Reisgids Basque Country and Navarre 3

This thoroughly updated, third edition of The Basque Country and Navarre, Bradt’s award-winning guidebook, remains the most in-depth guide to a multi-lingual, multi-cultural borderland that is neither Spain nor France, but straddles the Pyrenees, mountains that divide the two countries. Bradt’s guide offers real insights into a profound regional identity, uncovering the peculiarities which imbue the area with intrigue and takes you way beyond the delightful, well-known cities into the heart of the beautiful Basque countryside. Deep-seated Basque traditions, singular cuisine, world-class wine, strange sports, unique language, bold art and architecture all converge to showcase a land that continues to mystify and reveal itself the more you visit. Secluded valleys and rugged mountains, wild coastlines and the vestiges of industry long gone provide a strange mix that pays homage to a troubled past, a lively present and a constant reinvention that promises an exciting future for the Basques. Large and sparsely populated, little known and little visited, neighbouring Navarre offers natural attractions ranging from high Pyrenees to arid semi-desert. This former kingdom’s troublesome history is waymarked by lonely hilltop castles, but only in the frenetic, bull-running days of Pamplona’s San Fermín festival does it announce itself noisily on the world stage, welcoming hundreds of thousands of visitors to Ernest Hemingway’s favourite party town.