Getaria, the perfect fishing village?
They were important whaling ports, they saw the birth of distinguished sailors and they continue to intoxicate us with the beauty of their postcards and also, yes, also, with the aroma of the fruits that the Bay of Biscay gives them roasted on the grill, and with beaches of playful waves that hook to surfers struggled in a thousand seas. Are Getaria, Zarautz, Pasaia Y Hondarribia , four of the most beautiful towns on the Guipuzcoan coast, and the fetén travel plan to binge on the sea this holiday.
The "mouse" of Getaria.
THE ART OF THE GRILL
let's start with Getaria . There is no option, if you arrive in Getaria by N-634 , the crush is assured. Any way of doing it is good, but the panoramic view of the road, one of the most spectacular coastal roads in Spain, guarantees a flash at first sight. The romance has only just begun. Then, the "foot on the street", the time to "get to know each other" and wait for "whatever comes up", does not disappoint, quite the opposite. Because Getaria is that fishing town preserved in salt that continues to keep all its seafaring flavor intact. Articulated around Calle Mayor, its streets hide countless picturesque corners and lead to their port.
there they rest their boats , large and small, of all colors, along with the women who continue to weave the nets used by the fishing boats. There it is also downloaded the coolest genre, monkfish, sardines, bonito, turbot, sea bream ..., which flies directly to the embers of restaurants and grills of the port. Perhaps the most famous embers in Euskadi. Perhaps the most famous in the world.
The best grills and the freshest fish, an unbeatable combination in Getaria.
Just as universal as they are their two favorite sons: the navigator Juan Sebastian Elkano , who completed the first trip around the world (whose fifth centenary is celebrated this year and whose surname gives its name, precisely, to one of the best steakhouses in Getaria) and the haute couture designer Christopher Balenciaga , timeless synonym of avant-garde. His museum, which also celebrates its tenth anniversary, can be visited to learn more about his life and work.
Precisely there, in the highest part of the town, its hills are covered with hectares and hectares of rows of grape vines. Hondarrabi Zuri with which the delicious and refreshing Txakoli , a sparkling white wine, quite acidic and impregnated with a sea breeze, which is the perfect companion for grilled fish.
As if it were not enough to have some of the best steakhouses in the world, to produce a flagship wine full of personality, and to have given the world an illustrious navigator and a fashion genius, Getaria has another icon, his famous mouse , which is nothing more than a tongue of land that penetrates the sea, which has the shape of that animal, and which you can appreciate perfectly from its beautiful, French-inspired beach.
The Txaloki, the appreciated wine that is produced with the Cantabrian breeze.
**THE QUEEN OF THE BEACHES**
The same N-634 that took us to Getaria leads us to Zarautz , a town famous for its beach, the longest on the Guipuzcoan coast, 2.5 km long, where every summer they plant their iconic blue striped booths and you can enjoy the Cantabrian to the fullest, whether walking, swimming and, above all, surfing.
Surfing is in Zarautz, more than a sport; a "religion" professed by adults and children, experts and beginners, and which has made a whole universe grow around it: schools, clothing and material stores, bars and hotels that revolve around the needs and whims of these dancers waves.
An ice cream in front of the sea.
Precisely one of the greatest attractions of Zarautz is this relaxed and carefree atmosphere that surfing brings with it and that is breathed especially in summer in its old town of cobbled streets and full of terraces and taverns where it is an obligation to make a pilgrimage to its pintxo bars.
The Church of Santa Maria la Real , medieval lighthouse tower , the Museum of Cinema and Photography and his market , in the nineteenth-century building Narros Palace , are its main monumental attractions.
That is if we talk about buildings, because another of Zarautz's great heritage values are the dunes of the Iñurritza Biotope , which can be reached by walking along the boardwalk and which can be seen from a wooden platform about a kilometer long. Another nice walk from the center is that it ends at the Mollarri loading dock , a place where the ore extracted from the Asteasu mines was once stored, which has been recovered and whose exterior can be visited with information panels. The sunsets with the views of Zarautz and Getaria in the background are epic.
Crossing Pasaia by boat, as Victor Hugo did.
GOURMETS AND GRUMETS
just four kilometers from the center of San Sebastian and 15 from Hendaye, in France, Pasaia was for centuries the main whaling port in Europe, from which the great Basque expeditions to Newfoundland set sail.
The seafaring tradition merges with gastronomy around a beautiful bay with wonderful views. Just one street. Enough to fall in love Victor Hugo , who passed through here in 1843 (his museum is still preserved) and mentioned this beautiful port in his book Los Pirineos. Enough to house some of the great fish temples in the Basque Country.
The landscape of Paisaia, reminiscent of a fjord.
Like the French writer, visitors to Pasaia continue to be fascinated by the beauty of its natural landscape, reminiscent of a fjord. Now they can also somehow travel to the past and dive into their navigating past thanks to the Albaola Basque Maritime Factory , a fascinating shipyard-museum located in Pasajes San Pedro, where you can see live the artisanal construction of a full-scale replica of the San Juan whaler, a Basque galleon from the 16th century. XVI who was shipwrecked in Canada.
Albaola, the Basque Maritime Factory.
It is not just about observing, Albaola is a space as innovative as interactive , which houses the international riverside carpentry school, the navigation school, the ship modeling workshop, the cabin boy's corner and the Auzolan volunteer group, and which has an interesting performing arts program in its theater of the sea.
A few meters away is the Ship- Mater Ecoactive Museum , a bonitera that can be visited that offers activities such as going fishing with expert arrantzales to continue "soaking up", literally, the Cantabrian Sea.
In Albaola, learning about the Basque maritime culture.
HONDARRIBIA, THE DESIRED
At the other side of Mount Jaizkibel , at the mouth of the Bidasoa River and opposite France, is Hondarribia , another fishing village, coquettish and refreshing, where it is just as delicious to walk, go out to eat and go to soak in the beach.
Hodarribia was a strategic border enclave that for centuries was an object of desire for some and others. Its great military tradition is evident in its historic helmet , which still preserves the cobbled streets and the best preserved wall in Gipuzkoa, and invites you to visit without haste. The walk begins in the monumental Santa Maria Gate , with the coat of arms of the city, and continues along the main Street , full of small local shops, taverns, the City hall and the Gothic Church of Saint Mary of the Assumption and the Apple Tree . The Main Square is another of the must-sees, with its lively terraces, where you can also find the Hostel , located in the Palace of Carlos V.
The Marina neighborhood in Hondarribia
Leaving the walled area, you reach the Navy neighborhood , the old fishing district known as "Portu Auzoa". It is the typical photo of Hondarribia, with its little houses painted in the same colors as the boats and decorated with pots of eternal geraniums.
Calle San Pedro is "the Broadway" of Hondarribia, where everything happens, especially during the summer months when activity multiplies. There are the most renowned pintxo bars, the txakoli joints are raised to toast, concerts and representations of typical Basque sports take place.
Everyday scenes in Hondarribia.
To enjoy the nature of Hondarribia, all you have to do is go down to the beach. You also have to go on a tour Mount Jaizkibel , to visit the Higuer lighthouse , follow the Talaia trail and go up to the Sanctuary of the Virgin of Guadalupe , Patron saint of the city.
There is no need to carry your wallet, just enjoy an impressive view of the bay and fill your lungs with the sea breeze, a privilege as simple as it is elevated that will accompany the entire trip on this journey through four of the most beautiful towns on the Gipuzkoa coast.
Cantabrian waters.