Guernica: Trajedy in Basque Country, Guernica, Spain

We had been wanting to visit Guernika, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1984, ever since we arrived in Spain. However, there were always bigger and more sexy cities drawing our attention like San Sebastian, Bilbao and Vitoria-Gasteiz. But on our second to last day in Spain, when poor weather and poor planning caused us to cancel our plans to visit Santander, we decided to seize the opportunity to finally visit Guernika (the Basque spelling of Guernica).

If this name sounds familiar to you it is because it was the location of a tragic bombing during the run up to WWII. While the town does have some impressive cathedrals, a picturesque town square and one of the last in use jai-alai courts in northern Spain, it is bombing museums and monuments that are the real treasures of Guernika. 

You probably only need a day to visit Guernika (note: I will be using the Basque spelling in this post) unless you are someone who likes to check off every box from every top 10 travel site or guide book (you know who you are!). We spent the better part of a day there and managed to see and do everything that appealed to us with one of two acceptions (see below).  ...... (follow the instructions below for accessing the rest of this article).