Bizkaia · Charming villages
The most beautiful villages in Bizkaia
Fishing villages clinging to the cliffs, a hermitage on an islet joined to the coast, the town that symbolises the Basque people and the Urdaibai reserve: the most beautiful villages in Bizkaia, less than an hour from Bilbao.
Updated 20 October 2026 · How we make our guides
Urdaibai
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SpainMundaka
The most famous left-hand wave in Europe and a quiet fishing village at the mouth of the estuary.
What to see in Mundaka -
SpainElantxobe
A fishing village clinging to a cliff, with streets so steep that the bus turns around on a turntable.
What to see in Elantxobe -
SpainLekeitio
A Gothic basilica, beaches on both sides and the island of San Nicolás, which you can walk to at low tide.
What to see in Lekeitio -
SpainGuernica
The Tree of Gernika, the Assembly House and the memory of the bombing that Picasso painted.
What to see in Guernica
Bermeo coast
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SpainBermeo
One of the great Basque fishing ports, with an old town and a fishermen's museum.
What to see in Bermeo -
SpainSan Juan de Gaztelugatxe
A hermitage on an islet joined to the coast by a stone bridge; it was Dragonstone in Game of Thrones.
What to see in San Juan de Gaztelugatxe
Next to Bilbao
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SpainGetxo
Stately houses and the Bizkaia Bridge, the oldest transporter bridge in the world.
What to see in Getxo
Frequently asked questions
What are the most beautiful villages in Bizkaia?
Lekeitio, Bermeo, Mundaka and Elantxobe on the coast, and Gernika, the town that symbolises the Basque people.
Do you need to book for San Juan de Gaztelugatxe?
In high season access must be booked in advance on the official website; out of season it is usually free to enter.
Can you see them on a day trip from Bilbao?
Yes: Gernika, Mundaka, Bermeo and San Juan de Gaztelugatxe combine well on a day trip.
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More travel ideas
- The most beautiful villages in the Basque Country
- Day trips and getaways from Bilbao
- Game of Thrones filming locations in Spain
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Reviewed 20 October 2026. Dates and seasonal warnings: the same data the Bagintravel app uses. Sources and method.
Cover photo: Jean Michel Etchecolonea (CC BY-SA 3.0), Wikimedia Commons.