So you want to visit the Basque Country? Tucked into Spain’s northern Atlantic coast, this is a region that feels genuinely apart from the rest of the country, with its own language, Euskara, unrelated to any other in Europe and old enough that nobody has ever fully traced where it came from.
What draws most visitors today is rather more straightforward, a food culture built around pintxos that has turned San Sebastian into one of Europe’s most celebrated culinary cities, and a coastline of green hills, dramatic cliffs and surf beaches that looks nothing like the sun baked Spain of the south. Add Bilbao’s remarkable transformation from industrial city to architectural icon, and this small region punches well above its size.
AT A GLANCE
Capital of the region
Vitoria-Gasteiz is the official capital of the Basque Country, though Bilbao is considerably better known internationally and San Sebastian draws more visitors.
Language
Spanish and Euskara, the Basque language, both official. Euskara is one of Europe’s oldest living languages and is not related to any other known language. English is common in tourist areas of San Sebastian and Bilbao, less so elsewhere.
Currency
Euro.
Flight time from the UK
Around two hours direct to Bilbao airport, the region’s main international gateway.
Best time to visit
April to June and September to October offer the most comfortable weather, with fewer crowds than the peak summer beach season and a lower chance of the heavy rain the region is known for. Summer is popular for the beaches and festivals, but pack for rain even then, since the green landscape here owes a great deal to regular Atlantic downpours.
Time difference
One hour ahead of the UK.
Climate and Weather
The Basque Country has an oceanic climate, mild and notably wetter than the rest of Spain, a result of its exposure to the Atlantic. Summers are pleasant rather than intensely hot, with average highs generally in the low twenties Celsius, and winters are mild on the coast but can bring genuinely cold snaps, particularly around San Sebastian. Rainfall is abundant year round, often exceeding a metre annually along the northern coast.
Getting There
Bilbao airport is the main international gateway, with direct flights from a range of UK airports. San Sebastian has its own smaller airport with more limited direct UK connections, and Santander and Biarritz, just over the French border, both offer alternative routes in. Brittany Ferries also sails from Portsmouth and Plymouth to Bilbao and Santander, a genuinely different option if you would rather bring a car.
CHOOSE YOUR DESTINATION
San Sebastian
A refined coastal city built around a near perfect crescent bay, widely regarded as one of the best food cities in the world for its concentration of pintxos bars and Michelin starred restaurants. See the full San Sebastian guide.
Bilbao
The region’s largest city, transformed from an industrial port into an architectural destination by the Guggenheim Museum, with a well preserved old town and a food scene to rival San Sebastian’s. See the full Bilbao guide.
Famous Sons and Daughters
The fashion designer Cristobal Balenciaga, one of the most influential couturiers of the twentieth century, was born in the small Basque fishing town of Getaria, near San Sebastian, in 1895. Getaria also produced Juan Sebastian Elcano, the navigator who completed the first circumnavigation of the globe in 1522 after taking command of Magellan’s expedition following Magellan’s death.
Getting Around Between the Cities
San Sebastian and Bilbao are connected by a direct bus service taking around an hour and a quarter, a straightforward journey given the modest distance between them. A hire car gives more flexibility for exploring the coastal villages and countryside in between, including the wine growing Rioja Alavesa area in the south of the region.
Practical Tips
The Basque Country has a distinct history and identity from the rest of Spain, including decades of political tension in the twentieth century, and it is worth a little background reading before your trip to understand the context around the language and culture. Waterproof clothing is worth packing whatever the season, given how much of the region’s greenery depends on regular rain.
Travel Life Tips!
San Sebastian has one of the highest concentrations of Michelin stars per head anywhere in the world. The city and the towns around it share more than fifteen stars, including three three-starred restaurants, Arzak, Akelarre and Martin Berasategui, and all of that surrounds a city of fewer than 200,000 people. It is a remarkable statistic, and part of why food is treated as such a central part of any visit here rather than an afterthought to sightseeing.
Book It
See our full guides to San Sebastian and Bilbao for more detail on each destination.
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