Top Things to do in Gernika-Lumo
5 Budget-friendly Things to do in Gernika-Lumo That You Shouldn't Miss
Discover the best top things to do in Gernika-Lumo, Spain including Museo de la Paz de Guernica, Casa de Juntas, Parque de los Pueblos de Europa, Museo Euskal Herria Museoa, Mural del "Guernica" de Picasso.
1. Museo de la Paz de Guernica
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 272 reviews
El Museo de la Paz de Gernika nos invita a recordar, reflexionar y perdonar. Además, pretende acercar al visitante la historia del bombardeo de Gernika, la Guerra Civil y el exilio, 3 acontecimientos dramáticos que forman parte de la historia del pueblo vasco.
Reviewed By bockscar1 - Los Angeles, United States
Well worth the visit. Basque and Spanish; beginning placards are clearly numbered and have translations in a book they hand you English. Later texts are not numbered and become difficult to follow. Five QR codes I tried presumably to get more detailed info all had failing URLs. Artifact and photo captions are not translated, and I'd really love to know what I’m looking at. Much of museum feels like an extended poem on peace, anti-pollution, etc. The historical meat is the smaller section and made my visit by contextualizing the city and displaying insightful artifacts. Clearly much love was put into the presentations, but I'm surprised if the aspiration is to be a modern museum attracting foreigners why English wouldn't be baked in everywhere. Temporary exhibition of cartoons from 1936-7 really well-curated, all with English captions, definitely worth checking out. Bummer all museums in city seem to close 2-4pm. That makes it awfully tough on a day trip. Still, worth the stop for the historical section if not the rhetoric.
2. Casa de Juntas
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 340 reviews
Reviewed By Sprout15 - Sacramento, United States
The woman at the tourist information office was emphatic that this was the most important place to visit in Guernica--and after I took the short self-guided tour, I better understood why. Beautiful and lovingly preserved space, and the stained glass ceiling in the adjacent room is stunning. You will understand better why Guernica is considered the spiritual heart of the Basque Region after you stop here.
3. Parque de los Pueblos de Europa
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 45 reviews
Reviewed By mgilmore2018 - Boise, United States
I stumbled upon this delightful park just a one- or two-minute walk from the Basque Assembly Hall (Case de Juntas de Gernika) when I arrived at the Hall about 20 or 30 minutes before it was to open. My map showed a park uphill from the Hall, and I walked to it sit in the shade until the Hall opened. The park has water running through it, a duck pond, abundant trees to protect oneself from the sun, and sunny grassy areas for sunbathers and those wanting to bask in the open air and sunshine. The park is probably not a tourist destination in its own right, but is a pleasant place to spend some time sitting or walking before or after vising the Assembly Hall.
4. Museo Euskal Herria Museoa
Overall Ratings
4.0 based on 52 reviews
Reviewed By FactotumDellaCitta - London, United Kingdom
This excellent museum provides a tour of Basque culture and history. The suggested route through the museum is logical, and the audio guide is quite helpful.
5. Mural del "Guernica" de Picasso
Overall Ratings
4.0 based on 99 reviews
Reviewed By VWriter - Los Gatos, United States
The short answer, for me, is that the tragedy that occurred in this town, that is, the bombing of the entire town during the Spanish Civil War in 1937, and the world famous artist, Pablo Picasso, who chose to depict it in his huge painting shortly after, created a two fold attraction to the art work. The original is in the Museo Reina Sofia in Madrid, but if you visit the town of Guernica there is a replica on display. It is done in black, white and grey and is one of most powerful anti-war works of art in the world. Suffering victims, mostly women, children and animals are shown in the aftermath of the violence visited on them. It's late Cubism in style and it is Picasso's strongest political statement. War is cruel, fascism is cruel, the innocent suffer. These themes come out forcefully and you feel the power of history and art in this work.
