Bilbao

Historically, the capital of the province of Biscay (Vizcaya in Spanish) was an industrial monster, heavily polluted and with the foullest coloured river I have ever seen. The industrial recession of the sixties and seventies nearly killed it off, but in the nineties it was given a new lease of life with large-scale investment in urban renewal. It was always an enjoyable place to visit because of the friendliness of its inhabitants, and it is now quite an attractive place as well, put firmly on the tourist map by the Guggenheim Museum.

Bilbao
The Guggenheim Museum and the enormous amounts of European Union funds and other public monies injected into the previously depressed city of Bilbao and surrounding area have put it firmly on the tourist map. This is the site of Bilbao City Council, and has that municipal feel about it. What is worse, the English is execrable or non-existent. You may find some stuff of interest under "Descubre Bilbao," but not a lot. And to top it off, it has crashed my browser. Very poor, indeed.

Bilbao - from the Café Bilbao
A small but winsome site from a newly restored café. The antique photographs are especially recommended.

Guggenheim Bilbao
It is not really surprising that the first item on the menu here is "The Building." Frank O. Gehry's titanium-clad design, imitating a ship, I believe, far outshines any of the exhibits inside. It has arrived firmly on the tourist map, bringing the city of Bilbao with it, much to the surprise of many of its inhabitants.

Guggenheim Bilbao - from the Bilbao Metro
The other factors contributing to Bilbao's resurgence were the massive clean-up of the left bank of the River Nervion and the deployment of the Metro to cover a large part of the Greater Bilbao area. This page is not as aesthetically pleasing as the official site, but just as informative.

Getxo

Or Gecho. An attractive fishing port in Biscay and a hotbed of Basque nationalism.

Getxo
The municipal site, not available in English, which is a pity.

GetxoWeb
A lovely site, put together by a couple of teenagers who must now be at university, as it was 1998.

Guernica

Guernica (or Gernika) is not really a city, and almost would not qualify as a town in terms of size. It is, however, one of the most important places in the Basque Country. It was made internationally famous in the Spanish Civil War, first by the terrible bombing of it by the Luftwaffe on the orders of the rebel nationalists, which practically destroyed the town. Then the eponymous black-and-white painting by Picasso recording the tragedy achieved a popularity rare for modern art at that time. The famous Tree of Gernika, under which assemblies were held in mediaeval times, has been adopted as the symbol of the Basque Country as a whole and the Biscay Parliament sits in the house next to it.

Gernika
The recently renovated municipal site, very well made, with an overwhelmingly green colour scheme. There is not actually a great deal to see in Guernica, so I think it understandable that they include the pelota court in the "touristic trip."

San Sebastian

San Sebastian, Donostia in Basque, is an elegant seaside resort, once the haunt of royalty. Its focal point is its sheltered beach, La Concha (the shell).

Donostia-San Sebastian
The municipal site is first-rate, especially useful if you are considering attending one of the many events (film festival, jazz festival...) held there.

Vitoria-Gasteiz

Vitoria, Gasteiz in Basque, is the capital of the inland, mountainous province of Álava, most famous in the world for the battle fought nearby at which the Napoleonic troops were definitively expelled from the peninsula. It is a small city, with a very civilized feel about it and one of the highest standards of living in Spain.

Vitoria-Gasteiz
The site of the city council is excellent, with a lot of good, useful information, but unfortunately only in Spanish, even the Euskera, Basque, having disappeared. But...

Vitoria-Gasteiz Tourist Board
...the municipal tourist board's subsite is available in English and is first rate, with information about the city, pictures, routes, what's on, an accommodation guide and so forth. Practically everything you might expect, in other words. The pop-ups are only slightly annoying.