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.
3 km · about 5 min drive
EuropeSpainBasque Country
Zarautz
Basque Country, Spain · Europe
About Zarautz
Zarautz works well as a base: 5 minutes from Orio, 7km from Flysch Cliffs of Zumaia.
Zarautz is in Basque Country, Spain, with about 23,000 people. You drive on the right here. The nearest town is Orio, about 4 km away.
Zarautz (Basque: [s̻aɾaut͡s̻] , Spanish: Zarauz) is a coastal town located in central Gipuzkoa, Basque Country, in Spain. It is bordered by Aia to the east and the south and Getaria to the west, located about 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) west of Donostia/San Sebastián. It has four enclaves limiting the aforementionedRead more
municipalities: Alkortiaga, Ekano, Sola, and Arbestain. As of 2014, Zarautz has a population of 22,890, which usually swells to about 60,000 in the summer.
The Palace of Narros, located adjacent to Zarautz's 2.8 km (1.7 mi) long beach, is where Queen Isabella II and Fabiola of Belgium once spent their summer holidays. The beach is known for being the longest in the Basque Country and one of longest of the Cantabrian cornice.
The Mayor of Zarautz since 2015 has been Xabier Txurruka (Basque Nationalist Party).
Where to Stay in Zarautz
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is there to see near Zarautz?
Within an hour or so of Zarautz: Getaria (3 km), Flysch Cliffs of Zumaia (7 km), Monte Igueldo (14 km), Peine del Viento (14 km).
Are there any good drives near Zarautz?
The nearest famous roads are Corniche Basque, Puerto de Ibañeta and Puerto de Somport.
Where is Zarautz?
Zarautz is in Basque Country, Spain, about 4 km from Orio.
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Quick Information
- Population
- 22,627
- Continent
- Europe
- Country
- Spain
- Region
- Basque Country
- Timezone
- Europe/Madrid
- Coordinates
- 43.2844, -2.1699
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 Zarautz
8 notable places within an hour's drive.
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.
7 km · about 15 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.
14 km · about 25 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.
14 km · about 25 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.
15 km · about 30 min drive
landmark
Hondarribia Old Town
A walled medieval fishing town on the French border with a castle keep and the rainbow-balconied La Marina quarter perfect for pintxos.
32 km · about 35 min drive
coastal drive
Corniche Basque
The 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.
37 km · about 45 min 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.
40 km · about 45 min drive
Driving roads near Zarautz
- Right hereMonte IgueldoA vintage funicular hauls you to a hilltop viewpoint and amusement park with the postcard panorama over San Sebastian's Concha bay.
- 37 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.
- 43 kmLa RhuneA 905 m Basque summit on the Spanish border, climbed by a wooden cog train for sweeping coast-to-Pyrenees views.
- 69 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.
- 74 kmPuente la ReinaAn elegant Romanesque pilgrim bridge arching over the Arga, where the two main Camino routes merge into one path to Santiago.
- 75 kmPuerto de IbañetaThe Roncevaux Pass of legend, where Roland fell in 778: a 1,057 m Pyrenean crossing above Roncesvalles on the classic Camino Francés route into Spain.
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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