Where the Atlantic meets the mountains
The flysch: 60 million years of geology on display
Between Deba and Zumaia, the coastline exposes a geological sequence that spans 60 million years. The rock layers at Sakoneta beach, reachable only on foot, tilt almost vertically out of the sea. At low tide in Zumaia, you can walk across the K-Pg boundary, the thin dark line that marks the asteroid impact that ended the dinosaurs. Only three places on Earth show this boundary so clearly. The Algorri Interpretation Centre beside the harbour explains what you are looking at, but the real classroom is the shoreline itself.
Fishing ports that still fish
Getaria smells of charcoal and grilled turbot from the harbour. The town where Elkano was born keeps its waterfront asadores firing through lunch and dinner. Hondarribia, at the mouth of the Bidasoa, has a walled old quarter with painted wooden balconies that look across to France. In Bizkaia, Lekeitio pairs a town beach with a working fishing fleet. Bermeo runs the largest inshore fleet on the Cantabrian coast, landing anchovy and albacore by the tonne each season. Mundaka, sitting at the edge of the Urdaibai biosphere reserve, has fewer than 2,000 residents but a reputation that reaches far beyond its size.
Coastal cooking beyond the pintxo
Salt cod alone has a dozen preparations here: pil-pil (emulsified in olive oil and garlic), Biscayan-style in red pepper sauce, or as kokotxas, the gelatinous throat cuts prized by local cooks. Txakoli, the slightly sparkling young white wine, is poured from height in the harbourside bars of Getaria and Zarautz. Whole fish goes on the grill over charcoal, served simply with nothing more than olive oil and a squeeze of lemon. In the private gastronomic societies of Hondarribia and Bermeo, members cook with whatever the boats brought in that morning, following recipes passed down through conversation rather than cookbooks.
Surf, swells and outdoor life
Mundaka produces one of the longest and most consistent left-hand breaks in Europe. The wave peels across the sandbar at the mouth of the Urdaibai estuary and draws professional surfers every autumn when Atlantic swells build. Zarautz has the longest beach in Gipuzkoa and surf schools at every level. Sopela, 20 minutes from Bilbao, offers reef breaks with fewer crowds. Beyond the water, the coastal stretch of the Camino de Santiago between Deba and Markina crosses cliff paths, farmsteads and holm oak forests with views that make the climb worthwhile.
Practical note: Drive the BI-3438 and GI-3440 coast roads rather than the motorway to connect villages along the shoreline. September offers the best balance of warm weather, smaller crowds and prime surf season. If you only have a day, the 15-kilometre stretch from Zumaia through Getaria to Zarautz packs in flysch geology, world-class grilled fish and a long sandy beach.