San Sebastian
- Board the attractive wooden funicular railway that has been taking visitors to Mount Igueldo peak since the 1920s. Flanking the west of the bay, just don’t get there too early, it doesn’t open until 11am.
- One of the oldest attractions in San Sebastián, the Monte Igueldo Amusement Park also happens to be one of the most magical. Inaugurated in 1912, it sits on an incredible overlook, the best spot in town for breathtaking photos. The real charm, however, lies in the park’s retro – and exceptionally well-priced – rides. Be sure to take a turn on the Swiss Mountain, a vintage rollercoaster that incites heart palpitations as much for its age as for its precarious perch over the sea.
- Stroll through Mercado de la Bretxa and shop amongst locals and Michelin-starred chefs alike as you sample fresh, local products from the dozens of family-run stalls.
- Venture out to La Concha Beach itself and enjoy some well-deserved R&R on the shore or among the waves.
- The old quarter is full of spots for bar snacks and tapas. Mimo takes pinxtos tours (pintxos are the single-serve Basque dishes) from the Maria-Cristina, but the quarter is so densely packed with choice you can readily lead your own crawl. Start at Beti Jai Berria on Calle De Fermín Calbetón and making your way door-by-door towards the famous Gandarias or A Fuego Negro on Calle Del 31 De Agosto. From fried cheese croquets and oily fish bruschetta to mushroom tartlets and mini-hamburgers, the idea is simple: order one at a time with your drink or fill a plate with whatever catches your eye. Tip: Don’t pay for pintxos when you order. Eat first, then pay before you leave. You might want more.
- Three favourite restaurants: La Rampa: a Beautifully located little seafood spot for dinner / Arenales: At this tiny spot, run by Cynthia Pereira behind the bar and Santiago Torres Carrossia in the kitchen, every dish sings / Rekondo, housed in a Basque farmhouse on the outskirts of the city with views of the bay, owned by a retired bullfighter.
- Convent Garden is a true oasis right in the heart of the busy city. The picturesque social space is buzzing with good vibes and great music, and is the perfect place to wrap up your day on a high note.
- Museo de San Telmo walks you through the rich history and heritage of the Basque people.
- The Tabakalera is a former tobacco factory that has now been converted into a focal point for contemporary art and you can wander through its halls and admire the artworks. They also have a great rooftop restaurant / gastronomy lab and it’s also got a boutique hotel
- Explore Gros, the lesser-known barrio across the Zurriola bridge. This laid-back surfers’ neighborhood offers a completely different vibe than the main part of town. Head down to Zurriola Beach to catch some waves—it’s one of the best beaches in Europe for surfers, so a great spot to watch them do their thing.
- Where to stay: the elegant boutique hotel Villa Soro, the centrally located and well-priced Okako Hotel, Hotel Mendi Argia in the hills above San Sebastien and One Shot Tabakalera is centrally located inside a contemporary art museum in an old tobacco factory.
Urdaibai biosphere reserve
Between San Sebastian and Bilboa is the beautiful area of Urdaibai biosphere reserve, one of the most important wetlands in northern Spain and a stopping-off point for migratory birds. The reserve stretches from the historic town of Gernika to the Bay of Biscay. Head for Laida Beach, across the estuary from the fishing village of Mundaka, or continue around the Cape of Ogoño to the equally splendid Laga Bay. Both beaches are a 10-minute drive from the Castillo de Arteaga, an 18th-century neo-gothic castle in the nature reserve that is now an elegant hotel with 13 individually decorated rooms and a renowned restaurant.
Bilbao
- Okay so you can’t do Bilbao without doing a Pintxos bar crawl. Pintxos in case you’re unfamiliar is the Basque country’s take on tapas (finger foods piled high on bars between 7-9pm). You’ll wash it all down with small glasses of txakoli, the region’s slightly effervescent white wine. Here’s a few favourites you should try to hit:
- Café Iruña – Unchanged since 1903, don’t miss the lamb brochettes
- El Globo
- Bar Bilbao
- Restaurante Victor Montes – historic grocer turned bar & deli on Plaza Nueva.
- Stay awhile on Plaza Nueva for an evening drink with the locals.
- Nearby on Sundays, there’s the Casco Viejo flower market.
- The Casco Viejo itself (Bilbao’s old quarter) of course is full of charming streets, and plenty of quirky and independent shops.
- Check out the Dos de Mayo flea market if you’re there on the first Saturday of the month.
- On the edge of the old quarter, the La Ribera market hall of Bilbao is also a nice place to start your evening.
- Go for a wine tasting at the world’s only underwater wine cellar! The wine-tasting include pintxos and a boat trip.
- I find Bilbao’s Museum of Reproductions quite amusing –it has one of the best collections of copies of classic sculptures that can be found in Europe. A visit offers the opportunity to fully enjoy the main classical sculptural works without the hassle of a crowded museum; it is truly a unique experience.
- Sitting in the shadows of the Guggenheim, the Bilbao Fine Arts Museum is also one of the city’s best kept museum secrets – small, modest, packed with sculptures and Velazquez paintings it’s everything the Guggenheim is not.
- Ten minutes away from the city centre is the neighbourhood of Irala– a secret place in Bilbao known for its colourful houses built at the beginning of the 20th century. Somewhere between London’s Portobello road and San Francisco’s Victorian mansions, the most picturesque ones are between Zuberoa Avenue and Baiona Street.
- If it gets too hot, head out to the Arrietara-Atxabiribil Beaches: Semi-urban and located near the municipality of Sopela. A gin & tonic at one of the bars or a walk on the fine sand will make you feel new and ready to continue exploring Bilbao.
Cantabria
About an hour and a half on from Bilbao, Cantabria has an amazing coastline with beaches backed by cliffs and countryside. On your way from Bilbao, if you have time, mooch around the market in Santander. Then stop in the lovely the village of Oreña or Cóbreces, five miles away or chocolate-box-pretty Santillana del Mar, where you can visit the astounding replica of the Cave of Altamira. The seaside town of Comillas has architecture by Gaudí and great bars and beaches.
This is technically where the Basque region ends, but if you choose to continue exploring for 1-2 days, you won’t be disappointed … Villaviciosa Estuary Nature Reserve
Head for Rodiles Beach a magnificent stretch of golden sand, sheltered by pine trees, in the Villaviciosa Estuary Nature Reserve in central Asturias. There are lots of pretty seaside towns too such as Lastres. A charming little B&B nearby and a restaurant-must is Casa Marcial (casamarcial.es).Gijón
The biggest and liveliest city in Asturias, tin Gijón try some Asturian cider in one of the bars around the Plaza Mayor and explore the lanes of Cimadevilla, the old fishing quarter on a headland that divides the two main beaches, San Lorenzo and Poniente. Just outside the centre, the Atlantic Botanical Gardens (botanico.gijon.es) and the Laboral cultural complex (laboralciudaddela cultura.com) are worth exploring. Somewhere to stay.
Costa da Morte
In the easy-going Galician city of A Coruña, a granite lighthouse with World Heritage status that was built by the Romans 2,000 years ago and Picasso’s childhood home is open to visit.
The fishing village of Camariñas is the focal point of Galicia’s stretch of wild coastline with a string of magnificent unspoilt beaches. It is renowned for lacemaking – listen out for the clacking of bobbins as you walk around – and the shellfish harvested in its estuary. Stay at the Hotel Rústico Lugar do Cotariño.
Rías Baixas wine region
O Salnés is a coastal area characterised by Caribbean-style beaches, rolling hills and crinkly inlets where shellfish is cultivated. Although still largely undeveloped, the most resort-like place is Sanxenxo on the north side of the Pontevedra inlet, where hotels line the promenade either side of the marina. Some of the region’s most interesting reds are being produced by innovative winemakers in the inland Ribeira Sacra area. Specialists Northwest Iberia Wine Tours offer a short but sweet tour. Check out the fabulous A Lanzada beach and Quinta de San Amaro is a wonderful rural boutique hotel, a short drive from any number of gorgeous beaches.
Santiago de Compostela
Where to stay:
Hostal de los Reyes Católicos is said to be Spain’s oldest hotel. The “Hospital of the Catholic Monarchs” opened in 1509 to accommodate Camino pilgrims, and is now the vaulted and antiques-filled Parador de Santiago (aka the Hostal), still accommodating walkers.
Hotel Virxe da Cerca (0034 981 569350; www.pousadasdecompostela.com) is an utterly charming historic posada with a jasmine-filled garden and good-sized rooms furnished with antiques. Ask for a room at the back.
Hotel Pombal (0034 981 552645; www.pousadasdecompostela.com) is a pleasingly furnished small hotel with surprisingly large bedrooms. Its best feature balconies overlooking the cathedral.
Spend the morning…
Cherry-picking the sights of the historic centre. Start with the attractively vaulted Mercado de Abastos where, on Thursdays and Saturdays, market gardeners sell their produce; a good place for souvenirs such as home-made liqueurs and olive oil.
As a major pilgrimage centre, Santiago has numerous fine churches. Two of the loveliest, both Romanesque, are San Fiz (next to the market), with peg doll-style nativity figures, and Santa Maria Salome (Rua Nova), featuring a heavily pregnant tympanum Madonna.
Next, meander through Rua do Vilars, Rua Nova and Rua do Franco, admiring sturdy stone arcades, Renaissance courtyards and ornate Baroque edifices, many of which belong to the 500-year-old university. In between, delightfully tiny, rose-filled Praza de Fonseca gives way to the stage-set grandeur of the cathedral squares: Prazas Obradoiro, Quintana and Inmaculada.
Santiago’s granite cathedral, whose medieval beginnings have been transformed into lichen-frosted baroque complexity, stages a midday Pilgrims’ Mass. Listen alongside hordes of boot-shod walkers as the priest announces countries of origin. On special occasions, its 80kg botafumeiro, reputedly the largest incense-burner in the world, swings in fragrant fairground-style drama along a 65-metre arc.
Next, head behind the high altar to view the apostle’s silver tomb. Signs invite you to “hug the saint” – the bejewelled statue of St James.
Have lunch at…
Casa Rosalia (Rua do Franco; 0034 981 568441), which is good for filling, gargantuan tapas. Pleasant rear courtyard. There is a set menu, or tapas. Cosy and homely Casa Calo (0034 981 585953) is a good cheap option for set lunches of pastas, steaks, pork chops and pudding.
Spend the afternoon…
Museum-hopping starting with the cathedral’s prized medieval Portico da Gloria, carved by Maestro Mateo for 12th-century pilgrims, is currently under wraps. But you can see close up photographs of its benign Christ, chatting prophets and surprisingly sanguine purgatorial figures at Fundación Caixanova (Praza Cervantes 17). Or don a hard hat and book a scaffold-climbing guided tour for face-to-face viewing (www.fundacionbarrie.org) The Museo do Pobo Galego (www.museodopobo.es) offers an insight into Galician folk heritage. Don’t miss the Escher-like Baroque, triple-spiral staircase.
Have dinner at…
Don Gaiferos, close to the cathedral (0034 981 583894), a smart stone-vaulted restaurant behind Rua Nova’s distinctive arcades. Sauce-rich steaks are a speciality here. Casa Elisa (Rua do Franco; 0034 981 583112) is good for set seafood menus featuring langoustines, razor clams, prawns and scallops served in a wood-beamed restaurant hanging with hams. Or try O Dezaseis (0034 981 564880; www.dezaseis.com), a favourite restaurant among locals, housed in a converted stable just outside the city walls; it has the best grilled octopus (a Galician speciality) in town. Don’t expect plate finesse – it arrives coiled like thick rope slickened to a shine with pimiento and oil and is surprisingly delicious.
Spend the next day…
Escaping the crowds to explore Galicia’s wind-buffeted coastline. Good organised guided day-trip options include Cabo Finisterre, Spain’s very own Land’s End, incorporating the pretty fishing village of El Pindo, handsome maritime A Coruña, and the region’s longest beach at Carnota (£47 including lunch; www.viajesatlantico.com). For DIY trips, trains and buses leave Santiago for A Coruña and Finisterre several times a day www.renfe.es
