Vitoria-Gasteiz

The Basque capital and a European Green Capital, with an oval medieval old town, a cathedral you can climb, and the thousand-year-old Añana Salt Valley.

Vitoria-Gasteiz is the capital of Spain's Basque Country and of the province of Álava, set in an upland basin about 65 km south of Bilbao; in 2012 it was named European Green Capital. At its heart is an almond-shaped medieval old town on a hill, its streets named after the guilds that once worked there (blacksmiths, cutlers, shoemakers and so on), ringed in tiers around Santa María Cathedral at the top. Along the old town's southern edge lie Plaza de la Virgen Blanca, Plaza de España and the terraced arcades of Los Arquillos; further south is the 19th-century Ensanche, Parque de la Florida, and the palace museums lining Paseo de la Senda. Around the city runs the Green Ring (Anillo Verde), some 30 km of walking and cycling paths, and the Salburua wetlands are good for birdwatching; about 30 km southwest, the Añana Salt Valley has terraced saltworks more than a thousand years old, and Gorbeia Natural Park lies to the north. The Rioja Alavesa wine region to the south (Laguardia and others) is usually covered on a Logroño–La Rioja itinerary. Vitoria is also a stronghold of Basque pintxos culture, with pintxo-pote deals on Thursday evenings along Calle Cuchillería in the old town and Calle Dato in the new town. Getting there: about 1 hour by bus from Bilbao or San Sebastián, and 3.5–4 hours by train from Madrid. The climate is cool and rainy with cold winters; May–Sep is the best time to visit, with the international jazz festival in July and the Virgen Blanca festivities in early August. Plan on 1–2 days, and book cathedral tours in advance.

Top sights

• Medieval Quarter (Casco Medieval) – An almond-shaped medieval quarter on a hilltop, with guild-named parallel streets, Renaissance palaces, mural walls and a crowd of pintxos…
• Santa María Cathedral – A 13th- to 14th-century Gothic cathedral famous for its “open during construction” tours. Visitors can wear hard hats to walk among the sca…
• Plaza de la Virgen Blanca – The central square at the foot of the old town, lined with traditional buildings that have white-framed glass balconies. A tall monument to…
• Salt Valley of Añana – A valley salt works with more than a thousand years of history. Layered terraces of wooden-framed salt pans fill the hillside, and guided t…
• Laguardia – A hilltop medieval town enclosed by walls, with hundreds of wine cellars beneath it and views over the vineyards of Rioja Alavesa.
• Church of San Miguel – A Gothic church overlooking the Plaza de la Virgen Blanca. Its porch houses the White Virgin, the city's patron, and the interior has a spl…
• Plaza de España (Plaza Nueva) – An 18th-century neoclassical square enclosed by arcades, with the town hall at its centre. The arcades are lined with cafés and pintxos bar…
• Los Arquillos – An 18th-century stepped arcade street built to connect the old town and the new town, rising in tiers down the slope and lined with small s…
• Medieval Wall – Remains of city walls dating from the 11th and 12th centuries, restored and opened with footpaths and wooden boardwalks so visitors can tra…
• BIBAT Museum (Archaeology & Fournier Playing Cards) – A twin museum in the old town, combining a Renaissance palace with a modern black stone-box extension. It displays Álava's archaeological f…
• Artium Museum – The Basque centre for contemporary art, with sculptures, paintings and installations by Spanish and Basque artists from the 20th century on…
• New Cathedral of María Inmaculada – A large neo-Gothic cathedral built in the 20th century. Its basement houses the Álava Museum of Religious Art.
• Parque de la Florida – A 19th-century Romantic urban park with ancient trees, a music pavilion and sculptures. A giant Nativity scene is set up at Christmas.
• Fine Arts Museum of Álava – A fine arts museum in a neo-Renaissance palace on the Senda avenue, focused on 19th- and 20th-century Basque painting, with free entry
• Arms Museum of Álava – A museum of weapons, from prehistoric stone axes to 20th-century firearms, with a focus on the Battle of Vitoria in 1813
• Calle Cuchillería Pintxos Bars – The liveliest bar street in the old town, a lane of Basque pintxos. On Thursday evenings, the drink-and-snack deals bring the whole city ou…
• Salburua Wetlands & Ataria – A Ramsar-listed wetland of international importance on the eastern edge of the city, the jewel of the 'green ring'. Boardwalks offer birdwa…
• Basilica of San Prudencio de Armentia – A 12th-century Romanesque church in the outlying village of Armentia, with finely carved portals and capitals. A showcase of Romanesque arc…
• Sanctuary of Estíbaliz – A Romanesque sanctuary on a small hill east of the city, dedicated to the Virgin, patron of Álava. The summit offers views over the Álava p…
• Ullíbarri-Gamboa Reservoir – A large reservoir about 15 km north of the city, with official inland beaches at Galarreta and Landa, ideal for summer swimming, boating an…
• Gorbeia Natural Park – The largest natural park in the Basque Country, with beech forests, highland pastures and an iron cross on the summit. It is a classic hiki…
• Bodegas Ysios – A wave-shaped, aluminum-roofed winery designed by Santiago Calatrava, backed by the Cantabrian Mountains and facing Laguardia across the vi…

Where to eat

• Sagartoki – Award-winning pintxos bar run by chef Senén González; its egg pintxo and potato omelet are local signatures.
• Tolono Bar – Award-winning pintxos bar under 19th-century arcades beside Plaza Nueva, a must-stop on the local pintxos crawl.
• El Portalón – One of the city's oldest restaurants, housed in a 15th-century half-timbered coaching inn near the old town cathedral.
• Perretxico – Popular pintxos bar in the Ensanche district, known for its 'vaccine' meatballs injected with beef juice and its pintxo…
• Zaldiaran – A classic upscale Vitoria restaurant listed in the 2026 Michelin Guide, famed for charcoal-grilled tuna belly and wild…

Itineraries

• Basque & La Rioja Wine Country Loop – Starting and ending in Bilbao, this loop connects Vitoria-Gasteiz, Logroño, Haro wineries, and San Sebastián.