Basque country at ebookers and benefit from discounted airfares. View their latest offers and book your flights, accommodation, car hire and insurance online
Airline Tickets Basque country Bargain Flights
Cheap flights Basque country, price comparison possible
Road map Basque Country at Amazon
Links
Pais Vasco [ Tourism Basque Country ]
Gasteiz / Vitoria - Capital City Basque Country - European Green Capital 2012
10 reasons to visit Vitoria-Gasteiz: Vitoria-Gasteiz's Old Quarters - a monumental site, Guided tours to the
restoration work in Santa María Cathedral, Archaeology and Fournier Playing Card Museum - BIBAT, Parks on
the Green Belt [ especially Salburua. Ataria, Salburua Wetlands Interpretation Centre ], Centre for
Contemporary Art - Artium, Renaissance mansions, Medieval walls of Vitoria-Gasteiz, Saint James' Way in
Vitoria-Gasteiz, Romantic Route and Enogastronomy (Sweet Route, Delikatessen, Pintxos in Vitoria). Vitoria
-Gasteiz is also the capital city of the province of Álava. Second largest Basque city, after Bilbao. See City of Vitoria Gasteiz.
Diputacion Foral de Alava
Guipuzcoa - Gipuzkoa.net
Vizcaya
Bizkaia offers first-class cultural attractions for all tastes. From visiting museums, like the Bilbao Guggenheim
Museum with its original shape and exhibitions, to enjoying a concert at any village around Bizkaia, or jazz festivals, folklore festivals, etc
Udalnet
Udalnet es el portal extranet municipal del Departamento de Relaciones Municipales y Urbanismo de la Diputación Foral de Bizkaia.
Azpeitia - . town and municipality within the province of Gipuzkoa
Azpeitia lies 16 miles southwest of Donostia/San Sebastián at the foot of the massif Izarraitz on the Urola
river. Azpeitia is the birth place of Ignatius of Loyola, the founder of the Society of Jesus. His birth home is
now preserved as a part of large Jesuit compound, the Sanctuary of Loyola, a major attraction of tourist and pilgrims alike.
Inland from Zumaia, 1 km from the town of Azpeitia, is the imposing eighteen-century Baroque Basilica of Loyola built in honour of San Ignacio de Loyola. See Town of Azpeitia.
Bakio - quiet resort town of Bakio and surfer's paradise
Has a beach with steep cliffs but golden sands. The municipality [ 12 kms from Mungia and 12 kms from
Bermeo ] is surrounded by the hills of Mt. Burgoa (447 m), Mt. Garbola (474 m) and Mt. Jata (592 m) with walking and mountain-bike trails. See Routes and walks / Itineraries [ [pdf ].
Two rivers cross the plain of Bakio: the main river is the Zarraga, which receives its waters from its
namesake, Zarraga gorge, and from the gorges of Elorriaga, Karrakola, Amutzaga and Osinaga and also
numerous streams, before ending next to the harbour, and the small Ondarra, starting at the foot of Mt. Burgoa and Mt. Garbola, which flows down to the coast. See Municipality of Bakio.
Bermeo - town and municipality in the sub-region of Busturialde
Bermeo is the most important fishing port of the Basque Country. The town was founded in 1236 and has a
long maritime tradition [ major fishing port for the arrantzales - fishermen who once hunted whales - and
today, they fish for hake and tuna ]. The town held the title of "Provincial Capital" between 1476 and 1602.
Bermeo has tourist attractions such as the tiny island of San Juan de Gaztelugatxe, the Ercilla tower (a fishing museum), the Saint Juan gate and the port itself. See Municpality of Bermeo.
Bilbao - capital of the province of Biscay
Bilbao is some 14 kilometres (8.7 mi) south of the Bay of Biscay, where the estuary of Bilbao is formed and
lies within one of Spain's largest metropolitan areas: the comarca of Greater Bilbao. From the nineteenth
century and beginnings of the twentieth, Bilbao experienced heavy industrialization that made it the centre of
the second industrialized region of Spain [ behind Barcelona ]. Bilbao, located in the centre of what is known
as the Atlantic Arc, is also a town boasting a long and rich maritime tradition with more than 700 years of
history behind it. The Port of Bilbao is located on the Bilbao Abra bay, and along the Estuary of Bilbao. See Meet Bilbao: Bilbao Tourism Information, Bilbao City Council website and Port of Bilbao.
Bolivar village
Cenarruza-Puebla de Bolívar [ Basque: Ziortza-Bolibar ] is a municipality in the province of Biscay, in the
comarca of Lea-Artibai. You can visit the tiny village of Bolivar, ancestral home of South American liberator,
where there is a small museum. The Collegiate Church de Cenarruza or Ziortza is located at roughly two
kilometers from the urban nucleus. It was an important enclave in the Route of Santiago de Compostela. See Ziortza-Bolibar.
Donostia [ Spanish: San Sebastián ]
Donostia-San Sebastián is the capital city of the province of Gipuzkoa. San Sebastián's picturesque coastline
makes it a popular beach resort. The city sits at the mouth of the River Urumea. Tradition and modernity go
hand in hand in this "small" big city with touches of the Belle Époque ([ olden Age ] that has a top-flight cultural
agenda with its international film and jazz festivals and its first-class cultural programme.
More than that, San Sebastian is the world capital of the pintxo. Gastronomy rivals nature as the most
attractive feature of this city that's world famous for its cuisine and chefs, and boasts 16 Michelin stars. See Tourist Board San Sebastian.
Durango - gateway to the impressive Duranguesado Massif
Durango occupies an open space on the left bank of the River Ibaizabal. The Municipality's chief mountains
are Mount Pagasarri (838 m) and Mount Neberondo (453 m), situated in a limestone massif with numerous
karstic formations. The River Mañaria, which crosses the municipality from North to South, and Larrinagatxu Brook, empty into the River Ibaizabal as it flows through the municipality.
To explore this area of rocky peaks, the best access point is the Urkiola Pass [ on the Durango-Vitoria road and bus route ]. See Durango-udala.net.
Elantxobe - high above a small harbour with attractive fishermen's houses
Elantxobe is situated on the eastern slopes of Cape Ogoño rocky mass, which protects the fishing port, but
whose great inclination formed a cascade of steep, narrow streets where the houses seem to form a roof
ladder that reaches to the very edge the sea. This provision requires that the people have two completely
separate entrances, one for down to the port and the other towards the top, where a minimum flat width is all
that can be considered a square with a magnificent view and stunning turntable that should use larger vehicles to turn and leave town. See Comarca Busturialdea-Urdaibai.
Gernika - spiritual capital of Basque country and immortalized by Picasso's picture
Gernika, inland and west of Lekeitio, is the traditional heart of Basque nationalism. It was here that the Basque
paliament used to meet. Gernika. Destroyed by the Nazis in 1937 with saturation bombing against civilians. While there, pay homage to the oak tree of Gernika that is the symbol of Basque freedom. See Gernika-lumo.net.
Getaria - small historic place
One of the earliest towns on the coast, preserving the magnificent fourteenth-century church of San
Salvador, whose altar is raised theatrically above the heads of the congregation. The first man to sail around
the worlds, Juan Sebastian Elcano, was born here. It is located about 20 miles west of San Sebastian on the
Bay of Biscay. The harbor is protected by a prominent peninsula, which ends in a high rock. From that port,
the Basques sailed already in the 14th Century to the fishing and whaling to Newfoundland, Greenland and Iceland. The fashion designer Cristobal Balenciaga was born in 1895 in Getaria. See Getaria.net.
Getxo - Government Getxo
Getxo is Bizkaia's most residential municipality. Five very different areas form Getxo: Algorta, Neguri, Las
Arenas, Romo and Andra Mari, a rural area with a golf course, a horse riding club and the blue flag beaches which peep out to the Abra or outer harbour.
Irun - frontier town
Trains to Hendaia (Hendaye) in France and to San Sebastian throughout the day.
Lekeitio - active fishing port
Has two beaches - one beside the harbour, the other, much better, across the river to the east of the town.
Markina - famous for producing many of the finest pelota players
The fronton here is known as Universidad de la Pelota [ Pelota University ].
Mundaka - magnificent surfing and the longest left break in the world
Surf championships often take place here, and any windy day you can watch from the plaza next to the church as the surfers battle the waves.
Mutriku - fishing harbour and centre of a txakolli producing area
Admiral Churruca, the hero of the battle of Trafalgar to locals, was born here.
Oma - tucked in a lush green valley
Ondarroa - first coastal town in Bizkaia
Ondarroa has the most photographed and painted bridge in all the Basque Country
Orduna - curious enclave of Bizkaia in Alava Province
The Plaza de los Fueros boasts a collection of fine old buildings.
Pasajes San Juan - between Irun and San Sebastian
San Juan de Gaztelugatxe -
Located near Machichaco cape between Bermeo and Bakio on a small peninsula connected to land only by a
steep stone stairway, destroyed by the sea time after time, is the ancient hermitage of San Juan de Gaztelugatxe.
San Sebastian = Donostia - summer capital of Spain
Here the Belle Epoque lives on. Ideally situated on a choice spot on the Bay of Biscay, it's surrounded by green mountains. See Donostia.
Zarautz - a popular place for surfers
Every September, Zarautz plays host to a influx of surf enthusiasts who visit the town.
Zestoa - north of Azpeitia - has a rich supply of thermal and mineral waters
Zumaia - attractive centre and pleasant water - front along the estuary of the Urola river
Aquarium [ Donostia-San Sebastian Aquarium ]
The "Aquarium-Palacio del Mar de Donostia-San Sebastián" opened its doors in 1928 through an initiative of
the Oceanography Society of Gipuzkoa (Sociedad de Oceanografía de Gipuzkoa, or SOG). In fact, it was the
first natural science museum to be built in Spain and is the only museum in the Basque Country today dedicated to marine sciences.
Basque contests of strength
Duranguesado
The old Durango county, the Duranguesado, is located in a beautiful natural region bordered by two great
massifs: Mount Oiz to the north and Mount Amboto and its foothills to the South. One could say that this area is one of Bizkaia's most beautiful mountain sceneries.
Batasuna - see Wikipedia
Basque nationalist political party based mainly in Spain but with a French presence.
ETA - Basque nationalist organization - see Wikipedia
ETA is defined as a terrorist organization by the European Union, the United States and the United Nations.
University of Bilbao - University of Deusto
University of the Basque Country - Universidad del País Vasco
Campuses over three provinces: Biscay Campus [ in Leioa, Bilbao, Portugalete and Barakaldo ], Gipuzkoa
Campus [ in San Sebastián and Eibar ], and Álava Campus in Vitoria-Gasteiz. It is the main research institution in the Basque Country.
Udako Euskal Unibertsitatea
UPPA
University of Navarre
Universidad Pública de Navarra
It's main campus is located in Pamplona, at the outskirts of the city, near the CA Osasuna soccer stadium Estadio Reyno de Navarra.
Mondragon University
Pelgrim Route to Santiago de Compostella
Part of the pilgrim route to Santiago [ Bilbao - Ovido - Ribadeo / Logonde ]
Cuisine - Basque Recipes
Basque traditional cuisine, based on simple elaboration processes, bases its success on the quality of the
raw materials (fish, meat, cheeses, etc.). On a parallel level, new trends are appearing in Basque nouvelle
cuisine, which incorporate new ingredients, aromas, textures and combinations. All these dishes are always
accompanied by Rioja wine, from the region of Alava, or with cider or "txakolí" (Basque white wine); all three wines that are typical of Euskadi.
Enjoy discovering old wines such as the fruity and cheerful Txakoli as well as the new wines of Rioja that
are the result of the more than 150 years of knowledge and that are produced in bodegas designed by some
of the most prestigious architects in the world, like Frank Gehry, Santiago Calatrava or Rafael Moneo.
Pintxos: And Other Small Plates in the Basque Tradition
An authentic small plates cookbook from the top Basque chef in America. Acclaimed chef Gerald Hirigoyen's
sophisticated and delectable small plates, served at his restaurants, Bocadillos and Piperade, set the standard
for tapas in San Francisco. This book features 75 distinctive California-inflected versions of Spanish tapas
and French Basque dishes (including Salt Cod with Piperade, Roasted Beets with Moroccan Spices, and
Oxtail Empanadas with Spicy Mango Dip) specially written for the home cook. Conveniently organized by type
of dish--grilled, soups, braises, skewers and toasts, sandwiches, bean dishes, and fried foods--and illustrated with the exemplary photography of James Beard award-winning photographer Maren Caruso,
PINTXOS is all you need to host an authentic and stylish tapas party at home.
Gerald Hirigoyen (Author), Lisa Weiss (Author)
Hardcover: 208 pages; Publisher: Ten Speed Press (1 April 2009); Language English; ISBN-10: 1580089224; ISBN-13: 978-1580089227.
History of the Basque Country
Buber's Basque Pages - Basque History
Although the Basques were probably inhabiting the area they now do since the stone age, the oldest
historical records come from the time of the Romans. Around 75 B.C., the Romans established the city of
Pamplona as a regional centre. The Basques seem to have come down from the hills to trade with the
Romans, but the Romans seem never to have extended actual control of the Basques living in the hills...
History of the Basque People [ Wikipedia ]
The Basque people are an indigenous people inhabiting adjacent areas of Spain and France.
Basque Museum of the History of Medicine and Science
Founded to preserve the historic memory of medicine in the Basque Country and conserve its scientific
heritage. The Museum is located on the university campus of Leioa and is important in the training of students in the Faculty of Medicine and the students coming from other faculties and schools.
History capital city Basque Country
Music, Art & Culture, Events
Center for Basque Studies
Mission : to conduct and publish Basque-related research.
Anthropology, history, women's studies, cultural studies, literature, bibliography, and lexicography have thus far been their main fields of research.
Euskomedia.org - Basque Encyclopedia and other cultural and historical funds
Guggenheim Bilbao Museum
Pelota - see Basque_rural_sports
IPelota / Pilota is a Basque version of the family of ball games that covers squash, tennis and real tennis.
Azkena Rock Festival
International Vitoria-Gasteiz Jazz Festival
The Basque Country: A Cultural History
Paddy Woodworth (Author)
Paperback: 256 pages; Publisher: Signal Books Ltd (1 July 2007); Language English; ISBN-10: 9781904955313; ISBN-13: 978-1904955313; ASIN: 1904955312.
Basque Legends With an Essay on the Basque Language [Kindle Edition]
Wentworth Webster (Author), Julien Vinson (Author)
Format: Kindle Edition; File Size: 337 KB; Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited ; Sold by: Amazon Media EU S
.à r.l.; Language English; ASIN: B004UJ8L2Q.
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