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 – and transport everywhere is easy and efficient. San Sebastián is the big draw on the coast, a major resort with superb but crowded beaches and magnificent food, but there are any number of lesser-known, equally attractive villages along the coast all the way to Bilbao, home to the magnificent Guggenheim Museum. Inland there's Pamplona, with its exuberant Fiestas de San Fermín, as well as many other destinations with charms of their own, from the drama of the Pyrenees to the laidback elegance of Vitoria-Gasteiz.
| The Basques |
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The origin of the Basques is something of a mystery. They are a distinct people, generally with a different build from the French and Spanish and a different blood group distribution from the rest of Europe. 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 3000 years ago. Written records were scarce until the first books in Euskara were published in the mid-sixteenth century; language and culture were maintained instead through oral traditions, including that of the bertsolariak, popular poets specializing in improvised verse, a tradition still alive today.
Archeological and genetic evidence suggests that the Basque people may be the last surviving representatives of Europe's first modern human population, commonly known as Cro-Magnon man. Skull fragments, believed to date from around 9000 BC, have been shown to be identical to present-day Basque cranial formation. Much anthropological work, above all by the revered José Miguel de Barandiarán (who died in December 1991, aged 101), lends itself to the view that the Basques have continuously inhabited the western Pyrenees for thousands of years.
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Prices in the Basque region are higher than in much of Spain, particularly for accommodation, although it's cheaper inland (with the exception of Pamplona). Choice, quiet accommodation in rural spots abounds, 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. In Gipuzkoa, Bizkaia and Araba, properties participating in the programme are identified by a rectangular green sign with white lettering, or a sun-and-sea-scape in a circular plaque. Lists showing facilities and prices may be obtained from regional tourist offices (which also handle bookings) or on  www.nekatur.net, and www.ecoturismorural.com for Navarra.
| Highlights |
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Euskara – Bat, bi, hiru…
The Basque language has survived 3000 years of isolation. Impress locals by learning some.
Playa de la Concha, San Sebastián
Admire the belle époque elegance of one of the world's great urban beaches.
Pintxos
Basque gourmet tapas, the best in Spain, are the way to dine in the Cascos Viejos throughout the region.
Mundaka estuary
Sublime scenery and world-class surfing, an enchanted forest and Gernika, the Basque spiritual capital.
Guggenheim Museum, Bilbao
This giant titanium sculpture has become the symbol of the regenerated city.
Zalduondo
Catch the traditional Carnaval parade in this tiny Araban village.
San Fermín
Pamplona's famous fiesta is rowdy, dirty and lunatic, but for once the bulls get a fair shot.
Ochagavía
This riverbank village of old stone houses is the pride of the Navarran Pyrenees.
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