Blog
16/06/2026
Come to the Basque Country for your holidays, because we are not simply another tourist destination: we are a world of our own, with our own language, Euskara (Basque), and with a way of understanding hospitality that means anyone who visits the Basque Country once will want to return.
Are you looking for rural landscapes that combine sea and mountains? In the Basque Country you will enjoy wine-growing landscapes such as those of Rioja Alavesa (Araba), hundreds of kilometres of protected scenery such as the Urdaibai Biosphere Reserve (Bizkaia), and geological phenomena such as the flysch of Zumaia (Gipuzkoa).
Let us tell you why the rural surroundings of the Basque Country are the ideal destination for your holidays and short breaks.
Beyond the three capitals of the Basque Country, which are extraordinary destinations and essential places to visit, the rural environment has a great deal to offer during your holiday in the Basque Country.
Rural Basque Country is authentic. It is the place where our language, Euskara, is spoken most strongly. It is where our farmhouses — baserris in Euskara — have stood since the 15th century, preserving our tangible and intangible heritage. Our rural environment is, ultimately, the place where the landscape, culture and traditions of the Basque Country continue to exist naturally.
The Basque Country has something that sets it apart: an unparalleled diversity of landscapes within a relatively small geographical area. In just a few kilometres, you can travel from some of the most extraordinary inland landscapes to dramatic cliffs that plunge into our Cantabrian Sea.
The Basque Country is home to 9 natural parks, 6 protected biotopes and 1 biosphere reserve. Not bad at all! These are the natural areas waiting to be discovered during your holidays in the Basque Country.
And remember: there is always a Nekatur-associated rural accommodation close to the natural areas of the Basque Country. Be amazed by everything our farmhouses, country houses and rural apartments in the Basque Country have to offer.
If there is one cultural element that distinguishes the Basque Country from any other tourist destination, it is Euskera. Even we do not know exactly when it began to be spoken or what its precise origins are, but it is what unites us.
When you spend your holidays in the rural areas of the Basque Country, you will realise just how important it is. You will hear it in the streets, in markets, in shops, in casual conversations, in our names and in the names of our towns and villages.
In addition, many rural accommodations in the Basque Country also have names in Euskara, and the vast majority of them refer to some characteristic of the place where those farmhouses were built. Did you know that many Basque surnames come from the names of farmhouses?
Did you know that more than 80% of visitors to the Basque Country take part in activities related to gastronomy? There is a reason why Basque gastronomy is one of the most highly regarded!
Basque cuisine stands out not only because of the quality of its restaurants, but also because of the connection between gastronomy and the rural environment. In the Basque Country, there is still a strong commitment to local and kilometre-zero produce, just as there has always been.
That is why many of the best gastronomic experiences can be found in our villages, thanks to the quality of local products: fresh fish, locally sourced meats, seasonal vegetables, cider and txakoli wine.
Start enjoying our gastronomy from the very beginning: at the weekly markets in our towns and villages. The markets of Agurain and Labastida in Araba, Gernika and Balmaseda in Bizkaia, and Ordizia and Tolosa in Gipuzkoa are just a few examples that you should not miss.
Visit a cider house (sagardotegi) and enjoy not only the txotx — drinking cider directly from the kupela (barrel) — but also a traditional menu that has changed little, if at all, over the centuries: cod omelette, txuleta steak, cheese with quince jelly and walnuts.
And speaking of cheese, Idiazabal cheese is one of the great gastronomic treasures we have in the Basque Country. Made from the milk of our native Latxa sheep, it has achieved worldwide recognition and is a star attraction at competitions held during our most traditional fairs.
We finish our gastronomic journey with pintxos, miniature cuisine served on a slice of bread. In our bars you can find the legendary gildas — anchovy, piparra pepper and olive skewered on a cocktail stick — ham croquettes, baked spider crab pintxo, Spanish omelette pintxo, cod in pil-pil sauce pintxo... Because here we do not say we are going for tapas — in the Basque Country, we go for pintxos!
As you can see, food is part of everyday life in the Basque Country: going out with friends, family lunches and dinners. That is why our celebrations always take place around a table.
In the Basque Country, we are a people of traditions that we want to preserve because they give us our own identity.
Our farmhouses, country houses and rural apartments are the starting point of those traditions: in our farmhouses, the land is still cultivated, cows and sheep are still milked, and sowing and harvest seasons are still celebrated. Stay in one of them and discover our rural way of life first-hand.
Our rural festivals are linked to the calendar. Harvest beginnings and endings, solstices and saints’ days are celebrated in our villages with pilgrimages, community meals and herri kirolak — traditional Basque rural sports — which originated from the rivalry between neighbouring farmhouses.
Our mythological characters protect our rural environment, our vegetable gardens, our homes and our families. We have legends that accompany us from birth and are passed down from generation to generation: Mari, Mother Earth (Ama Lur); Basajaun, the great protector of our forests; and the Lamiak, with women bodies and duck feet…
In the Basque Country, we have wonderful traditions and we would like you to be part of them. Come and experience them first-hand in our rural accommodations.
We know that when you travel, you look for authentic experiences that connect you with local culture and are sustainable. These are also the values of Nekatur and our associated rural accommodations.
Across our more than 220 rural accommodations in Araba, Bizkaia and Gipuzkoa, we are genuinely committed to sustainability and responsible tourism. That is why we follow a guide to sustainable good practices in our day-to-day work. Because we do not believe in tourism that fails to care for either the environment or the local community.
Tourism in the rural areas of the Basque Country is high-quality tourism that avoids overcrowding and rewards contact with nature. Charming coastal villages and charming inland villages are waiting for you.
The hospitality and professionalism of our hosts are also key to providing high-quality tourism. From the moment you walk through the door, you become part of the family. Because in the Basque Country we enjoy welcoming those who come to discover us. That is why people who visit the Basque Country on holiday come back again and again.
Idoia Ezkurdia is the manager of Nekatur, the Association of Rural Accommodation in the Basque Country, an organisation that brings together farmhouses, country houses and rural apartments across this autonomous community. With extensive experience in the tourism sector, Idoia Ezkurdia has an in-depth understanding of the many reasons to choose the Basque Country for your holiday. At Nekatur, she works to promote and increase the visibility of rural accommodation, encouraging a model of sustainable tourism closely linked to the local environment.
Any time of year is a good time to visit the Basque Country! Summers are mild, ideal for enjoying our beaches and local festivals. In autumn, the hills and forests are painted in shades of red. Winter allows you to see snow on the mountain peaks while enjoying our local gastronomy and cider houses. In spring, nature awakens with spectacular green landscapes that invite exploration.
Rural accommodation in farmhouses, country houses and rural apartments offers very reasonable prices, especially when compared with city hotels. Gastronomy can suit any budget: from a pintxo in a bar, to a set lunch menu, or even a tasting menu in a Michelin-starred restaurant.
Euskara is our language and we are proud to speak it, but we also speak Spanish and other languages (especially French and English). Even so, we enjoy hearing visitors greet us or thank us in our language. Eskerrik asko (thank you), kaixo (hello), agur (goodbye).
Don’t worry, Nekatur’s reservations team will be happy to answer any questions you may have. You can contact us by telephone (+34 943 32 70 90), by email (agroturismo@nekatur.net), or through Nekatur’s contact form.
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