Vitoria-Gasteiz might be a big industrial city but it's not what tourists go there for. It's got great hotels but many choose to use it as a base for exploring the surrounding Basque country and the Spanish Pyrenees.
Car hire from rhinocarhire.com will help you do just that with a range of vehicles from fun, cheap to run models to more luxurious models such as Mercedes, BMW and Saab that will take you on your way in comfort and style. With inclusive car hire rates starting from as little as 16 euros a day, it's time to book on line to secure one of our great deals.
Vitoria Mini Guide
Vitoria still has many of the buildings and streets which made it a charming hamlet before it was transformed by the decision to move the Basque government there. Capital of the province of Avala in the north of Spain, the walled city of Vitoria has had great strategic significance and formed a link between the Span and the north of Europe. The town had frequently been used as a trading market in the 14th century and many stalls were held there which sold goods and attracted a large number of visitors.
King Sancho VI of Navarre called the town Nueva Vitoria when he founded it in 1181 and then it came to be Vitoria Gasteiz, the latter word meaning hamlet in Spanish. Vitoria has had a very lively history. In 1200 the city stopped being a defensive outpost and became part of the Kingdom of Castille. In 1492 the Jews were expelled from Vitoria by the Catholic kings of Spain, and in 1813 Napoleon was defeated at the Battle of Vitoria. Since the Basque government became based in Vitoria in 1980, cultural attractions have come on leaps and bounds and tourism is starting to take off.
Visitors to Vitoria will find it very easy on the eye; it has more green spaces per square mile than any other city in Europe. Its citizens have been inspired by their natural surroundings to live a healthy life and more of them hold federated sports cards than anywhere else in the world. It also makes Vitoria a fantastic destination for ‘family tourism’, a concept which is actively promoted in the city. At Christmas there is a children’s Christmas Park held in the centre of Vitoria which has tobogganing, a giant skating rink and various game zones which promote festive fun.
In the summer Vitoria also holds the international games festival, the largest one of its kind in the world. Each year over a million people come to the festival to play more than 4,000 different kinds of games. With a three day international kite festival in October at the Provincial park of Garaio, Vitoria can boast some of the most innovative entertainment ideas in Spain and is a particularly great place to take kids on holiday.
Vitoria Airport, which is served by Spainair, is only 10 kilometres from the city and the quickest way to make the journey is by hiring a car.
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