Bilbo
Bil-bo
Bilbao
Usage
Largest city in the Basque Country, famous for the Guggenheim Museum
Grammar Note
A historic city developed along the Nervión River
Donostia
Do-nos-ti-a
San Sebastián
Usage
A culinary city facing the Bay of Biscay
Grammar Note
One of the world's top cities for Michelin-starred restaurants
Gasteiz
Gas-teiz
Vitoria-Gasteiz
Usage
Capital of the Basque Autonomous Community
Grammar Note
Internationally recognized as a model for sustainable urban development
Iruña
I-ru-ña
Pamplona
Usage
Capital of Navarre, famous for the Running of the Bulls
Grammar Note
Simply means "the city" in Basque; the Spanish name is Pamplona
Gernika
Ger-ni-ka
Guernica
Usage
Spiritual heartland of the Basque people, known for the Spanish Civil War bombing
Grammar Note
Home to the Tree of Gernika, symbol of Basque autonomy and self-governance
Hondarribia
Hon-dar-ri-bi-a
Usage
A historic walled Basque city on the French border
Grammar Note
From "hondar" (sand) and "ibi" (ford), located at the mouth of the Bidasoa River
Arantzazu
A-ran-tza-zu
Usage
A Basque sanctuary in Gipuzkoa, home to Our Lady of Arantzazu, the patron saint of Gipuzkoa province
Grammar Note
Means "you among the thorns", referencing the legend of the Virgin Mary's appearance
Lekeitio
Le-kei-tio
Usage
A picturesque fishing port in the province of Biscay
Grammar Note
Known for its sandy beaches and the small island of Isuntza accessible on foot at low tide
Azpeitia
Az-pei-tia
Usage
Birthplace of Ignatius of Loyola, founder of the Society of Jesus
Grammar Note
Famous pilgrimage site with the Sanctuary of Loyola, attracting visitors worldwide
Urdaibai
Ur-dai-bai
Usage
UNESCO Biosphere Reserve in Biscay, famous for its wetlands and wildlife
Grammar Note
Encompasses the Gernika area and is a symbol of Basque environmental conservation
Euskal Herria
The Basque Country
Usage
The Basque-speaking region as a whole: four territories in Spain (Bizkaia, Gipuzkoa, Araba, Nafarroa) plus three in France; a cultural area, not an administrative unit
Euskadi
Euskadi (Basque Autonomous Community)
Usage
The autonomous community in northern Spain made up of Bizkaia, Gipuzkoa and Araba; the capital is Vitoria-Gasteiz. Navarre is a separate autonomous community
Bizkaia
Bizkaia (Biscay)
Usage
The most populous province of the Basque Autonomous Community; its capital is Bilbao, with a Bay of Biscay coastline and an industrial belt
Gipuzkoa
Usage
The easternmost province of the Basque Autonomous Community, bordering France; its capital is Donostia (San Sebastián) and it has the highest share of Basque speakers
Araba
Araba (Álava)
Usage
The largest and most inland province of the Basque Autonomous Community; its capital Vitoria-Gasteiz is also the seat of the regional government, and its south is the Rioja Alavesa wine area
Nafarroa
Nafarroa (Navarre)
Usage
A separate autonomous community east of the Basque Autonomous Community, capital Iruña (Pamplona); the northern mountains are Basque-speaking, the south is dry Ebro valley plain
Ipar Euskal Herria
The French Basque Country (Iparralde)
Usage
Collective name for the three Basque provinces in France (Lapurdi, Nafarroa Beherea, Zuberoa); administratively part of the Pyrénées-Atlantiques département, centred on Bayonne and Biarritz
Arabako Errioxa
Rioja Alavesa
Usage
Wine district in southern Araba on the north bank of the Ebro, part of the Rioja DOCa; Laguardia and Elciego are the bases for winery visits
Bilboko Aireportua
Bilbao Airport
Usage
The Basque Country's main airport (BIO), about 12 km north of central Bilbao in the town of Loiu; Bizkaibus line A3247 reaches the centre in about 25 minutes
Donostiako Aireportua
San Sebastián Airport
Usage
A small mostly-domestic airport (EAS); it is not in the city but in Hondarribia on the French border, about 35 minutes by bus from Donostia
Foronda
Foronda (Vitoria Airport)
Usage
The district that gives Vitoria-Gasteiz Airport (VIT) its signposted name; about 8 km northwest of the city, with few passenger flights and mainly cargo traffic
Iruñeko Aireportua
Pamplona Airport
Usage
A small airport (PNA) in Noain, about 6 km south of Pamplona; mostly Madrid flights, reached from the city by local bus or taxi
Miarritzeko Aireportua
Biarritz Pays Basque Airport
Usage
Gateway to the French Basque Country (BIQ), sitting where Biarritz, Bayonne and Anglet meet; signposted in French as Biarritz Pays Basque
Bilbao-Abando Indalecio Prieto
Bilbao-Abando Indalecio Prieto station
Usage
Bilbao's main Renfe station in the city centre, used by long-distance trains to Madrid and Barcelona and by Cercanías commuter lines; the platform signs show this full official name
Donostia/San Sebastián tren geltokia
Donostia/San Sebastián railway station
Usage
The Renfe station on the east bank of the Urumea, still called Estación del Norte locally; long-distance trains to Madrid and Barcelona depart here. Euskotren uses a different station (Amara)
Vitoria-Gasteiz tren geltokia
Vitoria-Gasteiz railway station
Usage
The Renfe station of the Araba capital, just south of the old town, served by trains towards Madrid, Irun and Bilbao
Irun tren geltokia
Irun railway station
Usage
The Spanish border station; French Hendaye station is within walking distance, making this the changeover point between the Spanish and French rail networks
Pamplona/Iruña tren geltokia
Pamplona/Iruña railway station
Usage
The Renfe station northwest of central Pamplona, reached by city bus or taxi, with trains towards Madrid, Zaragoza and San Sebastián
Metro Bilbao
Usage
Bilbao's metro; lines 1 and 2 follow the Nervión estuary and run all the way out to the beaches of Getxo and Plentzia
Zazpikaleak/Casco Viejo
Zazpikaleak/Casco Viejo station
Usage
The metro station for Bilbao's old town; the signs carry both the Basque Zazpikaleak ("seven streets") and the Spanish Casco Viejo. Also an Euskotren interchange
Abando
Abando station
Usage
Metro Bilbao station on lines 1 and 2, connected to the Renfe Abando terminus; the surrounding area is the modern banking and shopping district
Moyua
Moyua station
Usage
Metro station on Bilbao's central roundabout square; the Guggenheim Museum is about a 10-minute walk away, making it the usual sightseeing base
Indautxu
Indautxu station
Usage
Metro station in Bilbao's main shopping and eating district, west along Gran Vía, with plenty of pintxo bars
San Mames
Usage
Metro station named after Athletic Bilbao's stadium; the long-distance bus terminal (Termibus) is attached, making it a key interchange
Deustu
Deustu (Deusto)
Usage
A Bilbao district and metro station across the Nervión, home to the University of Deusto and facing the Guggenheim from the opposite bank
Areeta
Areeta (Las Arenas)
Usage
A district of Getxo and a metro line 1 station; the Getxo-side landing of the Bizkaia Bridge is here. Its Spanish name is Las Arenas
Algorta
Usage
Metro line 1 station in Getxo, within walking distance of the old fishing quarter (Puerto Viejo) with its stepped lanes and bars
Santutxu
Usage
A dense residential district of eastern Bilbao with a station on metro lines 1 and 2, one stop from the old town
Euskotren
Usage
The Basque narrow-gauge railway, linking coastal and inland towns Renfe does not reach, such as Bilbao–Bermeo and Donostia–Hendaye
Amara
Amara station
Usage
Donostia's Euskotren station, for trains towards Bilbao and the coast at Zarautz and Zumaia; it is a different site from the Renfe station
Topoa
The Topo
Usage
Nickname (literally "the mole") for the Euskotren line from Donostia through Irun to Hendaye in France; the handiest way to cross the border
Termibus
Termibus (Bilbao bus station)
Usage
Bilbao's long-distance coach station next to San Mames metro, with services to Donostia, Vitoria and Madrid
Bizkaiko Zubia
Bizkaia Bridge (Puente Colgante)
Usage
The world's oldest transporter bridge, a UNESCO site linking Portugalete and Getxo; a gondola ferries cars and people, and the upper walkway can be crossed on foot
Artxandako funikularra
Artxanda funicular
Usage
Funicular up Artxanda hill north of Bilbao; three minutes to a viewpoint over the whole city, with the lower station within walking distance of the old town
Igeldoko funikularra
Igeldo funicular
Usage
A 1912 funicular from the western end of Donostia's Concha bay up Monte Igeldo, the classic viewpoint over the bay
Larrungo trena
La Rhune rack railway
Usage
Wooden rack-railway from Sare in France up Larrun (905 m) on the border; the summit looks out over the Bay of Biscay and the Pyrenees
Behobia
Usage
The border point linking Irun with Behobie in France; the A-8/A-63 motorway crossing, with shops clustered on both banks
Santiago zubia
Santiago Bridge (Irun–Hendaye)
Usage
The international bridge over the Bidasoa between Irun and Hendaye; the border can be crossed on foot, with a station on each side
Dantxarinea
Usage
A border hamlet in Urdazubi, Navarre; large discount shops line the crossing and draw shoppers from the Spanish side
Ibardin
Ibardin pass
Usage
A 317 m border pass between Bera in Navarre and Urrugne in France, lined with bargain shops and a starting point for walks up Larrun
Getxo
Usage
An affluent town on the right bank of the estuary northwest of Bilbao, 25 minutes by metro line 1; home to the Bizkaia Bridge, an old fishing port and a seafront promenade
Portugalete
Usage
Town on the left bank of the Nervión with the other landing of the Bizkaia Bridge; served by metro line 2, with a medieval old town on the hillside
Santurtzi
Usage
Port town at the outer harbour of Bilbao, known for its sardines and the ferry terminal for England; near the end of metro line 2
Durango
Usage
An inland Bizkaia town about 35 minutes from Bilbao by Euskotren, the gateway to the Durangaldea mountains and Urkiola natural park
Bermeo
Usage
Bizkaia's largest fishing port and the terminus of the Euskotren line from Bilbao; buses to Gaztelugatxe leave from here
Mundaka
Usage
A small port at the mouth of the Urdaibai estuary, famous worldwide for its left-hand wave and popular with surfers; it has a Euskotren station
Plentzia
Usage
Seaside town at the end of Bilbao metro line 1, with a wide beach and a sheltered inlet; an easy day trip from the city
Bakio
Usage
A beach town on the Bizkaia coast and the closest base for Gaztelugatxe, also known for its local white wine, txakoli
Irun
Usage
The border city of Gipuzkoa, facing Hendaye across the Bidasoa; the main rail and motorway crossing point into France
Pasaia
Pasaia (Pasajes)
Usage
A natural harbour just east of Donostia; old quarters face each other across a narrow channel crossed by small boats, and the coastal Camino passes through
Hernani
Usage
A town just south of Donostia, known for the Chillida Leku open-air sculpture museum and for its cider houses serving grilled steak
Tolosa
Usage
An old inland town in Gipuzkoa, famous for one of the Basque Country's biggest carnivals, its black bean stew and its Saturday market
Zarautz
Usage
A seaside town with the Basque Country's longest beach, about 2.5 km; roughly 35 minutes from Donostia by Euskotren and a hub for surfing
Getaria
Usage
Fishing town that produced the circumnavigator Elcano and the designer Balenciaga, renowned for charcoal-grilled fish and txakoli wine
Zumaia
Usage
A port town known for its flysch cliffs, where the rock strata are exposed in stripes; it has a Euskotren station and the rock shelf can be walked at low tide
Arrasate/Mondragón
Usage
An industrial town in inland Gipuzkoa, birthplace of the Mondragon worker cooperative; the official name puts the Basque form first, as on the road signs
Oñati
Usage
A historic town that once held the Basque Country's only university; the gateway to the Arantzazu sanctuary and the Aizkorri range, reached by bus from Durango or Arrasate
Laguardia
Usage
The walled hill town at the heart of Rioja Alavesa, honeycombed with wine cellars; about 45 minutes by bus from Vitoria. Its Basque name is Biasteri
Elciego
Usage
A Rioja Alavesa wine village, known for the Marqués de Riscal complex with its rippling Frank Gehry roof; the Basque name is Eltziego
Labastida/Bastida
Usage
A wine town at the western edge of Rioja Alavesa; its legal name is the double Spanish/Basque form, and that is how it appears on road signs
Agurain/Salvatierra
Usage
A walled town east of Vitoria whose official name puts the Basque form first; it sits in Araba's grain plain and has a railway station
Añana
Añana (Salt Valley)
Usage
A terraced salt-evaporation valley in western Araba worked for over a thousand years, about 30 minutes by car from Vitoria, with guided tours
Laudio/Llodio
Usage
A town in northern Araba on the valley route between Bilbao and Vitoria; the province's second-largest, with a Renfe commuter station
Tudela
Usage
Navarre's second city, on the Ebro in the south; it keeps its Moorish street plan and is known for vegetable cuisine and as the base for the Bardenas Reales. Its Basque name is Tutera
Estella-Lizarra
Usage
A key Camino stop in Navarre, rich in Romanesque architecture; the nearby Irache monastery has a fountain that pours wine. The official name puts the Spanish form first
Olite/Erriberri
Usage
Town built around the palace-castle of the kings of Navarre, whose many towers can be visited inside; about 45 minutes by bus from Pamplona, in wine country
Puente la Reina/Gares
Usage
The pilgrim town where the two branches of the Camino Francés merge; the 11th-century Romanesque bridge that gives it its name is still in use
Orreaga/Roncesvalles
Usage
The first Spanish stage of the Camino Francés after crossing the Pyrenees, with a pilgrim hostel and collegiate church; the official name puts the Basque form first
Auritz/Burguete
Usage
A one-street mountain village next to Roncesvalles where Hemingway stayed to fish; now a common overnight stop for pilgrims
Luzaide/Valcarlos
Usage
A border village on the valley route from Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port to Roncesvalles, used by pilgrims when the high route is closed by weather
Elizondo
Usage
The main village of the Baztan valley in northern Navarre, lined with stone manor houses; about an hour by bus from Pamplona and on the road to the French border passes
Zugarramurdi
Usage
A village on the French border with a large cave and a witchcraft museum recalling the 17th-century witch trials; close to the Dantxarinea crossing
Baiona
Baiona (Bayonne)
Usage
The main city of the French Basque Country; signs and the station name use the French Bayonne. Known for its old town along the Nive, its ham and its chocolate
Miarritze
Miarritze (Biarritz)
Usage
An upmarket Atlantic resort, regarded as the birthplace of European surfing, with its lighthouse and rock arches; signposted in French as Biarritz
Angelu
Angelu (Anglet)
Usage
The town between Bayonne and Biarritz, with a long run of sandy surf beaches and many surf schools; signposted in French as Anglet
Donibane Lohizune
Donibane Lohizune (Saint-Jean-de-Luz)
Usage
A French Basque port town with the church where Louis XIV married and a sheltered bathing bay; signposted as Saint-Jean-de-Luz
Ziburu
Ziburu (Ciboure)
Usage
The fishing village across the bridge from Saint-Jean-de-Luz, birthplace of the composer Ravel; signposted as Ciboure
Hendaia
Hendaia (Hendaye)
Usage
The French border town facing Irun across the river, with an SNCF station and the terminus of the Euskotren line; also known for its wide beach
Donibane Garazi
Donibane Garazi (Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port)
Usage
The walled town that serves as the usual starting point of the Camino Francés, from which pilgrims cross the Pyrenees to Roncesvalles; signposted as Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port
Kanbo
Kanbo (Cambo-les-Bains)
Usage
A spa town on the Nive whose highlight is the writer Rostand's Villa Arnaga; reachable from Bayonne by train and bus, signposted as Cambo-les-Bains
Ezpeleta
Ezpeleta (Espelette)
Usage
The village famous for its red peppers, hung to dry on the house fronts; written Espelette in French
Sara
Sara (Sare)
Usage
A village near the border with the La Rhune rack-railway station and a show cave, lined with red-timbered Basque houses; signposted as Sare
Guggenheim Bilbao Museoa
Guggenheim Museum Bilbao
Usage
Frank Gehry's titanium-clad contemporary art museum on the Nervión, opened in 1997 and the symbol of the city's regeneration; about 10 minutes on foot from Moyua metro
Erriberako Merkatua
Ribera Market
Usage
Bilbao's riverside covered market in the old town, an art deco building from 1929 with fresh produce below and pintxo stalls upstairs
Euskalduna Jauregia
Euskalduna Palace
Usage
Bilbao's concert hall and conference centre, built on a former shipyard about a 10-minute riverside walk from the Guggenheim
Bilboko Arte Ederren Museoa
Bilbao Fine Arts Museum
Usage
One of Spain's major art museums, from El Greco to modern Basque painters; it faces Doña Casilda park, within walking distance of the Guggenheim
Nerbioi ibaia
The Nervión river
Usage
The river that runs through Bilbao to the port at its mouth; promenades and bridges line both banks and metro lines 1 and 2 follow it
Gaztelugatxe
Usage
A chapel on a rocky islet off the Bizkaia coast, formally Gaztelugatxeko Doniene (San Juan de Gaztelugatxe), reached by a causeway of 241 steps; visits require booking in advance
Santimamiñe
Santimamiñe cave
Usage
A prehistoric painted cave at Kortezubi near Gernika, inscribed on the UNESCO list and visitable only on a guided tour
Gernikako Batzarretxea
Assembly House of Gernika
Usage
The assembly house and the Tree of Gernika, symbols of Bizkaia's self-government, in the centre of Gernika and free to visit
Kontxa hondartza
La Concha beach
Usage
The shell-shaped bay beach of Donostia, edged by its white-railed promenade and the emblem of the city; a short walk from the old town
Zurriola hondartza
Zurriola beach
Usage
The surf beach east of the Urumea in Donostia, popular with surfers and backed by the bars of the Gros district
Haizearen Orrazia
The Comb of the Wind
Usage
Chillida's iron sculpture anchored in the rocks at the western end of Donostia, at the far end of the Concha promenade
Urgull
Monte Urgull
Usage
The hill behind Donostia's old town, topped by a fortress and a statue of Christ; a 30-minute climb gives a view over the whole bay
Santa Klara uhartea
Santa Clara Island
Usage
The small island in the middle of Concha bay; a boat runs from the old harbour in summer only, and the island has a small beach and a lighthouse
Kursaal Jauregia
Kursaal Palace
Usage
The two glass cubes on Zurriola beach designed by Rafael Moneo; the main venue of the San Sebastián International Film Festival
Chillida Leku
Usage
The open-air museum of the sculptor Eduardo Chillida at Hernani, with large works set in meadows around an old farmhouse; about 20 minutes by bus from Donostia
Loiolako Santutegia
Sanctuary of Loyola
Usage
The baroque sanctuary at Azpeitia built around the birthplace of Ignatius of Loyola, founder of the Jesuits; also the starting point of the Ignatian Way
Ekainberri
Usage
The full-size replica of the Ekain cave at Zestoa in Gipuzkoa, where the UNESCO-listed horse paintings can be seen
Gorbeia
Usage
A 1,482 m mountain and natural park straddling Bizkaia and Araba, the largest park in the Basque Autonomous Community, marked by the iron cross on its summit
Urkiola
Usage
A natural park on the pass between Durango and Vitoria, dominated by the limestone peak of Anboto, with a pilgrimage sanctuary at the top of the pass
Andre Maria Zuriaren plaza
Virgen Blanca square
Usage
The central square of Vitoria-Gasteiz at the entrance to the old town, the focus of the August festival; in Spanish, Plaza de la Virgen Blanca
Gaztelu plaza
Plaza del Castillo
Usage
The main square of Pamplona's old town, ringed by cafés and the heart of the San Fermín festival; in Spanish, Plaza del Castillo
Estafeta kalea
Estafeta street
Usage
The narrow straight street in Pamplona's old town that forms the longest run of the bull-running route; lined with bars the rest of the year
Bardeak
Bardenas Reales
Usage
The semi-desert badlands of southeastern Navarre, a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve of wind-carved rock formations, reached by car from Tudela
Irati oihana
Irati Forest
Usage
One of Europe's largest beech and fir forests, in the Pyrenees of northeastern Navarre; busiest in autumn and entered from the Ochagavía side
Donejakue Bidea
The Camino de Santiago
Usage
The Basque name for the pilgrimage routes to Santiago de Compostela; the yellow arrows and scallop-shell markers are signposted under this name
Kostaldeko Bidea
The Camino del Norte (coastal route)
Usage
The coastal pilgrimage route running west from Irun through Donostia, Getaria and Bilbao; the way to walk the length of the Basque coast
Ignaziar Bidea
The Ignatian Way
Usage
A roughly 650 km pilgrimage route from Loyola in Azpeitia to Manresa in Catalonia; its Basque section crosses Arrasate and the Araba plain
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