Expat Travel Mom

Another quick trip over the holidays, this time north to the Basque Country, once again chasing Christmas spirit and a break from temporary rental living, the same reason Barcelona happened a few weeks earlier. We've always heard about the region, especially as foodies, so going here was on the bucket list for sure.

Bilbao and the Guggenheim

The Guggenheim Bilbao almost didn't happen here at all. The museum's director had struck out trying to find a European home in Paris, Madrid, and other major cities before finally, somewhat reluctantly, accepting an invitation to Bilbao. The story goes that he was out on a morning jog along the river when he spotted an old, abandoned shipyard lot, and knew immediately he'd found the site. Frank Gehry's finished building, all titanium, limestone, and glass, opened in 1997 and single-handedly helped transform Bilbao from a fading industrial port into a genuine cultural destination.

Inside, we saw Warhol, Yoko Ono, Jeff Koons, and Yayoi Kusama, among others, a genuinely impressive lineup for one afternoon. You can spend an entire day here if you wanted to, but plan on at least 1/2 a day for sure. The teens really enjoyed it, and we even split up several times during our time there, so that everyone could explore their interests. 

We caught a few sights before and after visiting the museum, and closed out the day with pintxos and drinks at Erriberako Merkatua, the Basque answer to tapas, small, beautifully composed bites usually eaten standing at a bar. We were loving Bilbao, but San Sebastián was calling for the next leg. In Bilbao, we stayed at this Airbnb.

A small update, and a heavy one: Yayoi Kusama, one of the artists whose work we saw that day at the Guggenheim, passed away on August 14, 2026, at 97 years old. She spent her life turning polka dots, mirrors, and pumpkins into something that felt genuinely infinite, and by the end of it, she was likely the most famous living artist in the world, still painting almost until her very last days. We feel lucky to have stood inside a piece of her work in person. Rest in color, Yayoi.

San Sebastián

We arrived by bus (super easy and convenient way to get between the two cities, and the views of green rolling hills can't be matched) to find Christmas layered right on top of what's already considered one of the best food scenes in Europe, a genuinely perfect combination. And, in the middle of all of it, we found out house back in Valencia had officially closed, one more thing to celebrate on this trip. Our Airbnb and host were top notch and in such an ideal location. He gave us all the best tips on what to see and where to eat. So, we set off to explore all the Christmas vibes.

A Night on Pintxos Street

One night, we did exactly what you're supposed to do in San Sebastián, we hit Calle 31 de Agosto and ate our way down it, bar by bar. There's an actual name for this here, txikiteo, the art of the pintxos crawl, and the golden rule is simple: one bar, one specialty, one drink, then move on to the next. The street itself carries real weight too, it's the only one in the Old Town that survived a devastating fire following an 1813 siege, so every bar we stopped into that night sat on genuinely historic ground.

Pintxos aren't really about the food alone, they're a whole social ritual, eaten standing at the bar with a drink in hand, usually a glass of txakoli, the crisp, slightly fizzy local white wine poured from a height for extra effervescence. We went bar to bar, plate to plate, tortilla española, grilled mushrooms, croquetas, whatever looked good behind the counter, letting the night stretch out one small bite at a time. This is the same street where we found the famous Basque cheesecake too. A genuinely perfect way to eat your way through a city.

Rain, an Aquarium, the Best Organ School in the World, and the Promenade

A rainy, cold day sent us into the aquarium and a few of the city's churches, including one where we caught a student practicing on the organ, San Sebastián has a real reputation as one of the premier places in the world to study the instrument. We also made a stop at La Viña, the actual birthplace of the Basque cheesecake, that famously burnt-top, crustless version that's since traveled the world under this city's name.

The Aquarium

San Sebastián's aquarium sits right at the base of Monte Urgull, overlooking the bay, and the building itself dates back to the 1920s, giving it real character beyond just the tanks inside. The star of the whole place is the massive 360-degree glass tunnel, walking through it feels genuinely like strolling across the ocean floor, with bull sharks (two named Txuri and Kontxita, local favorites regulars know by name), giant sea turtles, rays, and moray eels gliding right overhead and around you. Beyond the tunnel, there's a whole floor dedicated to Basque maritime history, old ship models, fishing tools, and a full whale skeleton on display. It's actually the second most visited museum in the entire Basque Country, and once you've walked that tunnel, it's easy to see why.

The Church and the Organ

The church where we heard that student practicing is the Basilica of Santa María del Coro, and it turns out we stumbled onto something genuinely special without fully realizing it at the time. The organ inside is a Cavaillé-Coll, built in 1863 by one of history's most celebrated organ builders, and it's considered such an important instrument that the basilica hosts a prestigious international organ course there, drawing serious music students from around the world to train on that exact organ under top professors. San Sebastián takes its music seriously in general too, it's home to Musikene, the Basque Country's official conservatory for higher music education. So the student we overheard practicing that day wasn't just killing time, they were almost certainly training on one of the most respected historic organs in Europe.

The Paseo Nuevo Promenade (Pasealeku Berria)

We also walked the Paseo Nuevo, known locally in Basque as Pasealeku Berria, "the new promenade," which wraps entirely around the base of Monte Urgull, starting near the aquarium and circling below the old Castillo de la Mota fortress. Built back in 1916 as a breakwater to protect the city from the sea, it's since become one of San Sebastián's most beloved walks, wide open views of the Cantabrian Sea, rocky cliffs, and Santa Clara Island sitting out in the bay. On rougher days, waves crash directly against the seawall and burst up dramatically into the air, sometimes right over the walkway itself, which is exactly why the whole path stays misty even when it isn't actually raining.

One practical warning if you're visiting in winter, like we were: bring a windbreaker or some rain protection. Between the sea spray and the general dampness rolling off the water, you'll get soaked through if you're not ready for it, storms are actually when this walk is at its most dramatic, so don't let the weather talk you out of it, just dress for it.

A Beach Walk and a Very Odd Little Park

Our last full day started early in the day with a long walk along Playa de la Concha, considered one of the best urban beaches in all of Europe. It's actually quite stunning, and looks completely different during the day than at night. The sunset is stunning. Followed by the gardens of the Miramar Palace, once the Spanish royal family's summer residence. It was a nice little break from our brisk walk, sitting on the benches in the gardens and just enjoying the view. Make sure to walk through the tunnel at the base, continuing on your beach walk. From there, we took the Monte Igueldo funicular, running since 1912, up to a genuinely strange, old-fashioned little amusement park at the top called Tiovivo. 

Tiovivo, and That Log Ride on the Edge of the Mountain

The little amusement park at the top of Monte Igueldo, known locally as Tiovivo, opened in 1912, the very same year as the funicular that carries everyone up the mountain to reach it, and it's genuinely one of the oldest amusement parks still operating anywhere in Europe. The land itself was leased from a local marquis for 99 years by the entrepreneur who first built the park, and walking through it today still feels like stepping into another era entirely, vintage rides, a wooden roller coaster called the Swiss Mountain, bumper cars, a merry-go-round, and barely a hint of anything modern.

The log ride, the one that felt like it was riding along the very edge of the mountain, is called Río Misterioso, "the Mysterious River." It's a slow, winding boat ride through a narrow canal, ending in a small splash, and the real magic of it has nothing to do with speed or thrills, it's the setting, sweeping views of La Concha Bay opening up as you drift along the hillside, water on one side, a straight drop toward the sea on the other. Local legend even claims a crocodile once roamed free somewhere in that same river, which, true or not, adds exactly the right amount of old-park charm to the whole experience. Simple, a little rickety, genuinely nostalgic, and somehow one of the most memorable rides of the whole trip.

A Tribute to La Viña and the Cheesecake That Changed Everything

If you only remember a couple stops from our whole San Sebastián trip, let one be La Viña. This little family bar on Calle 31 de Agosto opened back in 1959, started by two brothers, Eladio and Antonio Rivera, and their wives, originally just a spot for wine and traditional pintxos, nothing fancier than that. It wasn't until Eladio's son, Santi, took over the kitchen and started experimenting on his days off that everything changed. Testing recipes alone in an empty kitchen, he landed on something nobody had quite done before, a cheesecake with no crust at all, baked hot and fast until the top turned deeply caramelized, almost burnt, while the inside stayed impossibly soft and creamy, more custard than cake.

What's remarkable is how little fuss Santi has ever made about it. He's reportedly handed his own recipe out freely to anyone who asks, no secrecy, no gatekeeping, just genuine generosity with something that's since become a global phenomenon. That crustless, burnt-top cheesecake now sold in coffee shops and fine dining rooms on nearly every continent traces back to one man testing recipes alone in a quiet bar in the Basque Country. Standing at that counter, cheesecakes lined up and bronzed from the oven, genuinely felt like standing at the source of something. We're so glad we found it.

We arrived before opening, as a line forms quite quickly if it's tourist season. Once inside, they are pretty quick to serve, whether a whole one or a slice. We were able to sit at the table inside and enjoy some together. It's not like a New York cheesecake, so don't go in thinking that at all. I'd say go in withouth thinking you know what it is and just enjoy it.

Ringing In the New Year Back Home

We made it back to Valencia just in time for New Year's Eve, ringing it in with friends, twelve grapes eaten right at midnight for luck, exactly as Spanish tradition demands, champagne popped, and fireworks going off in every direction from the rooftop, because Valencia never misses a chance for fireworks. Bed by 3:25am felt entirely earned.

Bilbao's architecture, San Sebastián's food and beaches, and a New Year's tradition we've happily kept ever since, this trip set the tone for everything Spain still had waiting for us.