With its unique culture, rich landscapes, delicious food, and killer wine region, Basque Country is one of the best regions in Spain. You have to travel to Basque Country soon.
When I first visited Basque Country in March 2019, I was ecstatic. From the food to the vibrant green landscapes, Spaniards speak wonders about this region. When I stepped foot in Bilbao (its biggest city), it was love at first sight. The landscape was covered in towering mountains and rich shades of green. A serene river guides you over unique pedestrian bridges and past colorful, eclectic architecture. All of this before I even set eyes on the deep, jade waters of Bay of Biscay.
I think we all have certain ideas when we think of Spain (or at least I did): tapas, flamenco, and HEAT, right? In reality, this really only describes Southern Spain. Living in Spain for over 1.5 years, I learned how much diversity there is between Spain’s regions, and Basque Country is easily its most unique! That’s why we included it in our list of 10 unique places to visit in Europe.
I loved putting together this list of eight reasons you have to travel to Basque Country, so take notes for your future trip y’all.
You'll travel to Basque Country to eat drool-worthy food
Basque Country is a foodie paradise, and who doesn’t love eating good food while traveling? You’ll find more than 30 Michelin star restaurants across Basque Country and even more fresh seafood. All this good food and Michelin stars makes it a gastronomic rival for PARIS, and one of the best places to eat in Spain.
On a budget? Basque Country has a solution for that–pintxos. Pintxos are a small snack of fish, meat, or vegetables on top of a piece of fresh bakery bread.
Pintxos were my favorite part of eating in Basque Country. Have you ever struggled decoding a menu in another country? That was basically me all over Poland. With pintxos, it’s not a problem. They lay them all out on the bar and you can let your eyes pick out the tastiest ones. The best part? Each costs 1-3€ making them a great budget-friendly option.
Make sure to grab some friends for el txikiteo, the Basque tradition of bar-hopping for pintxos and a drink.
You'll fall in love with hiking in Basque Country
After you eat all that good food, you’re going to want to walk it off. Get excited for the natural wonderland you’ll find all over the region. One of the best experiences I had in Basque Country was a public bus ride. Yup, a public bus ride.
We went down meandering roads though the Pagasarri mountains, under sky-scraping tree canopies, and past green rolling hills dotted with half-timber, half-stone villages.
Finally, we arrived in Bakio, a small town where we started our hike towards San Juan de Gaztelugatxe. Game of Thrones fans might recognize it as the filming location for Dragon Stone. Whether you’re a fan of the show or not, you’ll swoon over the scenery.
Everywhere we looked there were lush sloping hills, turquoise blue waters, and roaming sheep and horses.
Portions of the famous Way of Saint James pilgrimage (aka Camino de Santiago) that stretches from the French-Spanish border all the way to the Westernmost edge of Spain cut through Basque Country. So hiking in this region is NOT to be missed.
You'll swim in one of Europe's favorite beaches on the Bay if Biscay!
Remember that turquoise blue water I just mentioned? Without a doubt, this is where you’ll want to go swimming in the Summer! I have never seen bluer water, and I currently live on the Mediterranean, grew up in Florida, and my parents are from the Caribbean.
In fact, San Sebastian in Basque Country is consistently rated one of the best beaches in Europe. If you love urban beaches, this one is perfect. It has a boardwalk full of sites, restaurants, and shops.
If you’re like me and like more natural beaches far from crowds, head to Laga, Lekeitio, or Laida nearby. If surfing is your jam, try Mundaka and Puta Galea.
You'll explore the unique culture in Basque Country
If you love diving into new cultures when you travel, you have to visit Basque Country! The Basque are one of Europe’s oldest ethnic groups.
Curiously, the Basque developed a culture unlike any other. Its language, Basque, doesn’t even have a relationship to any other language in the world! Thanks to the mountain range that surrounds the region, the Basque survived invasions from every group that shaped most of modern Spanish culture: the Ancient Romans, Visigoths, Moors, French, and even the Spanish up until the medieval ages!
If you visit in August, you’ll get to enjoy Semana Grande, Big Week, an entire week dedicated to Basque culture, language, and traditions
You'll love Basque Country's great public transportation
While I love a good road trip, when this isn’t possible, having great transportation is a must! If you also depend on public transportation to get around you have to visit Basque Country.
Nowadays it is well communicated to the rest of Spain, making it possible to add it to a tour of Northern Spain from Madrid, for example. Even better, however, is that it’s easy to get around the region. I love diving deep into an area to really get to know a culture and region, and small towns are my travel love. So I’m happy to say even the small towns are easy to visit allowing you to take several day trips from the main tourist spots like Bilbao, San Sebastian, and Vitoria-Gasteiz.
You'll admire tons of beautiful architecture
You'll travel to Basque Country and see the world-famous Guggenheim Museum
You'll swoon over Spain's best wine destination
I saved the best for last, y’all! Well best for me because I love wine. During your visit to Basque Country you have to visit La Rioja, Spain’s biggest and best wine producing region! It sits just next to the region and is easily accessible from Bilbao. The region produces about 300 liters of wine EVERY YEAR. It has 500 wineries and 80 of them will let you take a tour and sip on their delicious blends. There are also several gastronomic tours that pair wine tasting with delicious Basque bites. Oh my, my literal HEAVEN.
