In The Heart Of Cider Country

Cider Season In The Basque Country – A Visit To An Authentic Basque Cider House The vast majority of authentic Basque cider houses, Sidrerías, or sargardotegiak in Basque, are located in Gipúzkoa (156), with the largest concentration being in the village of Astigarraga, just outside of San Sebastián. In addition, there are 52 cider houses…

A Visit To Pasajes (Pasaia Donibane)

If you have the time on the drive between San Sebastián and Hondarribia, pay a visit to the picturesque fishing village of Pasajes de San Juan, also known as Pasaia Donibane in Basque.  You can even reach it by a one-minute ferry ride on the Itxas Zerbi water taxi from Pasajes San Pedro, on the…

The Spanish Basque Country

Planning your trip to the País Vasco The capitals of the three Basque Provinces of Spain are San Sebastián-Donostia in Gipuzkoa, Bilbao-Bilbo in Bizkaia and Vitoria-Gasteiz in Álava.  Euskadi is the politically correct term for the Basque Country, but some prefer the more historically inclusive Euskal Herria, which means the Basque Lands or home of…

Pintxos Hopping in Bilbao

Pintxos in the Old Quarter, the Casco Viejo   Plaza Nueva On Sundays you can see three generations of a family making their way through the neighborhood bars drinking Rioja in sips and feasting on pintxos.  In the “Siete Calles” section, those seven parallel, narrow, pedestrian streets running south of the cathedral.  Note that Bilbaínos…

An Excursion Into The Basque Highlands

A short drive from San Sebastián, south on the A-1, will take you into the Goierri, the Basque Highlands, a region surrounded by the Aralar Mountains.  Continue on the road to the attractive, and very Basque, tiny village of Zerain, a postcard perfect setting, which lies midway between Donostia and Vitoria.  On the way you’ll…