43.37° N · 2.68° W
The Urdaibai Biosphere Reserve brings together Gernika, the Mundaka estuary and San Juan de Gaztelugatxe. You can see it in a long day; with two, you paddle down the estuary by canoe.
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What to do
Each plan says how long it takes, who it's for and whether you can book.
A hermitage on an islet joined to the coast by a stone bridge and 241 steps · about 2 h 30 · free, with booking on controlled-access days.
Seat of the Bizkaia General Assembly, with the tree stained-glass window and the oak beside the entrance · 45 min · free with advance booking.
The 1937 bombing and the culture of peace, in Plaza de los Fueros · 1 h 30 · €6.50, free for under-12s.
Itineraries
Days and weekends already planned out, with how to get between each stop and who to book with.
Plan the trip
Each choice narrows the next: the season shapes how best to travel, and how you travel decides where you stay and where you eat.
When to go
From May to September, with long days and the estuary navigable at any time of high tide. In July and August, Gaztelugatxe fills up: book and start early.
How you travel
Choose how you're travelling and we'll tell you where to stay, how to get around, where to eat and which services you'll need. We only show the ways of travelling that make sense here.
With a car you can combine Gernika, Mundaka and Gaztelugatxe in a day, and move from one bank of the estuary to the other without depending on the tide or the train timetable. The only delicate point is parking at Gaztelugatxe and in Mundaka in summer.
Urdaibai is one of the few corners of the coast that is easy to do without a car: the Euskotren train runs from Bilbao to Gernika, Mundaka and Bermeo, and in summer a direct bus goes to Gaztelugatxe. What is harder to reach is the east bank (Laida, the Bird Center).
Who you're with
A trip with a toddler is not the same as one with a teenager. Pick yours to see what works and what to bear in mind.
With children, Urdaibai works best on the east bank of the estuary: the Bird Center, Laida beach and a canoe trip with the tide. Gaztelugatxe is something else: steep, with no shade and no pushchairs.
For teenagers there is a physical challenge (the 241 steps of Gaztelugatxe, surfing), water and a visit that does not bore: the Peace Museum tells the story of the bombing of Gernika in a very direct way.
Where to stay
We show you what suits the way you travel.Change how you travel
Why we like it: A hotel in the harbour of Mundaka, with rooms onto the estuary, a café with a terrace and a private spa by the hour.
Why we like it: A three-star hotel with 40 rooms in the centre of Gernika, with free parking and a café; a practical base for the whole estuary.
Why we like it: Bungalows, mobile homes and glamping on a slope above the Mundaka estuary, with a pool in summer and two restaurants.
Services for this trip
Areas, for any way of travelling
| Area | Who it's for | Average night |
|---|---|---|
| Gernika | Casa de Juntas, Peace Museum, train | |
| Mundaka | Port, surf, boats on the estuary | |
| Bermeo and Bakio | Boats and access to Gaztelugatxe |
Where to eat
From set lunch menus to Michelin stars. We mark the price level and what to order at each place.
What to order: Mundaka or Bermeo fish over holm-oak embers, or grilled hake, with views of the estuary
What to order: the set lunch on weekdays, with bread and wine included
What to order: a grilled fish, such as the turbot or hake, or the chuleta to share
Map
The places to stay and services on the map are the ones for the way you travel. Turn on the layers you want and tap a point to see its details.
Nearby
The closest places, whichever country they are in.
43.29° N · 2.19° W
By carCar-free
43.44° N · 3.46° W
By car
43.37° N · 1.79° W
By carCar-free
43.39° N · 1.66° W
By carCar-freeLuxuryCampingBy campervanBy plane
Tips
You arrive with the car park free and go down before the heat. The reservation is valid from ten minutes before the chosen time.
The E4 links the two in a few minutes and saves you looking for a space in Mundaka.
The canoes and boats will give you the time depending on that day's tide.
Urdaibai is the basin of the River Oka, which opens into a wide estuary between Gernika and the sea, and has been a Biosphere Reserve since 1984. In practice, for visitors, it is three stops that fit into one day: Gernika, with the Casa de Juntas, the tree and the Peace Museum; Mundaka, the port at the mouth of the estuary, with its surf wave and boats; and San Juan de Gaztelugatxe, the hermitage on an islet reached by 241 steps. In between are Laida beach, the marshes and the Urdaibai Bird Center, for birdwatching.
From Bilbao it is about 35 km to Gernika: allow 35 to 45 minutes by car along the BI-631 and the BI-635, depending on where you set out from. Mundaka is 12 km further north, following the estuary along the west bank, and Bermeo, 3 km after that. For Gaztelugatxe you go up from Bermeo along the BI-3101 towards Bakio.
From San Sebastián you take the AP-8 towards Bilbao and exit for Gernika: a little over an hour (estimated). From Vitoria-Gasteiz, about an hour along the AP-1 and the N-634 or via Durango. From Pamplona, allow almost two hours along the A-15 and the AP-8. From Santander, a good hour and a half along the A-8 to Bilbao and then towards Gernika. These are approximate times: in summer, the approach to Bilbao and the coast road get busy at weekends.
Without a car it can also be done. Euskotren has the E4 Bilbao–Bermeo line, which stops at Gernika and Mundaka; according to its timetable, it leaves every 30 minutes for most of the day. To Gaztelugatxe, in summer Bizkaibus runs the direct A3517 line from Bilbao; the rest of the year you have to take a bus to Bakio or Bermeo and continue on the A3524 minibus, which only takes cash.
In Gernika there is parking in the centre and around the Casa de Juntas; everything is done on foot from there. In Mundaka the old town is small with narrow streets: leave the car at the entrance to the village and walk down to the port. In summer it is the spot that fills up first.
At Gaztelugatxe, the Provincial Council warns that the car parks fill up, especially from 10:00 to 16:00. Next to the Urizarreta entrance there are 22 free public spaces and, below, a private paid car park; at Lurgorri, near the Ermu access, another 57. A gantry limits the height to 2 m, so motorhomes cannot enter: they have to stay in the areas at Bakio or Bermeo. If you arrive late, park in Bakio and walk about 2 km along the coastal path to Urizarreta.
On controlled-access days you need a free ticket, booked on the Provincial Council website (reservagaztelugatxe.bizkaia.eus) and printed or on your phone; on other days you enter freely. Which days they are is set by an annual calendar published by the Provincial Council: check it before you go. Capacity is 1,462 people a day. The Provincial Council asks people not to go on 24 June, 31 July, 29 and 31 August or 30 December, which are reserved for local festivals.
The entrance path, from Urizarreta, is 1,200 m with gradients of 35%; the return, via Ermu, is 1,600 m with 15%. Then come the 241 steps of the islet. The full visit takes about two and a half hours, and is not recommended with a baby buggy or if you have difficulty walking: in that case, stay at the Ermu viewpoint.
One day covers Gernika in the morning, lunch in Mundaka or Bermeo and Gaztelugatxe in the afternoon, or the other way round if your reservation is early. Two days allow you to paddle down the estuary by canoe with the tide, take a surf lesson in Mundaka or a boat from Bermeo, and spend the morning at the Urdaibai Bird Center. If you are with children, the Bird Center and Laida beach are enough for a whole morning.
From May to September the weather is good and all the boats and companies on the estuary are working; in July and August there are more people and it is best to book everything. Spring and autumn are good for birds and for Gaztelugatxe with shorter queues. In winter the Bird Center is open only at weekends and the Peace Museum closes from 1 to 26 January; in bad weather, the Provincial Council advises against going up to the hermitage on an orange alert.
The estuary rules everything done on the water: at low tide you cannot sail, so the canoes and boats at Mundaka set the time each day according to the tide table.
Questions
No. The ticket is free and only needs to be booked on the controlled-access days marked on the Provincial Council's calendar.
241, after a very steep 1,200 m path from Urizarreta. Allow about two and a half hours.
Yes, free, but by prior appointment. It is open every day from 10:00 to 14:00 and from 16:00 to 18:00, until 19:00 from June to September, except when there is a plenary session.
Yes. Euskotren E4 runs from Bilbao to Gernika, Mundaka and Bermeo, and in summer Bizkaibus A3517 goes direct to Gaztelugatxe.
Laida Kanoak runs the descent from Gautegiz Arteaga to Laida beach, 2 to 3 hours, with the time set according to the tide.
Not to its car parks: a gantry limits the height to 2 m. Use the areas at Bakio or Bermeo.
Geocaliahttps://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/basque-country/urdaibai
