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Tell a Spaniard you’re visiting Vitoria, and you may well get an approving nod. They might mention its historical significance as the site of the 1813 battle which saw Napoleon finally driven out of Spain. Or maybe its envied quality of life - one of the first Spanish cities to go for major pedestrianisation, fine museums, free bikes to get around plus enough city parks, tree-lined promenades and surrounding woods to earn Vitoria the title of greenest city in Spain.

At its heart, Vitoria (Gasteiz in Basque) also boasts a medieval quarter vibrant with bars and history. Before you dive in, though, pause outside and take in the sights of the Plaza de la Virgen Blanca. A towering monument to the Battle of Vitoria soars proudly in the foreground, though it’s dwarfed by the 14th century Church of San Miguel which flanks the entrance to the old town. Period windows look out over cafes that have spilled over from the adjacent Plaza de Espana, the colonnaded square that is one of Vitoria‘s most enticing meeting points whether for coffee or to browse in the Sunday morning bric-a-brac market.

I’m surprised, though, to see the statue of the Virgin behind a protective screen spattered with the remains of various projectiles. Vitoria, I discover, is a town fuelled by political passions, where some lob eggs at symbols of Catholicism while others stick up posters for or against Basque separatism. Perhaps passion secured Vitoria its role as seat of the Basque parliament ahead of more high profile neighbours like Bilbao or San Sebastian.

I walk into the old town (Casco Medieval) along its main street, the wonderfully-named Calle de Cuchilleria (literally, Cutlery Street). In place of the street’s former knife makers, there are now myriad laidback bars leavened with the odd specialist shop. There’s a rough edged feel to the quarter but it‘s a sense of take-us-as-we-are rather than anything threatening.

Calle de Cuchilleria is also home to one of Vitoria’s most striking museums. Rather than the Big Bang approach Bilbao offers with the Guggenheim, Vitoria goes for intriguing diversity, and the Fournier Museum is a 16th century palace converted into a shrine to the history of playing cards. Even if your pulse has never quickened over a game of poker, the 20,000 cards on view are gorgeous miniature artworks, windows on history and culture ranging from hand-painted medieval packs to surrealist cards designed by Salvador Dali.

Further along, the 14th century Cathedral of Santa Maria is a fractured masterpiece. Cracking and crumbling from centuries of gradual subsidence, the cathedral was finally closed in 1994. Now, however, visitors can clamber through the scaffolded interior to admire both its Gothic magnificence and the scale of Europe’s most ambitious restoration project, which still has another decade to go.

After contemplating such hard work, join the locals relaxing in the Ensanche. Much of Vitoria’s daily life takes place in this 19th century area stretching south from the Plaza de Espana to the railway station. Calle Eduardo Dato is the hub, a pedestrianized avenue lined with shops and busy cafes dishing up ice-cream and coffee by day and pintxos (the Basque name for tapas) and beer to stave off hunger pangs until a respectable Spanish time for dinner i.e. hours after British dinnertime.

Unable to hold out, I get my fill by joining in Vitoria’s tradition of early evening bar-hopping and pintxos-munching. With several little plates of goodies and a couple of beers around 10 euros this works very well, and I wend my way back to my hotel each night happy and fed at about the time the locals are choosing their restaurant.

On the western edge of the Ensanche are two of Vitoria’s main green oases, the Parque de La Florida and Parque de El Prado. Built in the 1820s, the Parque de La Florida in particular is as important a symbol of modern Vitoria as the medieval quarter is of the historic town, and not just because the Basque Parliament building sits at its northern edge.

La Florida is the city’s prime retreat, where old men snooze on benches beneath traditional black Basque berets (txapela), youngsters lounge beneath exotic trees and elegant ladies sip coffee beside a bandstand guarded by classical statues of ancient kings. On a Saturday evening, the park also turns into dance central when old-timers strut their stuff around the bandstand where an orchestra belts out ballroom standards.

As I watch veteran couples twirl happily in front of admiring onlookers, it‘s hard to believe that in the 19th century La Florida was the haunt of Vitoria’s precursor to Jack the Ripper. 18 years before the London murders, serial killer Jose Diaz de Garayo earned the nickname La Sacamantecas (The Gut Stealer) for his habit of disembowelling victims. Turned in eventually by his wife, he was hung in the park with his own guts on view.

Sunshine dispels any dark thoughts the next morning as I stroll along the tree-lined Paseo de La Florida and down Vitoria’s loveliest street, Paseo de Fray Francisco. Lined with grand houses such as the Villa Sofia and Casa Zuloaga , it’s also home to the Musee des Armes, a child-friendly chronicle of the history of weaponry from Roman times to the 20th century, with stabbing and shooting things colourfully complemented by uniforms, flags and battle tableaux.

Across the street the Musee des Beaux Arts could hardly be more different. A gorgeous ornate 1912 concoction, the building itself may appeal more than some of the Basque canvases inside, but there are enough fine paintings by unfamiliar names to intrigue any art lover. And, like all but one of Vitoria’s museums, it’s free.

The exception is the Artium, just outside the medieval quarter on Calle Plaza de Franca. Vitoria’s modernist riposte to Bilbao’s Guggenheim lacks the flamboyance of Gehry’s twisted metallic masterpiece but it’s still a stylish repository for some intriguing contemporary art, with a funky café for post-exhibition discussion.

But if you want to see the Guggenheim’s real twin, head an hour or so south from Vitoria. Just over the Sierra de Cantabria you‘ll find not only one of the world’s great wine-growing regions, the Rioja Alavesa, but some of Spain’s most striking new buildings.

The little town of Elciego is the unexpected home of Frank Gehry’s latest creation, a luxury ‘wine hotel’ whose Guggenheim-style coloured metal curves are a startling contrast to the simple buildings around. Just as enticing is the classy Ysios winery a few miles away. Built by celebrated Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava, its rippling steel roof is a 21st century echo of its soaring mountain backdrop.

Overlooking Ysios is the beautiful hilltop village of Laguardia, its 13th century walls wrapped around a warren of narrow streets and tiny leafy squares. The ravishing coloured wooden carvings inside the church of Santa Maria de los Reyes vie for attention with boutique wineries and fine restaurants.

Chilling out in one of the bars, I sip Rioja (don’t even think of asking for anything else) and watch a little boy playing with some toy bull horns, swooping down on passersby and then darting back, laughing. The wine tastes good - even better with the knowledge I’ve gleaned after a short tour and tasting in the 12th century cellars of the El Fabulista winery on the Plaza Mayor. And if come in October, they’ll even let you join in treading the grapes!

Wine needs food, of course, and the antique-filled Posada Mayor de Migueloa is a beacon of traditional Basque cooking - chard stuffed with meat and cheese, stewed calf cheek, pork with raspberry, wild boletus mushrooms cooked in port. I’m glad I don’t have to move far afterwards, having booked a room just outside the city walls at the Bodega de Don Cosme Palacio, a classy antique-filled hotel that, like Gehry’s latest, comes attached to a local winery.

Back in Vitoria, I decide to burn off extra calories on one of the complimentary orange bikes available from the main tourist office on Plaza General Loma (just show ID for a four-hour hire) and elsewhere round the city, pedalling out past the Parque de El Prado on the short ride to Armentia on the outskirts.

Just before you leave the city behind and hit the woodland trails stretching towards the nearby Montes de Vitoria, you come to the 12th century Basilica de San Prudencio. Every April, pilgrims walk here to honour the city’s patron saint, ending their journey with a traditional feast of snails and potatoes.

For others, though, this is a place of political pilgrimage. After Vitoria fell to Franco in the Civil War, the basilica became the execution spot for countless prisoners, gunned down against its ancient walls. Fingering the bullet holes that scar the stone, I give thanks Spain is now a country enjoying life after the dark decades of Franco’s dictatorship. Nowhere more so than in Vitoria, a city where political passions still burn but the living is easy.

WHERE TO EAT
Restaurante Xixilu (Plaza Amarica 2, 945 23 00 68) is one of Vitoria’s most popular places whether you’re after pintxos in the bar or good traditional cooking in the restaurant at the back.

Asador Iradier (Calle Manuel Iradier 23, 945 14 01 56) is renowed for its restaurant roasts cooked in a wood-fired oven, as well as tasty pintxos. Friendly service too.

Basque bean dishes and snails are two of the specialities at El Portalon (Calle Correria 151, 945 14 27 55), served in a striking 15th century building. Prices, however, reflect its historic status and location in the heart of the medieval quarter.

Bar Dolar (Calle Florida 26) is an easygoing unadorned bar serving one of the best ranges of pintxos in town. La Huerta (Calle Dato 41) is another popular local favourite though barstaff can be brusque as they try and deal with the hungry hordes.

Restaurant Jantoki is a charming old-fashioned bar right opposite the Fournier Museum where you can get a simple but tasty menu del dia with wine for 10 euros.

In Laguardia, the restaurant at Posada da Mayor de Migueloa (945 62 11 75) on the street of the same name is an antique-filled temple to classic Basque cooking - and fairly priced given quality and atmosphere.

INFORMATION
Spanish Tourist Office at tourspain.co.uk) or Vitoria-Gasteiz Tourism - +34 945 16 15 98, vitoria-gasteiz.org)

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