THE MOST BEAUTIFUL PEOPLES OF THE BASQUE COUNTRY

We wanted the Basque Country! And not only because of its extraordinary gastronomy (but also, why deny it)… We dreamed of touring that wonderful land, and not only visiting its two great cities (Bilbao and San Sebastián, with permission from Vitoria, its capital, of course!). Get lost in their villages and get to know wonderful places. So we caught the car with a clear idea: go out in search of the most beautiful and peculiar villages. We did it? I think so 🙂 In this post we tell you what are, for us, the most beautiful villages in the Basque Country.

Everyone recommended that we go through this town and it did not disappoint us at all. It is in the border with France, right where the Bidasoa river flows and has a lot of personality, although from this the Basque Country is left over.

There are two areas that you cannot miss: your old town that seems fresh out of the Middle Ages, and the La Marina neighborhood, with colorful houses, the port and the San Pedro Street, from which, if you get a little confused, you will go rolling! And it is here that you eat great!

Here we tell you everything to see and do in Hondarribia.

This town is very close to the hermitage of San Juan De Gaztelugatxe (uff, we had trouble learning the name, eh) where the first meeting between Jon Snow and Khaleesi. If you are not a geek of the Starks or the Targaryen, do not worry, the beauty of the place hits everyone equally.

But make no mistake, do not get to Bermeo just to make the excursion to Gaztelugatxe, this fishing town is very beautiful, in particular we recommend giving you a walk around the old port area... and obvious! Take the opportunity to take some pintxos.

If you like the surf, you have probably heard about this place: this little corner of the Basque Country boasts of having a record left wave... is among the longest in the world too (although we were told that years ago it was much better).

At the moment we never got on a surfboard, but we also enjoyed Mundaka. We walked through its 4 streets, we saw how the kids threw themselves into the water from the docks of the port and how the little ones used the church wall as a pediment. Ah, we almost forgot, come closer to the Santa Catalina Peninsula To see his famous and lonely hermitage.

This town on the Guipuzcoan coast is famous for two reasons: the first and genuine is its flysch, impressive vertical cliffs where the different strata are clearly observed. Y the hermitage of San Telmo, which appears in the movie "Eight Basque surnames". To top it off, another site that we thought was beautiful was the Parish of San Pedro Apóstol (and its imposing tower).

It is very fashionable, but is it really cool? A lot! Some hiking trails pass through these beautiful cliffs. If you are not for much jogging, at least make the path that leaves from the hermitage and reaches the tip of one of them. A bestiality!

And we arrive at Lekeito, another of the most beautiful villages in the Basque Country. Here it is best to approach your historic helmet and curl through its alleyways. Churches await you (like the wonderful Basilica of the Assumption of Santa Maria, in Gothic style), authentic little bars and fishing boats everywhere. It is a town with a lot of atmosphere, perfect to make a pit-stop along the way.

If the day accompanies and you want to take a dip, come closer to the Karraspio Beach, one of the best in the Basque Country. And attention, because if there is low tide you can get to the island of San Nicolás (yes, find out when the tide rises ... to see if you have to go to rescue you :-p).

It was one of the great finds of this trip. We arrived to be more interested in the tragic historical event of the bombing and discovered that for the Basques, this is a very important place in their identity as a town historically.

For the first, we recommend you visit the Peace Museum, where you can learn more about what happened on April 26, 1937 and how this fact was silenced for years (can you believe that the official version was that the city was destroyed by a red fire?). Also go through the mural of the Guernica of Picasso, you know that the original is in the Reina Sofía Museum in Madrid.

The second you will discover in the Board House, a beautiful building that, along with its emblematic tree, are the most important institutions of Biscay.

We return to the coast, which we already miss the sound of waves and seagulls. Pasajes de San Juan is a small town that is located just 10 km from San Sebastian. Actually, the town is consisting of 4 different districts: Pasai Donibane, Pasai San Pedro, Pasai Antxo and Trintxerpe. If you have little time we recommend focusing your visit on Pasai Donibane (Pasajes de San Juan) and Pasai San Pedro, more than anything because they are the liveliest and most charming part.

The prettiest part of Pasajes de San Juan is a simple alley which winds between facades of old stone buildings and crosses some arches until you reach theSantiago Square. Continue along a very cool road next to the estuary. By the way, to cross from one side to another, you can take a small boat (it is cheap, do not be scared) that in a few minutes crosses the river.

We ended up here almost by chance and it was a surprise: We thought it was one of the most curious villages in Euskadi... thanks above all to its location. And, although it is not exactly on the coast, it has a small urban beach, small but very flirtatious.

The most characteristic is the creek, Ea Erreka, which crosses the tiny town and on which stone bridges have been built the handsome sea. The main squareIt also has a special charm. We think it is essential in this list of the most beautiful villages in the Basque Country.

What most attracts attention is undoubtedly the Monte San Anton (known among the locals as "the mouse of Getariat" by its shape). The enclave of this walled village is idyllic and its fishing port is one of the ones we liked the most.

The surroundings are full of vineyards that produce txacolí, so do not leave there without toast with a couple of glasses of this white wine, so typical of Euskadi. To top it off, there are two Beaches very beautiful in Getaria: that of Malkorbe and of Gaztetape.

We leave the coast and enter the interior of Euskadi, towards one of the oenological capitals of Spain. Laguardia, a small town of just over 1,000 souls, managed to emerge as a wine destination, maintaining its strong medieval character.

Here, no doubt, the big star is the Ysios Winery, with its emblematic architecture, gift (well paid we assume) of Calatrava. In the town, the church of Santa María de los Reyes and the virgin of his porch.

We continue with the wine route: Elciego is home to one of the most curious hotels in Spain, we talk about Hotel Marqués de Riscal, distant cousin of the Guggenheim (you guessed, its architect is the same: Gehry).

Is it worth approaching just to see the Hotel-Winery? We think so, but if you have doubts you know that the town hides much more: medieval streets, a cool church (the Parish Church of San Andrés) and nice people.

And then two that we left on the road, for a matter of time we could not visit, but we wrote it down for our next visit:

It is a medieval village that is part of the Basque Coast geopark and has one of the best preserved historical hulls from all over northern Spain. In fact, the center of Mutriku was declared a Monumental Ensemble. Take a walk through its cobbled streets, look at the facades of the Manor Houses and discover every corner of this idyllic Basque village.

One tip: do not miss its coast for anything in the world, its coastline of about 4 km, is considered one of the most beautiful in Euskadi. Of course we went through it and it's wow! Specifically, the area of ​​“seven beaches”, Which goes from Mutriku itself to Saturraran beach, is a must.

Elantxobe is a little corner that is on the edge of a cliff, owner of mountain and sea at the same time. And okay, it's small but don't be fooled: there are a few things to see and do, such as touring its main street, visiting the temple of San Nicolás de Bari, or discovering its viewpoints ... from which the views of the town must be amazing .

These are for us the most beautiful villages in the Basque Country, although there are so many and so handsome that we know that we leave out real jewels. For you, what are the most beautiful villages in the Basque Country?

Video: The mystery of the Basques (April 2024).