natural wonder
Flysch Cliffs of Zumaia
Stunning layered geological formations along the Basque coast that expose 60 million years of Earth's history in dramatic tilted rock strata.
16 km · about 30 min drive
EuropeSpainBasque Country
Elgoibar
Basque Country, Spain · Europe
About Elgoibar
Elgoibar works well as a base: 10 minutes from Mendaro, 16km from Flysch Cliffs of Zumaia.
Elgoibar is in Basque Country, Spain, with about 11,000 people. You drive on the right here. The nearest town is Mendaro, about 5 km away.
Elgoibar (Spanish: Elgóibar) is an industrial town located in the province of Gipuzkoa, in the Autonomous Community of the Basque Country, northern Spain.
Located in a valley, it is traversed by the Deba river.
Elgoibar is nicknamed the "capital city of the Machine tool".
Originally the town was called Villamayor deRead more
Marquina, but it had been founded in a place called before Elgoibar field. The town came to be known by this name a few centuries of its foundation. Until the mid-15th century it appears in the documentation as Villamayor de Marquina, but in the statutes of the Brotherhood of Gipuzkoa of 1457 and 1463 years appears with the Elgoibar name and it has prevailed until today.
Elgoibar name has been used in Spanish and in Basque in order to refer to the small town. The only difference is that in Spanish the name Elgoibar has an accent mark above its "o".
Elgoibar etymologically comes from the Basque language and is possibly composed of the word elge (meaning "field", usually cultivated), and iba - a word which means "valley" or "plain". Therefore, "elge ibar" would be a similar term to "vega" or "a cultivated field". This etymology would fit quite well with the mention of Elgoibar field that appears in the settlement charter of the town.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is there to see near Elgoibar?
Within an hour or so of Elgoibar: Flysch Cliffs of Zumaia (16 km), Asador Etxebarri (19 km), Getaria (20 km), Playa de Laga (29 km).
Are there any good drives near Elgoibar?
The nearest famous roads are Corniche Basque and Puerto de Ibañeta.
Where is Elgoibar?
Elgoibar is in Basque Country, Spain, about 5 km from Mendaro.
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Quick Information
- Population
- 11,220
- Continent
- Europe
- Country
- Spain
- Region
- Basque Country
- Timezone
- Europe/Madrid
- Coordinates
- 43.2160, -2.4133
Emergency & Services
Essential numbers in Spain
Guardia Civil (traffic police): 062. Two warning triangles required in vehicles.
Full driving guide for SpainTags
Worth the detour from Elgoibar
8 notable places within an hour's drive.
restaurant
Asador Etxebarri
Bittor Arginzoniz's grill house on the square of tiny Axpe, where everything from caviar to butter is cooked over bespoke wood fires: perennially ranked among the world's very best restaurants. Book months ahead; the valley drive alone rewards.
19 km · about 20 min drive
landmark
Getaria
A salty fishing village clinging to a mouse-shaped headland, birthplace of Juan Sebastian Elcano and famed for txakoli wine and grilled turbot.
20 km · about 25 min drive
beach
Playa de Laga
A golden sweep of sand below the green pyramid of Cabo Ogono in the Urdaibai Biosphere Reserve, a favourite of Basque surfers.
29 km · about 35 min drive
scenic viewpoint
Monte Igueldo
A vintage funicular hauls you to a hilltop viewpoint and amusement park with the postcard panorama over San Sebastian's Concha bay.
35 km · about 40 min drive
landmark
Peine del Viento
Eduardo Chillida's iron sculptures bolted into the rocks where waves explode through blowholes mark the wild western end of San Sebastian's bay.
35 km · about 40 min drive
beach
La Concha Beach, San Sebastian
A perfect crescent of golden sand framed by green hills, widely regarded as one of the finest city beaches in Europe.
36 km · about 40 min drive
landmark
San Juan de Gaztelugatxe
A hermitage perched on a tiny tidal islet connected to the mainland by a dramatic stone bridge with 241 steps, made famous as Dragonstone in Game of Thrones.
40 km · about 45 min drive
Driving roads near Elgoibar
- 35 kmMonte IgueldoA vintage funicular hauls you to a hilltop viewpoint and amusement park with the postcard panorama over San Sebastian's Concha bay.
- 50 kmVizcaya Bridge (Puente Colgante)The world's oldest transporter bridge, a UNESCO iron giant that ferries cars and people across the Nervion estuary in a hanging gondola.
- 58 kmCorniche BasqueThe wild clifftop D912 between Saint-Jean-de-Luz and Hendaye, running above tilted flysch rock strata with open views across the Bay of Biscay to the Spanish coast.
- 64 kmLa RhuneA 905 m Basque summit on the Spanish border, climbed by a wooden cog train for sweeping coast-to-Pyrenees views.
- 78 kmPuente la ReinaAn elegant Romanesque pilgrim bridge arching over the Arga, where the two main Camino routes merge into one path to Santiago.
Driving in Spain
- Drives on
- the right
- Petrol
- ~€1.55/litre
- Motorway tolls
- ~€4.00/100km
When to drive here
April to October
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