Hondarribia

Hondarribia is definitely one of the most beautiful towns in the Basque Country and a real must-see! If you only choose to visit one village in the Basque Country, this is probably the one. Hondarribia is situated just at the French border. It’s a colorful fishing village that is both rich in architecture as well as in gastronomy. It’s a feast for the eyes and also for the stomach.

http://www.euskoguide.com/places-basque-country/spain/hondarribia-tourism/

The village has a history of more than 2.500 years during which it has suffered a lot of wars.  A testimony of that is the remains of the thick wall around the old part of the village.  In 1202  king Alfonso VIII of Castilla handed a letter to Hondarribia giving it status as a functional village.

Besides having an impressive gastronomy scene, Hondarribia also boasts a well-preserved old town, el casco Viejo, that is surrounded by a fortified wall, with the gates Santa María y San Nicolás, the only one to be found in Guipuzcoa province. The beauty of its narrow streets, the buildings and the shops is worth a visit.  Don’t miss the squares Plaza de Armas y Plaza de Gipuzkoa. In Plaza de Armas enter the fortress Palacio del emperador Carlos V. It is an impressing building from the 15th century which nowadays is converted into a hotel.  You can go inside and order a cup of coffee just so you can see the walls of the fortress that are about 6 feet thick.

In Calle Mayor, the main street in the old part, you’ll find the church, Parroquia Sta.  María de la Asunción y del Manzano, which architecture is a mixture of late gothic style and the renaissance and the church bell tower in barroc style.

The other area that must be visited while in Hondarribia is the Marina Neighborhood. This part is nowadays totally integrated in the village but before it used to be the typical neighbourhood of the fishermen.  Take a good look at the houses, painted in different colours and with lots of flowers on their balconies.  This is the absolute center of the village because of all the people that you’ll find doing their shopping or just socializing.

It is very pleasant to take a walk along the sea and the pier, El Espigón.  Out on the Espigón you have a beautiful view from Hondarribia to St. Jean de Luz and Biarritz in France.  And on the way back, if the weather is nice, maybe you’ll have time to stay at the beach until lunch.

You have all kind of pintxos in the bars and the restaurants.

It is possible to take the boat that leaves from «La Venta vieja» to go to Hendaye in France every 20 minutes and costs around 3€.  The beach in Hendaye is a wonderful walk. It is about 3 km long with cafeterias along the way.

Another alternative for spending the afternoon in Hondarribia could be to walk to the harbour, El puerto, and from there walk up to the watch tower on Jaizkibel and follow the roads to finally come back down in the village on the other side, stopping at the church Guadalupe.  That would be a walk for about 2 hours, following the normal roads.  It is a very nice walk with a beautiful site where you can see the Bay of Biscay on one side and the village on the other.

 How to get there

It is very easy to get to Hondarribia from San Sebastián.  You have buses (E21) that leave from Plaza de Guipúzcoa (in front of a store called Casa) every 60 min.  (from 10:00  to 21:45).

You can only buy a one way ride and tickets are sold on the bus. (you can use the Mugi card)

You should stay on the bus until the very last stop at the center of Hondarribia. It will take about 50 minutes to get there.