Discover the Bilbao region
The Basque Country offers some great places to visit
© zenoid – FOTOLIA When you are in Bilbao make sure not to miss out on the Basque Country. Green hills with grazing sheep, charming little fishing villages, untouched nature and fantastic beaches – this region has it all. Are you up for some adventure?
Rent a car
or get on (the excellent)
public transport.
There are many gems to be discovered in the Bilbao region. I have lived in the Basque Country for almost a decade now and have gotten to know some precious places, many only known by locals. Whenever there is a long weekend and the children have some time off we try to get out of the city. Sometimes we just want to go on day trip, on other occasions we decide to stay away for the weekend. By now we have tried out a whole lot of small pensions and hotels. This is a great way to discover the unique Basque culture and landscape.
These are some of our very favourite places:Plentzia Plentzia is a charming little fishing village.Our family believes it has the best beach in the world (and we have been to quite a few). It is clean, tourist free and has amazing natural scenery. Hop on the Bilbao metro and you will get here in only 50 minutes. If you feel like staying overnight there are several cosy little pensions to choose from.
Plentzia - more information
Guernika
Historically, Guernica-Lomo is probably the most important city in the Basque Country. It is located not far from Bilbao and is an interesting place to visit if you want to get to know the very roots of Basque history. Make sure to see the famous Guernica oak, the very symbol of Basque identity. The city was bombed by Nazi Germany during the Second World War, an event that was immortalized by Pablo Picasso in his famous painting Guernica.
Karpin Zoologic Park
Are you up for some close encounters with live size dinosaurs and Neanderthal men?This outdoors theme park is a major hit with the kids. It is located close to the village of Carranza, about one hour drive from Bilbao. Put on a pair of good walking shoes because you will spend several hours enjoying more than 55 different species of wild animals.One area of the park is dedicated to the Evolution of the Species, get ready for a close encounter with the T-Rex.
Karpin Zoologic Park - more information
The Biscay Transporter Bridge - A Unesco World heritage site
This bridge is located on the outskirts of Bilbao and you can easily get there by bus or local train in about 20 minutes.This is the oldest bridge of its kind in the world and in 2006 it was granted status as a Unesco World heritage site.
One extreme of the bridge is located in Portugalete, a cute little village where you can stop by for some tapas at a local bar.
The Biscay Bridge - more information
Click here if you want to see some photos from our last visit to the bridge.
My first encounter with the Basque Country:
In the beginning of the 90s I came here with my husband for a vacation.We arrived to the
Bilbao Airport
and a friend came to pick us up. We packed up the suitcases in the trunk of the car and headed off to the city centre. The ride just took about 20 minutes, but it was enough to get an idea of the greatness of the Basque landscape. There were hills everywhere, intensely green and verdant. A soft rain was drizzling. Looking up I could see grazing sheep, scattered along the hillsides like fluffy little clouds. Looking down I perceived cute little farm houses, that probably had been there for hundreds of years. Our friend took a little detour before entering the city; he wanted to show us the sea. Suddenly the ocean was there, majestic, enormous - The Bay of Biscay. I had heard that there were dolphins and whales in these waters. The sky was blue and we could see the water from high above. Blue water, green hills. This is the Basque Country.
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