What to see in Vitoria-Gasteiz in 1, 2 or 3 days

What to book before you go

• Santa María Cathedral. Entry is by guided tour only. The Santa María Cathedral Foundation offers the Cathedral tour (€9, 60 minutes), Cathedral and Tower (€11, 90 minutes) and Cathedral and Wall (€10.50, 90 minutes), adult prices. Booking on its website does not require online payment: you pay at the Visitor Centre (Cantón de Santa María, 3) ten minutes before the tour.
• Tourist Office guided tours. Walks through the medieval quarter, themed routes and mural tours. Tickets are sold online or at the office at Plaza de España, 1 (phone +34 945 161 598), according to the City Council.

Flying in, to Bilbao or to Vitoria? All the options are in our airport to Vitoria guide. For concerts, theatre or Alavés and Baskonia games during your stay, check the Vitoria events calendar.

Day 1: the medieval quarter and the Ensanche

Morning (about 3 hours). Start in Plaza de la Virgen Blanca, with the monument to the 1813 Battle of Vitoria in the middle. Next door is Plaza de España (also called Plaza Nueva), home to the Tourist Office: from October to June it opens Monday to Saturday 10:00 to 18:00 and Sundays and public holidays 10:00 to 14:00.

Climb into the medieval quarter: its streets date back to the 12th century and form an almond shape on the hill. Take the tour of Santa María Cathedral, a World Heritage Site since 2015 as part of the Northern Way of St James; the City Council notes that it inspired Ken Follett's sequel to The Pillars of the Earth. Close by are the two visitable stretches of the 11th-century wall: one next to the Escoriaza-Esquível Palace and another behind the Villa Suso Palace, with a walkway along the old sentry path.

End the morning at BIBAT (Calle Cuchillería, 54), which houses the Archaeology Museum and the Fournier Playing Card Museum: free entry, Tuesday to Saturday 10:00 to 14:00 and 16:00 to 18:30, Sundays and public holidays 11:00 to 14:00.

Midday. A pintxo crawl through the medieval quarter and the centre. Pintxos are the Basque version of tapas, small bites served on the bar.

Afternoon. Walk down to the Ensanche via Los Arquillos, the arcaded terraces, and on to La Florida park, laid out in 1820. If you are curious about the city's festivities, the Lantern Museum (Museo de los Faroles, Calle Zapatería, 35) keeps the glass lanterns carried in the 4 August procession; it opens Monday to Saturday 11:00 to 13:00, donations welcome.

Sunset. The Tourist Office suggests the Cuesta de San Vicente for sunset, with views of the New Cathedral and the Montes de Vitoria hills, and Plaza de la Burullería, with the 15th-century Hurtado de Anda tower.

Evening. If your dates match, join the pintxo-pote, a drink-and-pintxo deal: according to the City Council there are routes from Wednesday to Saturday, 19:00 to 23:00.

Day 2: Artium, La Senda and the Green Ring

Morning. Start at Artium, the Basque museum of contemporary art, with a collection of nearly 3,000 works. Check opening hours and prices on its website before you go.

Then follow the La Senda and Fray Francisco promenades: over 3 km of tree-lined walkways past mansions, museums and parks, ending at the Romanesque basilica of San Prudencio in Armentia. On the way are two free museums run by the Provincial Council, with the same hours as BIBAT:

• Fine Arts Museum (Paseo de Fray Francisco, 8), in the Augusti-Zulueta Palace: Spanish art of the 18th and 19th centuries and Basque art from 1850 to 1950.
• Arms Museum (Paseo de Fray Francisco, 3): weapons from prehistory to the early 20th century.

Midday. Have lunch at one of the food bars in the Mercado de Abastos, the central food market.

Afternoon. Explore the Green Ring, the belt of parks around the city. Start with the Salburua wetlands, about 3 km from the centre, and their visitor centre, Ataria (Paseo de la Biosfera, 4): open 11:00 to 14:00 and 16:00 to 19:00 (until 20:00 from 1 May to 30 September), closed on Mondays. If there is daylight left, Olarizu hill has one of the best views of the city, according to the Tourist Office.

Vitoria is flat outside the old town and has over 180 km of cycle lanes, so a bike works well for this day.

Day 3: more museums, Estíbaliz or a day trip in Álava

Morning (about 2 hours). Head back to the centre for what you missed:

• Natural Sciences Museum, in the 15th-century Doña Ochanda Tower: Álava's amber deposits and collections of minerals, plants and wildlife. Free, same hours as the other Provincial Council museums.
• Sacred Art Museum, inside the New Cathedral (María Inmaculada), with works by El Greco, Ribera and Goya, among others. Behind the church are the Obispo Fernández de Piérola gardens.

Afternoon. The Sanctuary of Estíbaliz, a Romanesque gem less than 10 km away.

Full day out. If you would rather leave the city, the City Council suggests Rioja Alavesa wine country (Laguardia, Elciego, Labastida and their wineries; details from the Rioja Alavesa Wine Route) or the Añana Salt Valley, with 5,500 terraced salt pans (Añana Tourism). To go at your own pace, a hire car gives you more freedom. If you would rather have it organised, look at the day trips and guided tours on Civitatis.

What to do if it rains

Vitoria has plenty under cover, and much of it is free: BIBAT, the Fine Arts, Arms and Natural Sciences museums, plus Artium, Santa María Cathedral (guided tour), the Sacred Art Museum and the Mercado de Abastos. The Lantern Museum opens in the mornings only. Save La Senda, Salburua and Olarizu for a dry day.

Getting around and saving money

1. Make the most of the free Provincial Council museums. According to their official websites:

The four Provincial Council museums close on Mondays (except public holidays) and have exceptions in their calendar. Day-by-day hours are on our free museums in Vitoria page. Santa María Cathedral has no free day.

2. Use the tram and buses. There are two tram lines (Ibaiondo-Salburua and Abetxuko-Unibertsitatea); buy your ticket from the machines before boarding, and it is valid for 50 minutes. TUVISA city buses run from 6:00 to 22:00 (every 10 minutes Monday to Friday, every 15 on Saturdays and every 20 on Sundays and holidays) and take cash or the Bat, Mugi or Barik transport cards. On Fridays, Saturdays and the eve of public holidays the Gautxori night bus runs from 23:00 to 6:00.

3. If you drive, only residents can park in the medieval quarter, and since 15 September 2025 a Low Emission Zone bars vehicles without an environmental label (diesel cars from before 2006 and petrol cars from before 2000). Use the city's car parks.

To stay within walking distance of everything, look for a place to stay near the medieval quarter or the Ensanche.