Deba, what to see and do.

Deba, what to see and do in one of the most charismatic municipalities of Gipuzkoa.

Deba, one of the coastal towns of the region of Debabarrena, offers a good number of places to see and enjoy. Spaces of great value, that we recommend you to visit in every visit to Euskadi. This municipality encourages us to know Geoparkea, the geopark of the Basque coast. An impressive space where you will enjoy cliffs and wild coves. Deba is surrounded by small mountains, which, along with its beach and cliffs attract thousands of travelers throughout the year. Deba is part of one of the most striking stretches of the Basque coast. A place of great beauty, in which geology plays an essential role. Would you like to discover what to see in Deba with us? Stay tuned! Remember that we offer guided tours for groups throughout the year. Do not hesitate to to contact us.

What to see in Deba.

As we have already mentioned, Deba offers a good number of places to see and enjoy. A list, among which we find such emblematic spaces as the church of Santa Maria, the valley of Lastur or the Geoparkea itself. We hope you like them. If you are looking for what to see in Deba, we recommend that you read carefully each of the sections we mention. Remember that although these are the most important places in Deba, there are many more. If you want to extend your visit, we recommend you to visit Lapari beach, Sakoneta beach, Santa Catalina hermitage, Ekain, Casa Bañez, Aldazabal Murguia house, Sasiola convent or the coves of Mendata and Aitzuri.

Santiago beach: Santiago beach, the main beach of Deba, has a length of 400 meters and a total area of about 70,000 m². This fine sandy beach is perfect for families and people who want to practice water sports such as surfing.

Promenade: The promenade runs along almost the entire stretch of coastline of Deba offering a family walk of great beauty. A route that helps us to know some of the most important attractions of the town.

Church of Santa Maria: This Basque temple is one of the jewels of the religious architecture of Euskadi. A church of large dimensions, which, although outside the walls may seem austere, inside it has spaces of great wealth. We were very surprised.

Casacampo marshes: The Casacampo marshes are located in the interior of the Deba estuary. A natural area that you can walk through until you reach the Artzabal wetland. It is curious how the landscape of this ecosystem varies depending on the tides. In any case, it is a little known place in Deba, a corner that we recommend you to visit.

Lastur Valley: Lastur is one of the most unknown destinations in Euskadi. A corner of great natural beauty, where time seems to stand still. A valley, located in the interior of Deba, invites us to enjoy its mountains and history.

Palacio Aguirre: This 17th century palace represents one of the most important examples of civil architecture in the Basque Country. A fact, to which we must add the importance it had during the romantic movement by hosting great personalities such as Becquer or José Zorrilla. It is undoubtedly one of the most important buildings in Deba.

Sanctuary of Santa María de Itziar: Although the temple that we contemplate at the present time is the result of the reforms carried out during the XVI century, according to the documents found, the origins of this temple located at the top of Itziar go back to the VIII century. In its interior we find several elements to emphasize, on the one hand the image of the virgin, one of the oldest of Gipuzkoa, and on the other hand the altarpiece of the XVI century.

Deba Town Hall: The Deba Town Hall was designed in 1747 by Ignacio de Ibero. A structure located in the heart of Deba, in the historic center, which has several coats of arms scattered throughout its facades. But the coats of arms are not the only decorative motifs of this Basque town hall, its balcony and portico also attract the attention of all the people who decide to contemplate it.

Deba Bridge: The bridge that separates the towns of Mutriku and Deba was inaugurated in 1866 in order to connect both towns by road. It was then, when it was possible to connect the capitals of Bizkaia(Bilbao) and Gipuzkoa(Donostia San Sebastian) by the coastal road.

Municipal market: The so-called covered walkway and market of Deba, a building built in 1910 by Manuel Echave Zalacain next to the main road of the town, was declared a Cultural Asset in 1995. A structure, which continues to attract the attention of all those who decide to visit Deba.

Geoparkea: The geopark of the Basque coast is one of the most impressive areas of our coast. A place that stands out for the large number of geological elements and their variety. A unique geological heritage in the world. The Basque Coast Geopark is made up of the municipalities of Zumaia, Deba and Mutriku.

Viewpoints of Deba: Along the coast we find different natural balconies that invite us to enjoy the sea, the cliffs and the charms of both. Spaces of great beauty from where you can enjoy breathtaking panoramic views.

Way of St. James: The Way of St. James has in Deba one of the strategic hostels of the coastal route. And it is that this establishment with capacity for 56 people offers a well-deserved rest to the pilgrims. This hostel is managed by the Asociación de Amigos de los Caminos a Santiago de Deba, in case you want to make use of its facilities you must request the keys at the Tourist Office, next to the church.

History of Deba.

Deba has been a town with a strong link to the sea since ancient times. In fact, before it was founded, the people who inhabited this stretch of the coast of Gipuzkoa already lived from the sea. This is attested to by the various archaeological remains from the Paleolithic period found in the caves of the municipality. The origin of Deba can be found in the Town Charter that Sancho IV granted to Iciar (Itziar) in 1294. In 1343, the inhabitants of Itziar decided to move to the coast to found “Monreal de Deva”, the original urban center. This urban center developed on the right bank of the Deba River, generating new businesses related to fishing, agriculture and industry. This is how the first forges and whale fishing vessels were created. During the 15th century, maritime trade between Castile and Europe offered prosperity to Deba, however, from the 19th century onwards, maritime trade went into clear decline in favor of tourism. Since then, Deba has been one of the most popular destinations on the Basque coast, a place where the cliffs, beaches and gastronomy are especially important.

How to get to Deba.

Deba is located 35 minutes from Bilbao, 25 minutes from Donostia San Sebastian and 60 minutes from Vitoria Gasteiz, which means that we can visit this Basque coastal town from any of the Basque capitals without losing much time in displacements. In any case, you should know that we can reach Deba both by private and public transport.

Where to park in Deba.

If you are looking for where to park in Deba, you should know that in high season it is a real odyssey. And is that the parking lots that we find along the beach and the estuary are filled with relative ease. A fact, which, coupled with the lack of parking in the town center makes us have to move to the outskirts to leave our vehicles. In case you find a place to park next to the beach, remember that Deba has OTA (Traffic and Parking Ordinance) so it is necessary to pay for parking our vehicles.

Where to eat in Deba.

Gastronomy is another of Deba’s strong points. This coastal town offers us the chance to enjoy authentic gastronomic temples such as Salegi, a restaurant located at the top of Itziar, in front of the church. In any case, whichever one you choose, we are sure you will like it. We personally love Salegi restaurant, it never fails. On the other hand, we remind you that every year, around the month of November, the gastronomic days of the region of Debabarrena are celebrated. An event, baptized as Tripontziak (gluttons in Basque), offers us the possibility of tasting some of the most emblematic dishes of the area at really competitive prices.

Festivities of Deba.

Deba has several days marked in red in the calendar, among all of them, the most important are those in which the festivities of the patron saint of Deba are celebrated, the festivities of San Roke (August 14 to 18). Of these festivities we must highlight the day of San Roke (August 16). In any case, we encourage you to enjoy the great festive atmosphere that is breathed in Deba during these days. In this section we should also mention other festivities such as the Urteberri Fair, the carnivals, the day of Debarra, Kopraixas, San Rokes, San Nikolases or the Euskal Jaia.

What to see near Deba.

The towns that border Deba perfectly complement the areas of the town that we have mentioned above. And the fact is that the towns mentioned below allow us to make a route by car along practically the entire coast of Gipuzkoa. A route that we are sure you will love.

What to do near Deba.

Deba and the different spaces that we find in its surroundings offer us to enjoy authentic and original experiences. If you want to know all the activities we offer, we encourage you to take a look at our reservation center. We are sure you will find experiences that will catch your attention.

Video of Deba.

As usual, we wanted to accompany the words and pictures of this article with a short video about what to see in Deba. We hope you like it. In case you are attracted to Euskadi, its nature, culture and history, we encourage you to subscribe to our YouTube channel to discover all the experiences and places we recommend in Euskal Herria.

As you have seen, Deba is one of those places on the Basque coast that is worth visiting. Remember that we offer guided tours for groups throughout the year, do not hesitate to contact us. If you have any questions about what to see in Deba, we encourage you to use the comment system below to let us know. We will try to respond as soon as possible. Ondo pasa!