Travellers and visitors are increasingly finding the Basque Country, and some smaller towns like Vitoria as a base to move around our small but diverse Basque Country. This can be a nice place to make day tours from to see main places of interest that we will discover in this post.
A. Gothic Cathedral of Burgos This Castilla city and the historical city center is only 1 hour driving from Vitoria-Gasteiz, and after the Alhambra in Granada, it was the second city in Spain to have a World Heritage site defined by UNESCO. It is truly worthy, as for me the Gothic Cathedral of Burgos is really one of the most spectacular views of this style in Spain. But not only that, in this city, you can also see the Museum of the Human Evolution, which has the remains taken from Atapuerca, a town nearby, and it is also part of the French Way of St. James, so that you will see a lot of pilgrims on their way...
B. Atapuerca Site The Atapuerca site is UNESCO World Heritage from year 2000 due to the incredible quantity and quality of the human remains found here. It is really worthy a visit as they explain the way our ancestors were living with workshop for children to make fire or paint as they did. It is only one hour as well from Vitoria-Gasteiz or Rioja wine production area.
C. Altamira Cave Altamira Cave, near Santander, is a nice day tour from Bilbao (90 minutes driving), it has been described as the “Sixtine Chapel of Prehistoric Art” and it was the first one discovered in the North of Spain and up to now, the one with biggest quantity of paintings. It was occupied for more than 22,000 years.
D. Saint James Way. El Camino. St. James Way. There are 4 ways of St. James going around the Basque Country. The French Way is the most popular, but it is not the oldest. Considered like the biggest Main Street of Europe it goes in several ways all over the North of Spain and it passes by all the big cities around: Bilbao, San Sebastian, Santander, Bayonne, Vitoria, Pamplona, Logroño, Burgos... But also through historical towns like Roncesvalles, Puente la Reina...
If you have a to do list with UNESCO World Heritage site, sleeping in the Basque Country, only with a few day tours, you can do 3 sites inside the Basque Country, and another 4 around, so that in a week you can do 7.
A. Gothic Cathedral of Burgos This Castilla city and the historical city center is only 1 hour driving from Vitoria-Gasteiz, and after the Alhambra in Granada, it was the second city in Spain to have a World Heritage site defined by UNESCO. It is truly worthy, as for me the Gothic Cathedral of Burgos is really one of the most spectacular views of this style in Spain. But not only that, in this city, you can also see the Museum of the Human Evolution, which has the remains taken from Atapuerca, a town nearby, and it is also part of the French Way of St. James, so that you will see a lot of pilgrims on their way...
C. Altamira Cave Altamira Cave, near Santander, is a nice day tour from Bilbao (90 minutes driving), it has been described as the “Sixtine Chapel of Prehistoric Art” and it was the first one discovered in the North of Spain and up to now, the one with biggest quantity of paintings. It was occupied for more than 22,000 years.
D. Saint James Way. El Camino. St. James Way. There are 4 ways of St. James going around the Basque Country. The French Way is the most popular, but it is not the oldest. Considered like the biggest Main Street of Europe it goes in several ways all over the North of Spain and it passes by all the big cities around: Bilbao, San Sebastian, Santander, Bayonne, Vitoria, Pamplona, Logroño, Burgos... But also through historical towns like Roncesvalles, Puente la Reina...
If you have a to do list with UNESCO World Heritage site, sleeping in the Basque Country, only with a few day tours, you can do 3 sites inside the Basque Country, and another 4 around, so that in a week you can do 7.
