The Basque Country (Pais Vasco in Spanish, Euskadi in Basque) is an administrative region of northern Spain. It is also part of a larger area known as Basque Country or Pays Basques, which includes a wider area of northern Spain plus some French territories. The holiday properties on this page relate to the smaller administrative area which is bordered by Cantabria, Castile Leon, La Rioja, Navarre, France and the Bay of Biscay in the Atlantic. The Basque Country is divided into the three provinces of Araba, Bizkaia (Biscay) and Gipuzkoa. Both Spanish and Basque are spoken here. Major towns to visit are Bilbao and San Sebastian.

The region has a rugged coastline and two ranges of mountains (the Basque Mountains) which run from east to west. Between these is a high plateau and in the south are the lower lying lands of the Ebro Valley, which is a rioja growing area.

Climate in this area varies alot, with the north being cooler and wetter, while the south enjoys a typically Mediterranean climate.

Cuisine is all important here, with fish being abundant and meat being of very high quality. Basque cuisine is regarded as being some of the best on the world, so treat yourself to a gourmet getaway! The Basque Country has its own unique form of tapas, known as pinchos or pintxos. These are basically bit-sized portions of traditional dishes. A txikiteo is the local name for a outing involving eating your way around pincho bars!

Places to stay in the Basque Country tend to be apartments and villas on the coast while there are more traditional Basque rustic houses inland. These look somewhat chalet-like and have fairly steeply pitching roofs. There are also some lovely stone farmhouses to let in rural areas.