Vitoria-Gasteiz

The hill at the heart of Vitoria-Gasteiz's old quarter has been occupied for a very long time, though historians generally agree the city itself is a medieval creation. Archaeological finds from the area point to earlier activity, but scholars consider them too sparse to confirm any stable settlement before the Middle Ages.

Excavations at Campillo Sur in 2006 uncovered a pit deposit with ceramics suggesting a possible Bronze Age habitation site, tentatively placed in the middle-to-late Bronze Age. In the Plaza de Santa María, Roman-period ceramics — including Terra Sigillata Hispánica — have been found, indicating a continuous but modest Roman presence on the hill in the early centuries of the Common Era. Researcher J. M. Martínez places this Roman occupation from around the mid-first century through to at least the end of the third, possibly later. Eliseo Gil, working in the same square, identified early Imperial Roman evidence pointing to at least two phases of occupation on the hilltop.

For decades, many historians assumed Vitoria descended from Victoriacum, a Visigothic settlement reportedly founded by King Leovigildo around 581, as recorded by the chronicler Juan de Biclaro. More recent research tends to reject this connection. Alternative theories identify Victoriacum with Vitoriano in the municipality of Zuya, with the Roman complex of Iruña-Veleia nearby in Álava, or — in Mikel Pozo's view — with Mérida, used as propaganda by Juan de Biclaro. Frankish-style burials found at Aldaieta (Nanclares de Gamboa), and weapon types uncovered in excavations at the Cathedral of Santa María, further complicate any straightforward Visigothic identification, though neither finding is conclusive.

Archaeological work at the Cathedral of Santa María suggests the first continuously occupied settlement that eventually became Vitoria dates to the early decades of the eleventh century.

The Cathedral of Santa María — the old cathedral — is a Gothic structure with a tower added in the sixteenth century. Three decorated doorways open beneath the porch, carved with statues and reliefs, and the interior chapels hold Gothic, Flemish and Italian Renaissance images. Paintings by Rubens and Van Dyck can be seen in the left-hand chapels. The building is currently undergoing restoration under the project name "Abierto por obras" (Open for Works), which visitors can tour — an approach that has drawn international attention and hosted literary figures including Paulo Coelho, Ken Follett, Arturo Pérez-Reverte and José Saramago. The restoration has won the Turismo Vasco 2000 prize from the Basque Government and the Europa Nostra 2002 prize, the European Union's highest distinction for heritage conservation. Since 2015, the cathedral has been recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage Site as part of the Caminos de Santiago: French Way and Northern Routes of Spain.

The Cathedral of María Inmaculada — the new cathedral — was built and consecrated in the twentieth century in a neo-Gothic style. At 118 metres from apse to porch, 48 metres wide across the transept and 35 metres high at the crossing, it ranks among the largest cathedrals in Spain. Its five naves, seven apsidal chapels and elaborate exterior sculpture, much of it in a Modernista style, are its principal features. Since 1999 the ambulatory has housed the Diocesan Museum of Sacred Art of Álava, covering stone carving, woodcarving, panel painting, canvas painting, goldwork and liturgical furniture.

The Gothic Church of San Pedro Apóstol features an Old Porch with relief carvings of scenes from the lives of Saint Peter and the Virgin Mary. The stained-glass windows were made in Bordeaux by the firm Dagrant and installed between 1861 and 1901. The church stands beside the Cantón de la Soledad, a steep street served by mechanical ramps up to the highest part of the old quarter.

The Gothic-Renaissance Church of San Miguel Arcángel houses the image of the Virgen Blanca, patron of the city, in its porch, and a main altarpiece by Gregorio Fernández.

Vitoria-Gasteiz is 66 km south of Bilbao and 114 km from San Sebastián. Bilbao Airport (Loiu) is the nearest major airport, reachable by toll road or by coach with Autobuses La Unión. The coach station is north-west of the centre at Euskaltzaindia Plaza, with services to Bilbao, Burgos, Santander, Zaragoza, Pamplona, Madrid and other major cities.

Left luggage is available at the coach station at roughly €1 per bag per day, for multiple days. The city centre is compact and walkable; a free bike-hire scheme also operates at several points around the city.