Vitoria-Gasteiz, the capital of the Basque Country, is renowned as Spain’s first European Green Capital (2012). This dynamic city blends well-preserved medieval streets with modern industries like aeronautics and automotive manufacturing. Home to two cathedrals and numerous heritage sites, it offers a high standard of living with abundant green spaces and cultural venues per capita. Ideal for travelers seeking a peaceful yet culturally rich base, the city hosts major events like the Azkena Rock Festival and FesTVal.
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Stay in the Old Town (Casco Viejo) for easy walking access to medieval streets, plazas, and the city's two cathedrals. This central location aligns with the city's green, livable character, offering a quiet atmosphere ideal for travelers focused on culture and history.
The city features excellent greenways suitable for cycling or walking. Within an hour's drive, you can visit acclaimed wineries like Ysios and Marqués de Riscal, as well as historical sites such as the Añana Salt Valley, making it perfect for exploring the Basque countryside by car or tour.
Summer is peak season for major events like the Azkena Rock Festival, FesTVal, and the Virgen Blanca Festivities. The weather is pleasant and cultural activities are abundant, though accommodation should be booked well in advance due to increased visitor numbers during these festivals.
Situated on one of the main avenues that crosses the capital of Álava province, Zaldiarán is one of the town’s long-standing classic restaurants. The updated dining room serves as a backdrop for reinterpreted traditional cuisine, as well as a superb selection of grilled specialities (tuna belly, wild turbot, premium beef chop, Duroc rib etc) and the option of a tasting menu. Take time to admire the photos on display, where you’ll see restaurant owner Gonzalo Antón standing alongside various renowned chefs from Spain and further afield.
WebsiteRight in the heart of the city and, although it is not bereft of history, this restaurant has been able to modernise in both form and content; in fact, after five decades since it opened, the Tobalina siblings (with Álvaro in the kitchen and Silvia running the dining room) have now firmly taken over the reins of the restaurant. It has several spaces, all with a distinctive character, where you can discover innovative traditional cuisine that varies according to the market, with the option of an à la carte service, an executive menu (only at lunchtime, from Tuesday to Friday) and a tasting menu
WebsiteThis simple, modern restaurant, which takes its unusual name by multiplying 12 dishes by a pairing of 12 signature cocktails, is one of the most bold dining options in the city, where a fun approach and global influences are very much at the forefront. On the menus (a ‘shorter’ option with 17 courses, and a longer one with 21), you’ll find constantly evolving fusion cooking, including enticing options such as their hamachi tartare with red curry tentsuyu and coconut ice cream or the prawn, peanut, vergamota and laksa soup. Here they say ‘every bite tells a story’!
WebsiteA small restaurant divided into two spaces: an informal taberna with a bar counter and high tables perfect for snacks, and an attractive dining room (some of the tables have the feel of a small private space). The focus here is on traditional Basque cuisine designed for sharing that is simple yet delicious and based around locally sourced ingredients. One seasonal dish that we particularly enjoyed and can highly recommend was the “Porrusalda” with truffled potato foam and free-range egg yolk.
WebsiteLocated just a few minutes from the historic centre, Karmine is a restaurant that is definitely worthy of interest. Chef Jabi Sarasua's cuisine is a nod to his mother's Valencian roots, and places as much emphasis on the use of almost obsolete ingredients from Álava province as it does on the reintroduction of local recipes that have been all but forgotten (“cocido vitoriano” stew, asparagus “a la Urcelay”, rice with borage etc), but always from a modern perspective. The focus here is on a single tasting menu (8- and 10-course options) that is constantly changing as a result of the restaurant’
WebsiteAttraction data from Wikidata (CC0) and open sources, ranked by notability and distance — for reference.
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