Vitoria Local Attractions

Vitoria-Gasteiz is the chief town of the Basque province of Álava which lies to the south of the Cantabrian Mountains in a plain below the north side of the Montes de Vitoria. It is 66km south of Bilbao, 114 km from San Sebastian and 351km from Madrid. Spanish is the main language, but Basque dialect called Euskera is common and English is not spoken everywhere.

The natural heritage of the province of Álava where Vitoria is located is extremely diverse with a number of protected species which can be visited in the Valderejo Nature Reserve to the west of the province, the Izki Nature Reserve and Área de Gorbeia Nature Reserve on the boundary with Biscay is considered to be one of the biggest natural tourist attractions in the Basque Country.

The park of Garaio is only 15 km from Vitoria offering a wide range of activities including cycling, hill walking, canoeing and sailing. The Mendixur Bird Observatory is very near to this park.

The Provincial Park of Landa is near the village of the same name and occupies 40 hectares of land on the edge of a reservoir with areas for swimming, outdoor bars, picnic areas, toilets, showers and children's play areas. There is more information about these parks at www.alava.net

Vitoria has a medieval district with Gothic buildings constructed on a series of steps and terraces with streets arranged in concentric ovals and named after medieval artisan guilds. The northern end is marked by the Catedral de Santa Maria (Old Cathedral) and the southern flank by the Iglesia de San Miguel. The urban heart of the city known as the Ensanche.

The Catedral de Santa Maria has a good art collection with paintings that imitate various schools like those of Van Dyck, Caravaggio, and Rubens, as well as several tombs carved in a highly decorated Plateresque style. This cathedral is not to be confused with the town's enormous neo-Gothic "new cathedral," Catedral María Inmaculada which is just north of the Jardines la Florida. It houses the Museo Diocesano de Art Sagrado which has a small collection of ecclesiastical paintings gathered from various churches, including a minor work by El Greco .

The major historic square in Vitoria is Plaza de la Virgen Blanca (named after Vitoria’s patron) which is just a short walk south of the medieval quarter. It has neoclassical balconies overlooking a statue of Wellington and the 13th century Church of San Miguel which has a 17th century altarpiece carved by Gregorio Fernández.

The Museum Fournier of Playing Cards is located in the Bendana Palace and takes first place on the list of playing card museums in the world. Special attention is paid to Spanish playing cards and you can see their evolution in different places in the world.

The Museo de Arqueología de Alava on Calle de la Correría has a half-timbered façade and exhibits artefacts including pottery shards and statues dating back to Celtic and Roman times which have been unearthed from various digs in the area.

The Augusti Palace houses the Museo de Bellas Artes de Alava on Paseo de Fray Francisco 8 and has a collection of several unusual weapons, portraits of Saints Peter and Paul by José Ribera and a Triptych by the Master of Avila

If you are planning to explore the area outside of the city centre and play some golf or go to some of the more out of the way beaches then you might consider hiring a car. There are a number of car hire firms based at Vitoria Airport who will be pleased to have a vehicle awaiting your arrival. This also cuts down on transfer costs for you and your family.

We also provide information on sporting and leisure amenities in Vitoria in our Vitoria Area Guide which includes the best Vitoria Shopping Areas, Vitoria Markets, Vitoria Golf Courses, recommended Vitoria Restaurants and Vitoria Local Attractions