Casa Victor Hugo, a haven of peace in Pasaia.

Visit the Victor Hugo house museum, the small and traditional space that inspired the French author.

The French writer Victor Hugo fell in love with the landscape formed by the bay of Pasaia, Mount Jaizkibel and Mount Ullia, 3 natural elements, which, together, form one of the most beautiful corners of our geography. It was in 1843 when this famous French author was seduced by the sea and the mountains that surround the streets of Pasai Donibane (Pasajes San Juan in Spanish), location, in which today we find the museum dedicated to his person. Protected by the same walls that once sheltered the writer, we find the pieces that make up the collection of the house museum Victor Hugo, do you know them?

Victor Hugo, captivated by the beauty of the surroundings, lived for a period of his life in one of the bridge houses in the town of Pasaia, in the province of Gipuzkoa. The structure chosen by the writer, a 17th century house with direct access to the bay and 3 floors high, saw the birth of the novel “The Pyrenees”, an interesting adventure story with illustrations by Victor Hugo himself.

Victor Hugo House: The 3 floors that make up the structure are accessible to anyone who wishes to contemplate the entire building. The first floor houses the tourist office of Pasaia, the second floor contains the permanent exhibition “Victor Hugo, trip to the memory” and the third floor houses the temporary exhibitions.

Tourist office of Pasaia: The tourist office of Pasaia is the ideal place to plan our stay in the Oarsoaldea region of Gipuzkoa. A space, in which to be able to discover projects of great cultural historical value as Mater and Albaola.

Permanent exhibition: The first exhibition of Victor Hugo dates back to 1902, year, from which year, elements linked to this French writer are collected, original elements found in the house where Victor Hugo stayed during his stay in Gipuzkoa. Currently, the permanent exhibition “Victor Hugo, a trip to the memory” recalls the writer’s stay in the house, remembering the Pasaia of the 19th century.

Temporary exhibition: The temporary exhibition houses cultural exhibitions by local artists in an attempt to promote Basque culture.

The house of Victor Hugo, even being a 3-storey house, is a small space, without great boasts, in which it is possible to contemplate the original space that inspired this French author during his adventure in Basque lands. The balconies, present in all the floors of the house, are a perfect option to contemplate the bay of Pasaia with the district of San Pedro and the fishing boats as background.

Audiovisuals and special effects: Although humble and brief, the Victor Hugo House Museum has audio, video and special effects that, together with the charm of the house itself, make this space in Gipuzkoa an obligatory stop in Pasai Donibane.

Work “The Pyrenees”: The journey that Victor Hugo made through the Basque Country was captured in his work “The Pyrenees”, a writing translated into several languages that has the French writer’s own illustrations and has reached many homes.

Location: As Victor Hugo himself said, his house is located in the “unique street that leads everywhere”, in the main street, in the heart of the district of Donibane (San Juan). Victor Hugo’s bridge house has a perfect location to get to know one of the most charming places in the Basque Country, Pasaia.

Pasaia, is a small fishing village dotted by industrialization and formed by the districts of San Juan (Donibane in Basque), San Pedro, Antxo and Trintxerpe. All of them have their charms, but if Pasaia is known for something, it is for the beauty of San Juan and San Pedro, 2 urban centers that still maintain the architecture of the past.

How to get there: On foot, by bicycle, by car, by boat… although you choose how to get to Pasai Donibane, we recommend the comfort of the car and the charm of the motorboat (boat that makes the route Pasai San Pedro-Pasai Donibane) to reach our destination, the house museum of Victor Hugo. To do so, we recommend leaving the car in either of the two districts that the motorboat joins (San Pedro or San Juan) and that have parking lots at the entrance to them.

Walking and cycling are two natural and healthy ways to reach our destination, but on vacation, we always have just enough time to visit everything we have planned, reason enough to recommend reaching Pasai Donibane by the means of transport we mentioned.

Duration: The duration of the visit to the house of Victor Hugo is about 30 minutes approximately. After the visit, we recommend enjoying the charms of the region in which it is located, the region of Oarsoaldea, for this, we recommend reading our article: What to see in Errenteria, Oiartzun and Pasaia.

Gastronomy: The culinary culture makes its presence felt in Pasai Donibane through the restaurants Casa Camara and Ziaboga, two great establishments that we highly recommend and that are very close to Casa Victor Hugo. If you want a recommendation, do not hesitate, the Ziaboga restaurant and its Fish & Chips are an unbeatable option, a luxury hamaiketako (11 o’clock lunch in Basque).

The Victor Hugo House Museum awaits you, a space full of history, a museum where you can travel back in time. Are you coming?