Located on the breathtaking Cantabrian Sea Coast, in the province of Guipuzkoa in the north of Spain, Zarautz is a popular resort town only 20 km away from the beautiful Donostia – San Sebastian city. With a population of about of 23,000 inhabitants, Zarautz is really a famous tourist destination of high quality in Spain for people who like enjoying its traditional cuisine and its excellent beach, as well as leisure activities and sports among others.
The old fishing village of Zarautz became a favorite destination for aristocracy and upper class people who chose Zarautz to enjoy the quiet beach during their holidays in the late 19th century. Nowadays, one of the most important economic sectors in Zarautz is really tourism. Therefore, Zarautz has focused on the preservation of its heritage cultural, its healthy lifestyle, its traditions and its natural surroundings so that Zarautz goes on being a tourist destination of the highest quality.
Gastronomy
Zarautz is known over all world for its delicious cuisine and its magnificent chefs who are used to cooking with the best and freshest ingredients. Moreover, the excellent food attracts not only local people, but also other visitors from other cities and countries. In fact, here tourists can find some of the most renowned restaurants and bars of Basque Country full of friendly people tasting the flavorful pintxos (a tiny haute cuisine) with the traditional txakoli (light white wine). If tourists visit the popular local market of Zarautz, they will certainly soak up the atmosphere of this town and understand its traditional gastronomy.
Beach and Sports
The Beach of Zarautz, which is one of the longest beaches in the Cantabrian Sea coast with more than 2,500 m long of fine golden sand and clear blue water, is other attraction for lovers of the outdoor activities, such as surfers who can enjoy the spectacular waves; golfers that can play golf in the Real Club of Golf of Zarautz which borders a part of the beach on the eastern area. Moreover the beach is also bordered by the lively promenade, the main meeting point of the town, where visitors can find a lot of excellent restaurants, bars, terraces, cafés, shops and have a lot of fun.
Visitors can also enjoy the outstanding natural landscape of Zarautz walking along its picturesque streets, taking a stroll about its peaceful surroundings as well as climbing its hills and mountains because there are facilities for most cultural and athletic activities. Besides, visitors can enjoy a breathtaking scenery if they decide to go to Getaria on foot bordering the Cantabrian sea coast. As for Getaria (Guetaria), it is a beautiful fishing village only 3 km away from Zarautz with medieval houses and the remarkable San Salvador’s church in Gothic style dating from 14th century. Both Zarautz and Getaria are connected by a spectacular promenade between the mountain and sea.
Zarautz can also offer tourists interesting buildings such as Santa María la Real’s Church built between the 15th and 16th centuries in Gothic style; the Zarautz Tower, which is the oldest building in Zarautz from the 15th century, is used for the Museum of Art and History and for the bell tower. Inside the church visitors can find several impressive Baroque altarpieces and the tomb of Lopez Martinez de Zarautz from 15th century; the four storey-Luzea Tower was built in the 15th century in Gothic style; the Narros Palace built in the mid 16th century in renaissance style with lovely gardens; the Portu House is a remarkable three-storey building from 16th century ( Town Hall headquarters); Franciscans’ Convent Church from early 17th century; Makatxa House among others.
If visitors wander through the streets and squares, they will come across impressive sculptures, other magnificent buildings and beautiful gardens and parks that are worth visiting.
Other places to visit in The Basque Country (País Vasco)
– San Sebastian (Donostia): Situated in the north of Spain on the Bay of Biscay coast, washed by the Cantabrian Sea, San Sebastian (or Donostia) also known as Perla del Cantábrico (the Cantabrian Sea Pearl) is renowned for its spectacular natural beauty.
– Bilbao: Bilbao is one of the main cities of the Basque Country, in the north of Spain. It has more than 700.000 inhabitants, counting the city and the metropolitan area. In this article we are going to tell you about what are the best places to visit in the city, and how to visit them on foot in a two-days weekend.
More places to see in The Basque Country.