Getaria old town and the church of San Salvador

Getaria's old town is a few parallel streets that run down from the Calle Mayor (Kale Nagusia) to the harbour, crossed by narrow alleys. At the end is the Gothic church of San Salvador, built on a slope, and beneath it runs a passage leading to the harbour. There are the grill restaurants, with their grills out in the street. The tourist office, at Kale Nagusia 38, runs guided visits on the town's heritage and gastronomy.

What to see in the old town

Start at the top, on Calle Mayor. House number 16, for example, was rebuilt in 1842 after the Carlist siege of 1835, and on the parallel streets towers and houses of the seafaring and fishing families are still standing: the Aldamar tower, that of Miguel de Necolalde, the Campos one or the Asuenekoa house, a medieval tower with narrow windows like arrow slits. The street of the medieval palaces was called Torracalea, "street of the Towers". On Calle Aldamar is the birthplace of Cristóbal Balenciaga, a fishermen's house from the late 19th century.

The church of San Salvador is the building that draws most attention. Getaria Turismo presents it as a Gothic church of markedly defensive character, declared an Asset of Cultural Interest, with an imposing nave. Beneath the high altar is the chapel of the Piedad, a crypt with a 16th-century image of the Virgin. Under the church runs the Katrapona passage, a medieval way linking Calle Mayor with the harbour that was part of the town's defences.

The wall and the harbour

Getaria was a walled town. From the sea front, built in the first quarter of the 17th century, the French landing in the battle of Getaria, on 23 August 1638, was repulsed. What remains is the Tronpape gate, towards the sea, built from 1567 under Philip II, and the bastion that supports the staircase to the harbour, where the Elkano monument was installed in 1922. From Plaza Katrapona the staircase goes down to the quays.

The old quay was begun in the mid-15th century: in 1452 King John II gave Getaria the right to charge harbour dues. The harbour grew from 1919 and Monte San Antón, the Ratón, gives it natural shelter. It is still a fishing port, and at midday it smells of charcoal.

Guided visit and tips

The tourist office runs the Elkanoren Getaria visit, through the old town and the town in the days of the first circumnavigation of the world. It costs €5, €3.50 for under-12s and for groups of more than 10. It starts at 10:00 on the dates in its calendar, in Basque or Spanish, and must be booked 24 hours ahead, with a minimum of four people, on 943 140 957. The office itself warns that the route is not fully accessible because of the slopes and gradients.

Without a guide, an hour is enough to go up and down the streets and look out over the harbour. Afterwards, go up the Ratón de Getaria or go into the Balenciaga museum. For lunch at the harbour, Elkano or Kaia Kaipe, with a booking at weekends.