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A place to spend a day on Camino del Norte?

S

Shergrunde

New Member
Time of past OR future Camino
June 2023
We will hike the Northern Route from San Sebastian to Bilbao in June. We would like to stop for two nights someplace along the way. Is Deba or Markina a good place to relax for a day? Is there another town you would recommend ?
 
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Bilbao gives you the chance to visit the Bellas Artes and look at the outside of the Guggenheim, surely one of the most impressive buildings of the century, and just hang about this interesting (if expensive!) city. Deba and Markina are pleasant places for a few hours with a vermut artisanal.... but.... I would prefer to hang around Castro Urdiales by the harbour, or Zarautz for the beach. Santillana del Mar is a bit of a tourist trap, but is very attractive and its diocesan museum has a treasure trove of mediaeval and romanesque art-- you could easily spend a day there..
 
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Shergrunde said:
We will hike the Northern Route from San Sebastian to Bilbao in June. We would like to stop for two nights someplace along the way. Is Deba or Markina a good place to relax for a day? Is there another town you would recommend ?
Click to expand...

My girlfriend and I walked from Irun, intending to end by walking into Bilbao. From what i had heard the second half of the section from Gernika to Bilbao was un attractive development. We spent the night in Gernika. After a brief sightseeing tour in the am we concluded that Gernika, besides the history and the small town center, was unappealing due to the unaesthetic appeal of the ugly architecture post bombing.

We were interested in some beach time after the mountains of the previous days and I found the town of Mundaka directly north of Gernika on Google. We took the train 40 mins north to find a tiny charming town on the ocean with a beach and all sorts of activities for the water - SUP, surfing, great waves. We stayed 2 nights and took an easy direct bus the morning after our second night for a day and night in Bilbao before our flight the next day.

It all worked wonderfully.
 
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I dunno - I recommend walking and see what towns inspire you. The towns that most people recommend spending a free day in - were not my "cup of tea". I didn't enjoy the cities that much, but I loved the tiny villages along the sea. The cities were just too busy, and too touristy, too commercialized, and/or industrial in some cases. Took me out of the pilgrim mindset. I also found taking a combination of long and short days was better for me. I always had plenty of time to do the things I wanted to do.
 
I also agree with this. I am finding my most restful, peaceful times when I have a little extra time at a casa rural. Intxauspe landetxea in Markina is very lovely and has private rooms (while being in easy proximity to a town with cafes and groceries) as well as Agote Aundi in Askizu (though I don't know if you can book it for multiple nights or with private rooms. It is further from town and there are no buses to go back and forth but is relatively close to the coast via Getaria)
 
I also stayed at Intxauspe landetxea when I walked into Markina (as the pilgrim albergue was closed) and my girlfriend and I opted for a private room. It’s set on a hillside with beautiful views, has a lovely patio where the hospitaliera served us a wonderful abundant meal and the grounds were lovely. They also have shared hostel bunk rooms. I definitely recommend this for Markina accommodations.
 
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