Things to Do in Basque Country

Wandering the narrow medieval streets of Bilbao's Casco Viejo, you'll stumble upon the towering exterior walls of Santiago Cathedral. It is believed that the church, which serves as a stop for pilgrims trekking the northern Camino de Santiago (Way of St. James), dates back over 600 years, when it was built on the site of two previous even older churches.

Today's cathedral – which shouldn't be confused with the much larger one of the same name located in Santiago de Compostela, at the end of the Camino de Santiago – has expanded over the course of time, growing to the cathedral that you see now. During a visit, you can peruse its many chapels, wander the peaceful 15th-century gothic-style cloister, or just take in the exterior with its 19th-century gothic-revival facade and spire.

Santiago Cathedral is located amidst the original seven streets of Bilbao's Casco Viejo (old quarter). While the interior is quite humble compared to many of its other European cathedral counterparts, it serves as a tranquil respite from the busy medieval barrio, and of course provides a unique look into Bilbao's past.

With formal gardens that tumble down to the beach edge at Ondarreta, the Miramar Palace (Palacio de Miramar) was once the retreat of Queen Marie Christine Habsburg, the wealthy widow of King Alphonse XII of the Spanish ruling royal family; she was responsible for putting San Sebastian on the map as a popular seaside vacation resort in the late 19th century.

The palace was the work of Basque architect José Goicoa, and was completed in 1893 in the English style. The influence of his design partner, English architect Seldon Wornum, can be seen in the mock-Tudor detailing in the patterned brickwork, gables, tall thin chimneys, and rounded towers.

The gardens of Marie Christine’s summer palace are so extensive that a road runs underneath them, connecting San Sebastian’s beaches with the elegant suburb of El Antiguo. After much to-ing and fro-ing between the Spanish royal family and local government officials, the gardens now form an elegant public park, stretching from the former palace to the seafront. It’s a well-loved spot for a picnic on summer days, overlooking the sandy strip of Ondarreta Beach.

Get to know Bilbao beyond just its artsy image by taking a trip to the city's Casco Viejo. Dating back to Medieval times, this – the Old Quarter – and its original seven streets still retain an almost untouched charm, free of the touristy trappings you might find in other big cities.

This once walled-in neighborhood originally consisted of exactly seven streets and, for that reason, is sometimes still called Los Siete Calles (“seven streets” in Spanish). Each of these original avenues still exist, with names such as Tendería Kalea (Shoekeeper's Street) and Carnicería Vieja Kalea (Old Butchery Street). Since Medieval times, the barrio has expanded to include still more streets beyond those seven originals, and also squares like Plaza Berria and Plaze Nueva.

The Casco Viejo draws a crowd for more than just its historical appeal, too. Head to the old-world district to fulfill your culinary cravings by popping from one bar to the next for pintxos (essentially Basque tapas with a gourmet twist) and glasses of txakoli, a local dry white wine. While there, visit the nearby Mercado de la Ribera, the largest food retail market in Europe; the city's over 600-year-old church, Santiago Cathedral; or stick around on Sundays for retail therapy at the market in Plaza Nueva.

The real appeal of the tiny town of Elorrio (population 7,000) is the opportunity to experience rural Basque culture, with a glass of red wine. Surrounded by cool mountains, most the village's classic stone architecture dated from the 16th and 17th centuries, though far older archways and buildings are interspersed with such appealing structures as Gothic Santa María de la Asunción. Outside town, the Necrópolis de Argiñeta Tombs date to at least 711 AD, perhaps even earlier.

Elorrio is also a popular base for hikers and walkers, with acc ess to such sites as the Ermita de Santa Catalina, the Sanctuary of Arantzazu, and nearbyParque de Urkiola.

Wandering Bilbao's streets, you'll inevitably end up crossing Moyua Square (Plaza Moyua). Also known as Plaza Elíptica, due to its oblong shape, this main “square” is more than just a central crossroads, but a garden- and fountain-filled roundabout worth checking out and even stopping in (especially given its central area accessible to pedestrians).

Originally designed back in 1873, Plaza Moyúa sits in one of Bilbao's most exclusive neighborhoods, where it bisects the bustling shopping street Gran Vía. The plaza itself is dotted by various noteworthy buildings, such as the 20th-century Flemish-style Palacio Chávarri, the headquarters of the Civil Government since 1943, and the Hotel Carlton, the city's most famous hotel, which stands alone on its own spoke-like corner of the square.

The plaza is also a convenient location to catch the city's Metro – the third-busiest in Spain -- which rises out of Moyúa with its glass-domed entrance. Traveling underground, you can easily reach other parts of the city via two different lines.

This Franciscan sanctuary set against the Aizkorri mountain range carries both spiritual and historical significance for many pilgrims to the site. Tradition states that Virgin appeared in a hawthorn bush, prompting witnesses to ask "Arantzan zu?" (Is it you in the hawthorn?), giving the place its name and bringing thousands of years of pilgrims and art devoted to it.

The area has suffered multiple fires and seen many restorations since then, most recently in the 1950s with a beautiful monastery that stands picturesquely on the edge of the mountain. It sits at the base of the road leading to the highest mountain in the Basque Country, surrounded by the valley’s trees and ravines, and has since become a symbol for avant-garde architecture. Sculptor Jorge Oteiza created the 14 apostles on the façade, while the iron gates were designed by Eduardo Chillida and paintings by Nestor Basterretxea and Lucio Muñoz.

At the entrance to the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao, a colorful floral puppy sits in perennial bloom. Designed by American artist Jeff Koons, this 43-foot-high (13-meter-high) sculpture—known simply asPuppy—features more than 70,000 live flowers. View it for free before heading inside to explore the permanent collection.

Bilbao’s growth and its maritime history go hand in hand given the city’s 20th-century growth as one of Europe’s prominent port cities. The River Maritime Museum dives into this history, going deeper than just Bilbao’s seafaring past to also reveal the background of the port, the people that lived along the estuary, and how it all impacted the city’s evolution.

The museum is appropriately located along the dry docks of the old Euskalduna shipyard (built in 1900 and closed in 1984), a kid-friendly space that features both indoor and outdoor exhibitions. Inside, visitors can watch an intriguing video on Bilbao’s history, and spy model ships and boats, along with life-sized ones too, including a reproduction of the fancy wooden Consulate’s felucca. Then, outside, you can explore the dry docks, other exhibits, and walk along the estuary.

If your visit to Bilbao has gotten you into an artistic mood, then embrace that notion with a little theater at the city's Teatro Arriaga. The 19th-century Neo-baroque theater goes easy on the traveler's eyes with an elaborate facade that overlooks the east bank of the Nervión River, and a fancy interior of plush red chairs, golden balconies and ornate crown molding.

This may sound like theater-viewing perfection, but Teatro Arraiga's past hasn't been quite as flawless. Designed by Joaquín Rucoba, the theater was opened in 1890, and dedicated to Juan Crisóstomo Arriaga, considered the Mozart of Spain. Flash forward to 1914, when a fire essentially demolished it, followed by other setbacks, such as its closing for a time during the Civil War. Then came threatening floods in 1983, which inundated the structure to the second floor, closing it once more.

The curtain of course rose again, though, and the intimately sized theater – seating some 1,500 people – has welcomed audiences ever since.

Until the 1980s, when the Basque Country earned autonomous status from the Spanish government, Vitoria-Gasteiz was just another quaint provincial capital, notable for its two outstanding cathedrals, Gothic 14th-century Santa María and 1907 María Inmaculada, surrounded by scores of monumental buildings, some housing museums focusing on art, history, and in the 1525 Palacio de Bendana’s Museo Fournier, playing cards.

The hilltop old town was founded in the 6th century, though the oldest surviving structures are part of the well-preserved Medieval stronghold. This is surrounded by newer (14th to 18th-century) plazas and shady pedestrian promenades lined with shops and cafes.

The more affluent and energetic modern center of the young capital, however, showcases today’s talented architects, heralding the bright future of the Basque region.

Just south of the Guggenheim Museum resides Bilbao's Zubizuri Bridge, yet another inventive structure in this city so known for pushing the artistic envelope. Also called Campo Volantin Bridge or Calatrava Bridge, the unmistakable Bilbao silhouette is more often referred to as Zubizuri Bridge, which means “white bridge” in Basque.

The Zubizuri Bridge was designed by Santiago Calatrava, who also claims the Bilbao airport as another of his works. The tied arch footbridge is made of an intriguing curved walkway suspended by steel cables. Since its opening in 1997, it has become a beloved part of the Bilbao skyline, for the most part anyway: its deck, which is made of translucent glass bricks, turns into a slippery hazard on the city's often rainy days. As such, for safety reasons the bridge walkway has now been covered in black mats (much to the dismay of the original artist).

The Zubizuri spans the Nervión River, linking the northeast area of the city with the Guggenheim Museum. Conversely, for those visiting the museum, it serves as an easy shortcut to the Artxanda Funicular entrance, located just a few blocks away from the bridge and toward the hills (in Funicular Plaza).

Just a few blocks off Bilbao’s main Plaza Moyúa is one of the city’s most unique and surprising structures: the Azkuna Zentroa (formerly known as the Alhóndiga Bilbao). The multi-purpose venue marries culture and leisure, the past and the present, and is a free-to-enter stop you should definitely add to your list of things to do during your visit.

Indeed, the Azkuna Zentroa didn’t start out as such an innovative concept, but instead as a wine warehouse. Inaugurated in 1909, it was designed by Ricardo Bastida, and, come the 1970s, had an uncertain future, with proposals to turn it into public housing, a museum of modern art, and even to simply demolish it. But the structure had a more promising future in store: the Basque Government decided to declare it a “Public Property of Cultural Interest,” and henceforth it has become the center that you find today.

In its 43,000-square-foot interior designed by world-renowned French designer Philippe Starck, you’ll discover a host of different things to do, from a cinema to a gym, library and shops. To get a taste for local cuisine, even stop by the restaurant, Yandiola, where you can dine a la carte or sample via a preset menu. Wander the space’s column-filled ground floor (each column with its own design), and don’t forget to look up and admire the transparent rooftop pool, which can be seen from below.

Of the two headlands that bookend San Sebastian’s La Concha Bay, Monte Urgull to the east was an especially important defensive site, starting in the 12th century. Today, Monte Urgull draws visitors for its views of the city and bay, La Concha and Ondarreta beaches, Santa Clara Island, and Monte Igueldo, the western headland.

The Guggenheim isn’t the only waterside architectural wonder in Bilbao; just up the river sits another impressive construction, the Euskalduna Palace. The building, which was inaugurated in 1999, features mosaic-style windows, and massive exterior walls of rusty looking corten steel. The inspiration behind the look: to stand symbolically as the last vessel built in the dry dock of the former Euskalduna Shipyard, which played an important role in the city’s growth and history.

The architecturally acclaimed Euskalduna Palace houses over 50,000 square meters of space, and boasts both the largest and second largest stages in Spain. The multipurpose venue serves as an opera house, concert hall and conference center, and therefore hosts a range of events from cultural to corporate. Temporary exhibitions are held here as well.