Vitoria-Gasteiz
Category
G
THE TRIP
Visited
Basis
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The short answer
At a glance
The Plaza de la Virgen Blanca, the centre of everything
Vitoria-Gasteiz is the capital of the Basque Country, which surprises almost everybody – most people assume it is Bilbao or San Sebastián. It is an inland city of about a quarter of a million on a plain an hour south of the coast, and it is the one nobody bothers with. I think that is a mistake, though I want to be straight with you about what it is and is not.
What it is: the best-preserved medieval quarter in the Basque Country, a cathedral with one of the most interesting restoration stories in Europe, a contemporary art museum almost nobody visits, and a ring of parkland around the whole city that genuinely changes how it feels to walk around. What it is not: a luxury base. There is no MICHELIN Key hotel here and no starred restaurant in the city. Come for a half day or a full one, on the way to Rioja Alavesa, and you will have the best of it.
Coco Tran
You’ve reached the quiet door.
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