As Spain’s most popular cities – from Barcelona in the east to Malaga on the south coast – continue to get busier and busier, it appears British tourists have finally started to have enough. Last year, 15.5 million tourists stayed overnight in the Catalonian capital, while the Costa del Sol and Malaga province saw 14 million overnight stays between January and June alone – a 9% increase from the previous year. However, it now appears British holidaymakers are moving north.

The Basque Country – located in the western Pyrenees on the north coast of Spain – has seen a 65% surge in UK visitors this year. Between January and July, a record 105,000 British visitors travelled to the autonomous community – the equivalent of 450 travellers per day. Known officially as Euskadi, this region, which faces the Bay of Biscay, is home to some incredible cities which rival its southern counterparts, as well as some beautiful Atlantic beaches. One such city is San Sebastian, dubbed the“jewel in the Basque Country’s crown“, which was a top choice holiday destination among Spain’s royalty at the beginning of the 20th century. 

Home to just over 189,000 people, San Sebastian lies just 12 miles from the French-Spanish border. The city boasts three beautiful beaches – Concha, Ondarreta and Zurriola – and is surrounded by hilly areas, including Urgull, which lies adjacent to the old part of the city and Igeldo, which overlooks Concha Bay.

The bustling city is also highly recognised for its remarkable food scene, boasting “one of Spain’s highest concentrations of Michelin-starred restaurants” and tapas bars. 

Many are drawn to the city because of its oceanic climate, with warm summers and sea breezes and cool winters.

Today, the city has welcomed a number of celebrities, including the likes of Cate Blanchett, Andrew Garfield, and Johnny Depp. Many of these world-famous figures jet over to the Spanish destination during the San Sebastian International Film Festival, which is held in September.

Further along the coast lies the city of Bilbao, the largest in the Basque Country, which has often been described as Europe’s most walkable city. Home to some 347,000 people, Bilbao, often dubbed “the City of the Guggenheim”, was named the best in the world for walking, tying with Valencia in the 2024 World’s Best Cities report by Resonance Consultancy.

A flight from Bristol will take tourists to this vibrant city in just one hour and 45 minutes – almost one hour shorter than the trip required to get to Malaga, allowing plenty more time to explore.

Bilbao is probably best known for Frank Gehry’s Guggenheim Museum on the banks of the river Nervión, one of the largest museums in Spain. Casco Viejo is the medieval neighbourhood of Bilbao and one of the most colourful parts of the city. It is home to many shops and taverns, as well as a number of historical churches, including San Antón, Santos Juanes and the Cathedral Basilica of Saint James.

Bilbao was also named Spain’s “happiest city” last year by the Institute for Quality of Life. The Spanish city came in 69th position, with an overall happiness score of 1464.4. According to the Institute, the 23 best-performing cities were mostly found in North America, Scandinavia, and Oceania.