The Basque Country is a type of confederation in which each of the three Historic Territories, Araba (Alava in Spanish), Bizkaia and Gipuzkoa, has its own administration and legislative body. Vitoria-Gasteiz is the capital of Alava, Bilbao the capital of Bizkaia (Vizcaya) and Donostia-San Sebastián the capital of Gipuzkoa (Guipúzcoa).
At present, more than 2 million people live in the Basque Country, giving a figure of around 300 inhabitants per square kilometre, higher than the EC average. Most people live in the larger urban areas in the northern zone (Bilbao & its surrounding area has approximately 700 000 inhabitants).
CLIMATE: Set in one of the world’s more temperate zones, the Basque Country has a wonderfully mild climate with few extremes of temperature. The climate, the influence of the sea, and an attractive mixture of villages, mountains, hills and abundant greenery (due to its plentiful rain), all make the Basque Country a place of natural surprises.
GETTING THERE: Bilbao has an international airport that operates flights to all major cities in Spain as well as other international airports in the UK (London Heathrow, Stanstead), Ireland (Dublin), Germany (Cologne, Dusseldorf, Hannover, Frankfurt, Stuttgart), Belgium (Brussels), France (Paris), Italy (Milan, Rome) and Portugal (Lisbon).

ACCOMMODATION: Bilbao has a wide range of hotels of all categories. Perhaps the most striking in the city is the Gran Hotel Domine, an ultra-modern hotel created by the one of Spain's most famous designers, Javier Mariscal, and located opposite the Guggenheim Museum.


CULTURE & GASTRONOMY: The cultural life of the Basque Country is blossoming and is one of the main driving forces behind the development of this society. Since the inauguration of the Guggenheim Museum in 1997 Bilbao has had a complete renaissance.
Basque cooking enjoys a reputation for being one of the best cuisines in the world. It is traditional cooking based on the quality of local products and their simple preparation. Another of the curiosities of Basque cooking are the "pinchos" or "tapas", small portions served in most bars and restaurants.
FACTOR 3 SAYS

A novel destination with a great future and a personality of its own!