The Basque Coast
The Basque Coast is bathed by a rough, yet not treacherous, sea with a great diversity of seabeds and dotted with beaches, charming harbors, bays, and mouths of spectacular estuaries – many of which are protected because of their environmental value and beautiful landscape.
If you want to have the experience of sailing, take an unforgettable dip, or see the sunset from the sea, many companies offer trips that last several hours or a day in length. For whale lovers, fishing enthusiasts, and surfers in search of the perfect wave, specific trips are available to the best places. with boats and catamarans that seat 12, 40, and up to 120 passengers, a dozen companies offer guided tours around the most beautiful sites: the Estuary of Bilbao, San Juan de Gaztelugatxe, Urdaibai, the Geopark, San Sebastián, and the Bay of Txingudi.
Those who want to enjoy a different vacation can rent a sailboat or a boat with a motor like a yacht, doing so without chartering a skipper if they have the qualifications necessary,
and with a skipper if they are not trained or wish to leave the voyage in the hands of a person who knows about the coast and its hidden coves.
The Basque Coast’s network of museums, made up of 42 institutions of great importance, invites visitors to get to know the diverse heritage of the coastline by discovering gems such as Albaola, the factory where replicas of historical boats are built, and Itsasmuseum, the Basque maritime museum in Bilbao. Additionally, 17 ports of the Basque Country, Cantabria, Asturias, and Galicia are adhered to the Navega el Camino (Sail the Way) project, which invites visitors to travel the Northern Way of Saint James by sea. The Basque ports where the navigation credential for the Compostela can be stamped are Hondarribia, San Sebastián, Orio, Getaria, Mutriku, Bermeo, Santurtzi, and El Abra Getxo.
In addition to sailing, the coast can be enjoyed by surfing (through surf camps, courses, and surfing charts), as well as with standup paddleboarding, by kayak or in a traditional rowboat, by partaking in coasteering (which combines trekking next to the sea with stretches of swimming, climbing, and abseiling), on a jet-ski, or by scuba diving to discover the different ecosystems along the 200 kilometers of Basque Coast, home to a variety of flora and fauna.