# Sunday at Gaztelugatxe and Mundaka: steps above the sea and lunch facing Laida

You climb to San Juan de Gaztelugatxe before the crowds arrive, stroll round Mundaka, eat above the estuary and finish at the Casa de Juntas in Gernika. About 40 minutes from Bilbao.

Fuente: https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/basque-country/urdaibai/itineraries/sunday-at-gaztelugatxe-and-mundaka · Revisado: 2026-11-12

## El día
- 08:15 · Salida: 45 min by car (via Mungia and Bakio to Urizarreta, on the BI-3101)
- 09:00 · San Juan de Gaztelugatxe (1,200 m descent, bridge and 241 steps; return via Ermu. About 2 h 30)
  - 30 min by car
- 12:00 · Walk round Mundaka to Santa Katalina (from the harbour to Santa Katalina, 45 min)
  - Carry on on foot
- 13:30 · Portuondo restaurant (Restaurante Portuondo · Basque cooking over the estuary · €€€ · booking by phone) · Portuondo restaurant, €€€
  - 15 min by car
- 16:00 · Casa de Juntas and the Gernika Tree (free, with an appointment on the Juntas Generales website)
- 17:30 · Vuelta (via the BI-635 and the motorway; in Bilbao around 18:15)

San Juan de Gaztelugatxe is the hermitage on an islet off the Bermeo coast, joined to land by a stone bridge. You reach it on foot and climb 241 steps. It is the most visited place in Bizkaia, so the plan starts early: at nine the path is almost empty and the car parks have space. Afterwards you go down to Mundaka, eat facing Laida beach and close the day in Gernika, at the Casa de Juntas.

## The day, hour by hour

8:15 · Set off. From Bilbao, via Mungia and Bakio to the BI-3101. It is about forty minutes. At Urizarreta there are 22 free public spaces and a private paid car park below; at Lurgorri, 57 spaces a kilometre from the Ermu access. From 10:00 to 16:00 they fill up.

9:00 · Gaztelugatxe. You walk down 1,200 m on a path with very steep stretches, cross the bridge and climb the steps to the hermitage. You come back via Ermu, 1,600 m that are gentler. Allow about two and a half hours. On controlled-access days, which the Diputación de Bizkaia sets each year, you need a free ticket booked on their website; the rest of the year you enter freely. The hermitage is usually closed: the booking is for the walk.

12:00 · Mundaka. Half an hour by car. Park at the entrance to the village and go down to the harbour. The walk continues to the Santa Katalina peninsula, with the estuary bar in front of you and Laida on the other side.

13:30 · Lunch at the Portuondo. Traditional Basque cooking above the estuary, with Laida beach opposite. On Sundays it serves lunch from 13:30 to 15:30 and is closed Tuesday and Wednesday. Book by phone.

16:00 · Casa de Juntas in Gernika. Fifteen minutes up the estuary. The seat of the Bizkaia General Assembly has the tree stained-glass window and the oak beside the entrance. The visit is free, by prior appointment on the Juntas website, and opens in the afternoon from 16:00 to 18:00, until 19:00 from June to September.

17:30 · Head home. By the BI-635 towards Amorebieta and the motorway: in Bilbao around a quarter past six.

## If the plan changes

If the sea is rough or there is an orange alert, do not go down to Gaztelugatxe. With small children, the path is not for a pushchair: in summer swap the climb for Laida beach. If you want to see the islet from the water, Hegaluze leaves from Bermeo harbour on a one-hour trip to Gaztelugatxe via Cape Matxitxako, from €14, from March to October. If it rains, the Gernika Peace Museum is open on Sunday mornings.

## Cómo llegar

### By car
Via Mungia and Bakio to Gaztelugatxe, about 40 minutes from Bilbao. Then Mundaka, half an hour away, and Gernika, fifteen minutes.

### Without a car
In summer, the Bizkaibus A3517 goes direct from Bilbao to Gaztelugatxe. For Mundaka and Gernika, the Euskotren E4 train leaves Bilbao every half hour for most of the day. Combining all three without a car is hard: choose Gaztelugatxe or the estuary.

## Consejos

### Book the climb if required
Check the Diputación's controlled-access calendar before setting off. If you cannot go, cancel the ticket.

### Shoes with a good sole
The descent is very steep and the steps get wet with sea spray.

### Ask for the Casa de Juntas appointment
It is free, but without an appointment you may be left outside if there is a group or a plenary session.

## Cuándo no ir

24 June, 31 July, 29 and 31 August and 30 December: the Diputación asks people not to go to Gaztelugatxe on those local festival days.

## Preguntas frecuentes

### Do I have to book to climb Gaztelugatxe?
Only on the controlled-access days in the Diputación de Bizkaia's calendar. The booking is free and made on their website.

### How long does it take to climb to the hermitage?
About two and a half hours there and back, with the descent from Urizarreta, the bridge, the 241 steps and the return via Ermu.

### Can you go with children?
With children who walk well, from about eight. It is not a path for a pushchair.

### Is the Portuondo open on Sundays?
Yes, at midday, from 13:30 to 15:30. Closed Tuesday and Wednesday.

### How much does the plan cost?
Gaztelugatxe and the Casa de Juntas are free. Count on lunch and parking if you use the paid one.