Spain Guide
Euskal Herria: the País Vasco & Navarra
Euskal Herria is the name the Basque people give to their own land, an area that includes the three Basque provinces of Gipuzkoa, Bizkaia and Araba (which today form the Comunidad Autónoma del País Vasco, or "Euskadi" in Basque), Navarra (Nafarroa) and part of southwestern France. It's an immensely beautiful region – mountainous, green and thickly forested. It rains often, and much of the time the countryside is shrouded in a fine mist. But the summers – if you don't mind the occasional shower – are a glorious escape from the unrelenting heat of the south.
Despite some of the heaviest industrialization on the peninsula (making it one of the wealthiest regions of Spain), Euskal Herria is remarkably unspoilt – neat and quiet inland, rugged and wild along the coast. San Sebastián is a major resort, with superb if crowded beaches and magnificent food, but any number of lesser-known, equally attractive villages line the coast all the way to Bilbao, home to the magnificent Museo Guggenheim. Inland, Pamplona boasts its exuberant Fiestas de San Fermín, while many other destinations have charms of their own, from the drama of the Pyrenees to the laidback elegance of Vitoria-Gasteiz.
The origin of the Basques themselves is a mystery. Much anthropological work suggests they have continuously inhabited the western Pyrenees for thousands of years. Their language, the complex Euskara, is unrelated to any other, and was already spoken here when Indo-European languages such as Celtic and Latin began to arrive from the East some three thousand years ago. Archeological and genetic evidence indicates they may be the last surviving representatives of Europe's first modern human population, commonly known as Cro-Magnon man.
Choice, quiet accommodation in rural spots abounds all over the region, thanks to the Basque government's nekazalturismoa (agroturismo or homestay) programme, which offers the opportunity to stay in traditional Basque farmhouses and private homes, usually in areas of outstanding beauty, at very reasonable cost (€35–60). In Navarra, as in much of the country, these are known as casas rurales, or landa exteak.
Highlights
1 Playa de la Concha, San Sebastián Admire the belle époque elegance of one of the world's great urban beaches.
2 Pintxos Basque gourmet tapas, the best in Spain, are the way to dine in the cascos viejos throughout the region.
3 Mundaka Sublime seafront scenery and world-class surfing.
4 Museo Guggenheim, Bilbao This giant titanium sculpture has become the symbol of the regenerated city.
5 Fiestas de San Fermín Pamplona's famous fiesta is rowdy, dirty and lunatic, but for once the bulls get a fair shot.
6 Olite Delightful village of ochre-coloured stone mansions on the edge of the Navarran plains.