Agurain Salvatierra, what to see and do.

Agurain Salvatierra, one of the most beautiful villages of the Llanada Alavesa.

Agurain or Salbaterra in Basque, officially Agurain Salvatierra, is a town located in the Llanada Alavesa. A small urban center, which invites us to enjoy one of the most beautiful walled complexes of Araba and Euskadi. Walking through its streets and walls takes us back in time thanks to the good state of preservation of its architectural heritage. This is how this town tells its own history through its buildings.Although it only has 3 main streets: Mayor (where the most important buildings are located), Carnicería (where the butcher shops were located) and Zapatari (where the shoe shops were located), there are so many historical buildings that in 1975 it was declared a Historic Site. Do you want to discover what to see in Agurain Salvatierra with us? Pay attention because you are going to love it.

The structure of the historic center of Agurain Salvatierra follows the design of many other villages of the same style. In this sense, the 3 parallel and arcaded streets, the 2 churches located at both ends and the palaces and manor houses that we find in this urban center, reminds us a lot of towns like Laguardia, capital of Rioja Alavesa. Another of the great spaces of the province of Araba.

What to see in Agurain Salvatierra.

Although the urban nucleus of Agurain Salvatierra is not of great dimensions, in its interior we find a good number of buildings to see and to discover. Spaces that we detail below. We hope this section will be of help to plan your trip to Agurain Salvatierra.

Church of Santa MariaThe church of Santa Maria is located in the north, next to the ancient gate of the same name. But it is not just any church, because this structure is not only a temple, it is also a fortress. A building built between the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries on a previous temple that came to form part of the walls of the town.

Church of San Juan BautistaThis church located in the San Juan square, next to the door Portal del Rey, was built between the XV and XVI centuries after the great fire of 1564. A historical fact, that in addition to raze the previous church, also ended with the rest of the buildings of Agurain Salvatierra.

Begoña HouseThis house built between the XVI and XVII centuries is one of the most emblematic and important buildings that we find in Agurain. Located in the main street, near the Plaza San Juan, its facade attracts the attention of the people who walk by it. It is not surprising, its 2 balconies, its coat of arms and its curious design make us automatically stop to contemplate it.

Convent of the Poor Clare MothersThe Poor Clare Mothers have been in Agurain for more than 400 years. Nowadays, they are known for their handmade sweets. Products that they themselves make and sell in the convent.

House of the widowsThis 14th century building is one of the few that resisted (in part) the great fire. Experts believe that it may have originally been a defense tower that was later reused. In fact, it has the honorary title of oldest civil building in Agurain Salvatierra.

Azkarraga HouseThe 4 balconies and the 2 coats of arms that we find on its main façade help us to get an idea of the importance of this building. As you can see, it shares characteristics with the Begoña House, a clear example of this is the balcony located in one of its corners. It is worth contemplating each of the details that we find along the entire facade of this house of the sixteenth century.

Bustamante HouseThis 16th century building located at number 32 Zapatari Kalea Street has the coat of arms of the Zumalburu and Vicuña families. It was ordered to be built by Juan de Zumalburu and his wife, Maria Sáez de Vicuña in 1580.

Olbeas of San JuanThe arcades that we find in the historical helmet of Agurain Salvatierra are denominated Olbeas. It seems that many scholars attribute the origin of this word to the Basque language. Of course, there are several theories about it. In any case, in Agurain we find the Olbeas of San Juan and Santa Maria. Apparently, as in many other Basque towns, these arcades were created to host the weekly market that has been held in Agurain since 1.256.

Hermitage of San MartinIf you are looking for the hermitage of San Martin de Agurain Salvatierra you will hardly find it, because it is located inside the present town hall. This religious temple is the oldest religious building in the town (XII or XIII century).

OpakuaThe mountains of the Entzia range merge with the Urbasa range in Navarre to give us an incredible natural space. From Agurain, we must take the road that takes us to the Opakua pass to ascend to the more than 1,000 meters of altitude of the plateau. We are in an area of pastures surrounded by bushes and forests. Enjoy.

WallsThe walls of Agurain Salvatierra surrounded practically in its entirety the urban nucleus. A defensive structure of almost 2 kilometers long, which today continue to limit the old town center.

GatesThe walled town of Agurain communicated with the outside thanks to its 7 gates. The most important were the Santa María gate in the north and the Portal del Rey (King’s Gate) in the south. Here are the rest of the gates or accesses: Portal de la Madura, la Puerta de la Carnicería (Portalico), Portal de Arramel (Portal Chiquito), Ula gate and the gate of San Sebastian (Andraiturri).

Dolmen of SorginetxeSorginetxe dolmen: This dolmen located in Arrizala (about 5 minutes drive from the center of Agurain), was discovered in 1831 and excavated in 1890. This funerary monument built in 2500 BC is one of the best preserved dolmens in the Basque Country.

Alavesa CeramicsThe Sociedad Cerámica Alavesa was created in 1912 in Agurain Salvatierra by Dimas Ugarte Merino, Vidal Sanz Echevarria and a group of friends and relatives. A fact, which today is remembered by means of different works made with tiles. A small open-air museum that we find in the vicinity of the Convent of the Poor Clare Mothers and the church of San Juan.

Although these are the most important and emblematic spaces and buildings of Agurain, they are not the only ones. If you want to know in depth this town we recommend you to visit other places like the house of the tithe, the house of Juan Nicolás López de Luzuriaga, the House of Martin Ruiz de Luzuriaga, the House of Ocáriz or the House of Santa Cruz.

Video of Agurain Salvatierra.

As usual in all our articles, we have created a short video to show you as real as possible what awaits you in this idyllic corner of Euskadi. We hope it will be helpful when planning your trip. In case you like this kind of videos we recommend you to subscribe to our YouTube channel to discover each of the places and experiences that we recommend in Euskal Herria. We are waiting for you!

Where to sleep in Agurain Salvatierra.

If you are looking for a place to stay in Agurain and its surroundings, we recommend you to consider the possibility of booking a room in the Legaire Etxea rural house. An establishment located in Ibarguren that has a garden and terrace. A quiet accommodation, with good price that you can book directly from our reservation center, from here.

How to get there.

If you are looking for how to get to Agurain, we recommend you to read this section carefully. Although Agurain can be reached both by private and public transport, there are pros and cons to choose one type or the other. In this case, if you are planning to enjoy the natural landscapes that surround Agurain, if you are planning to visit places like the dolmen of Sorginetxe or the port of Opakua, the best option is to use private transport.

Where to park.

If you finally decide to use private transport to get to Agurain Salvatierra, we recommend that you pay attention to where you park your car. And is that the medieval quarter of the town has strong restrictions when it comes to driving and parking. You can only access and park during certain hours and under certain circumstances. Do not worry, just a few meters outside the historic center, there are several parking lots where you can park your car.

Guided tours in Agurain Salvatierra.

If you are planning to travel to Agurain in a group and want to enjoy a guided tour through the streets and squares of the town, you should know that there is the possibility of a private tour to learn about its history while visiting some of its most important places. For this, a tour of the town hall, the Plaza de San Juan, the Jewish quarter, the medieval walls, the main streets, the church of Santa Maria and the house of the widows. A guided tour of 1 hour and 30 minutes that we are sure you will love. We recommend you to use our contact form to make a reservation or ask any questions you may have.

Frequently asked questions about Agurain Salvatierra.

We have compiled some of the questions you send us about Agurain so that you can discover all the answers. In case you have more questions do not hesitate to use the comment system of this article to send them to us. We will try to respond as soon as possible.

What to see near Agurain Salvatierra.

If after visiting Agurain you want to know the most emblematic places in the surroundings, we recommend you to consider the possibility of visiting some of the places that we indicate in this list. We hope you like them. Anyway, if you want to know each and every one of the places we recommend in this province, we encourage you to take a look at our section on tourism in Araba.

What to do in Euskadi.

If you are looking for experiences to discover Euskadi in an original and fun way, we recommend you to consider the possibility of booking some of the activities that we present in our reservation center. Here are some of the most popular experiences. We hope you like them.

As you have been able to see Agurain Salvatierra is one of those mandatory destinations to visit in any trip to the province of Araba. If you have any questions about what to see in Agurain or any other related aspect, we encourage you to use the comment system that you will find below these lines to let us know. We will try to respond as soon as possible. Ondo pasa!