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Discovering Bilbao and the Basque Country
The Guggenheim Museum is usually the first place that comes to mind when the Spanish city of Bilbao is mentioned. Frank Gehrys celebrated architectural masterpiece has placed this city firmly on the tourist map, and since opening in 1997 has been largely credited with reviving this once shabby industrial town into one of Spains hottest city break destinations. But Bilbao is more than just a one-museum town and aside from the Guggenheim, visitors will find a city full of historical and modern treasures.
You can reach most attractions in Bilbao by foot, and once you have done the Guggenheim, your next stop should be the Casco Viejo (Old Town), on the banks of the Nervin River. Centred around Las Siete Calles, the seven original streets that date back to the 1400s, this is a vibrant area both day and night. A stroll through the cobbled streets will reveal the Mercado Antiguo Lavadero, the old market which is one of Europes largest, the 14th century Cathedral de Santiago and the magnificent Arriaga theatre. The old town is full of small boutiques, cafes and bars and is a great place to relax and enjoy at a leisurely pace. The Basque country is famous across Spain for its cuisine, in particular its Pintxos (tapas ) and a bar crawl, known as Txikiteo and involving the frequent eating of pintxos, is a Basque tradition. Gure Toki in the Plaza Nueva is a good place to start, serving traditional and contemporary versions of Pintxos.
Bilbao is a city that has invested heavily in its transport infrastructure to accommodate its increasing number of visitors. The Norman Foster designed metro system impresses with its clean, modern stations and regular train services that reach across the city and the Greater Bilbao area. Building on the Guggenheim effect, many of Bilbaos modern buildings have been designed by international architectural superstars, including the Zubizuri Bridge and Bilbao airport designed by Santiago Calitrava and Zaha Hadids redevelopment of the old port area. You can take in views of the whole city, with its mix of the historic and futuristic, by taking the short trip in afunicular up the Artxanda hill.
For an insider view of the city, contact the Bilbao Greeters, a group of volunteers who enthusiastically share their knowledge and passion for the city, giving personalised tours and introducing visitors to locations beyond the traditional tourist map.
If you fancy getting out beyond the city itself, you will be rewarded by a tour of the Basque Country, which stretches a hundred and sixty kilometres from Bilbao north to Bayonne, France and ranges from a rugged coastline to the vast mountains and forests inland. The Basque Country has a local train network, called Euskotren, which gives easy access to the beaches, towns and villages of the local region, including the charming fishing port of Bermeo. If you wish to venture further afield, you can take the Feve train along the picturesque northern coast from Bilbao, passing through Santander, Cantabria, Asturias and Galicia. Sometimes though, nothing can beat the freedom that a car brings and if you feel like treating yourself, hire a luxury car and experience cruising along the coastal roads with the top down. Driving east from Bilbao on the Cantabrian Corniche, with mountains on the right and the sea below on the left is an incredible experience.
The glitzy beach town of San Sebastian, just one hundred kilometres from Bilbao on the Bay of Biscay is a popular destination, with buses running regularly between Bilbao and San Sebastian and easily accessible by car. Its main attraction is the Playa de la Concha, a two-mile-long promenade that runs parallel to the gorgeous sandy beach, giving views of the Santa Clara Island that sits in the middle of the bay. This is probably one of Europes finest city beaches and the picturesque town is surrounded by mountains and decorated with traditional architecture and public art sculptures. San Sebastian is also renowned for its cuisine, and is often regarded as the gastronomic capital of Spain, which makes it well worth a visit.
You can access Bilbao from Madrid and Barcelona via the Abando train service, whilst the drive from either city takes about five to five and a half hours. Flights from many European destinations arrive at Bilbao airport, located twelve kilometres from the city and ferry services from Portsmouth in the UK arrive at Bilbao port. Whether you decided to rent a car on arrival in Spain, or make use of the public transport system, it is well worth taking the time to discover the beauty that lies beyond the city of Bilbao and enjoy the wonderful Basque Country.
Clare Haward is a travel writer for Europe Luxury Car Hire
The Guggenheim Museum is usually the first place that comes to mind when the Spanish city of Bilbao is mentioned. Frank Gehrys c...
Featured Hotels In San Sebastian
HOTEL MERCURE MONTE IGUELDO This impressive hotel is set up high on Mount Igueldo and offers views of San Sebastian Bay. The hotel is in a green area, just 3 km (1.8 miles) from San Sebastian.
Mercure Monte Igueldo has an outdoor swimming pool with views of the coast. There is also a traditional restaurant and a bar.
Hotel Monte Igueldo is by the city's old lighthouse and there is a cable car down to the beach.
The resort of San Sebastian one of the most prestigious in Spain. It is located on the Bay of Biscay, just a few kilometres from the French border.
The views are magnificent! We were unaware of the tasteful amusement park adjoining the hotel, and this was especially pleasing to our young (age 5 and 3) grandchildren. I would highly recommend this hotel.
HOTEL MERCURE MONTE IGUELDO This impressive hotel is set up high on Mount Igueldo and ...
Basque Country - Holidays in Bilbao, San Sebastian and Vitoria
The Basque Country is an autonomous community in northern Spain with capital city Vitoria.
The region borders France, and the locals harbour a proud and defiant nature with strong support for a separate, united Basque state. The origins of their local language Euskadi cannot be traced, like that of the Basque race itself.
Basque Country Coastline
The coastal road from Bilbao to San Sebastian offers some spectacular scenery with small fishing villages and coves overlooked with jagged and dramatic cliffs. The town of Bakio has a long beach, often frequented by the locals, and a rocky island that is joined to the mainland by a small bridge. The picturesque port of Bermeo offers a goof selection of bars and restaurants, while the fishing villages of Lekeitio and neighbouring Ondarroa both offer historical architecture in their Gothic churches. The coastal town of Zarautz as well as having a 16th century Town Hall, Palacio Narros and the church of Nuestra Senora de la Real, also hosts the annual International Surfing Championship.
Bilbao holiday attractions
Bilbao is the largest city in the Basque Country region and is the capital of Vizcaya province. The city is a major seaport and in the past has offered little in the way of attractions to the visiting holidaymaker. However, major urban renewal has helped to move it away from its industrial roots and more towards tourism. Many developments within the city have helped to improve its image including new parks, Metro system and at the heart of the renaissance, the Guggenheim Museum.
Guggenheim Museum
Bilbao The Guggenheim Museum was opened in 1997 and is one of the most visited museums in Spain. It offers constantly changing exhibits along with a permanent collection focused on the second half of the 20th century. The building was designed by Frank Gehry and is a masterpiece of modern architecture built out of titanium, glass and limestone. Inside, the huge windows of the central atrium bring natural light into the building and outside stand a surrealistic floral structure of a giant puppy.
San Sebastian holiday attractions
San Sebastian is the capital of Guipuzcoa province and has been visited by Spanish aristocracy for hundreds of years due to the quality of its beaches and beautiful city. Much of the original city was destroyed in 1813 during the Spanish War of Independence, so few historical buildings can be found within the centre. However, the city does offer a unique atmosphere and distinguished cosmopolitan feeling making it different from many other Spanish towns. In summer, the resort is packed with holidaymakers, and even in the winter the beach and its wonderful promenade of tamarind trees, Edwardian lampposts and beachfront cafes is a popular destination with the locals.
Vitoria holiday attractions
Vitoria ranks second in standard of living out of all the cities in Spain. It has a huge number of green parks around the city including Florida Park that was created in 1820 with its huge variety of plant species, and San Juan de Arriaga Park, which is the largest in the city. Vitoria is the capital of Alava province, which as a whole offers a tremendous diverse amount of protected spaces including many Nature Reserves including the Izki Nature Reserve with its melojo-oak forest and Gorbeia Nature Reserve, one of the Basque Country's biggest natural tourist attractions.
Steve Greenwood
http://www.idealrentals4u.com/
The region borders France, and the locals harbour a proud and defiant nature with strong support for a separate, united Basque state. The origins of their local language Euskadi cannot be traced, like that of the Basque race itself.
Basque Country Coastline
The coastal road from Bilbao to San Sebastian offers some spectacular scenery with small fishing villages and coves overlooked with jagged and dramatic cliffs. The town of Bakio has a long beach, often frequented by the locals, and a rocky island that is joined to the mainland by a small bridge. The picturesque port of Bermeo offers a goof selection of bars and restaurants, while the fishing villages of Lekeitio and neighbouring Ondarroa both offer historical architecture in their Gothic churches. The coastal town of Zarautz as well as having a 16th century Town Hall, Palacio Narros and the church of Nuestra Senora de la Real, also hosts the annual International Surfing Championship.
Bilbao holiday attractions
Bilbao is the largest city in the Basque Country region and is the capital of Vizcaya province. The city is a major seaport and in the past has offered little in the way of attractions to the visiting holidaymaker. However, major urban renewal has helped to move it away from its industrial roots and more towards tourism. Many developments within the city have helped to improve its image including new parks, Metro system and at the heart of the renaissance, the Guggenheim Museum.
Guggenheim Museum
Bilbao The Guggenheim Museum was opened in 1997 and is one of the most visited museums in Spain. It offers constantly changing exhibits along with a permanent collection focused on the second half of the 20th century. The building was designed by Frank Gehry and is a masterpiece of modern architecture built out of titanium, glass and limestone. Inside, the huge windows of the central atrium bring natural light into the building and outside stand a surrealistic floral structure of a giant puppy.
San Sebastian holiday attractions
San Sebastian is the capital of Guipuzcoa province and has been visited by Spanish aristocracy for hundreds of years due to the quality of its beaches and beautiful city. Much of the original city was destroyed in 1813 during the Spanish War of Independence, so few historical buildings can be found within the centre. However, the city does offer a unique atmosphere and distinguished cosmopolitan feeling making it different from many other Spanish towns. In summer, the resort is packed with holidaymakers, and even in the winter the beach and its wonderful promenade of tamarind trees, Edwardian lampposts and beachfront cafes is a popular destination with the locals.
Vitoria holiday attractions
Vitoria ranks second in standard of living out of all the cities in Spain. It has a huge number of green parks around the city including Florida Park that was created in 1820 with its huge variety of plant species, and San Juan de Arriaga Park, which is the largest in the city. Vitoria is the capital of Alava province, which as a whole offers a tremendous diverse amount of protected spaces including many Nature Reserves including the Izki Nature Reserve with its melojo-oak forest and Gorbeia Nature Reserve, one of the Basque Country's biggest natural tourist attractions.
Steve Greenwood
http://www.idealrentals4u.com/
The Basque Country is an autonomous community in northern Spain with capital city Vitoria. The region borders France, and the locals harbou...
San Sebastian ( Donostia )
SpainGuides.com is a portal dedicated to travel and tourism in Spain and one of the most popular sections of the web site is San Sebastian. You will find lots of info this beautiful part of Spain or Donostia as it is called in the Basque language.
San Sebastian is the undisputed queen of Basque resorts, with its chic La Concha Bay resort. The deep and sparkling still aqua of the bay and beautiful beach area bounded by lush, rolling hills has drawn celebrities and sun lovers to the mild winters and hot summers for generations.
The Basque cuisine is famous within Spain and arguably it is where you will find the best food. Much of this fame comes from San Sebastian and its bars and restaurants. Although tapas were invented in Andalucia they became perfected in San Sebastian and a walk through the old town before lunch time with its many bars shows why. Each bar is bursting with tapas and they look very delicate.
Tapas in San Sebastian are generally enjoyed together with a glass of wine or a small beer, and the Spanish tradition suggests to have one tapa and a wine in one bar and move on to the next bar. A lot of people will substitute dining out on a main meal for Tapas. A Tapa Crawl allows you to enjoy as many plates as you want and most possibly in different bars and restaurants subsequently enjoying a more varied culinary experience. If you want 'real' food then that is where San Sebastian can be very very good. You can find several different cuisines such Chinese, German, Galicien, Italian and of course the obvious Basque cuisine. A great place to eat out is around the harbour area, specially if fresh sea food is to your taste, there are also more simple harbour taverns to enjoy.
SpainGuides.com is a portal dedicated to travel and tourism in Spain and one of the most popular sections of the web site is San Sebastian...
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