Amurrio, what to see and do.

Amurrio, what to see and do in one of the most important urban centers in the north of Araba.

Amurrio, a small town in Alava located on the border with Bizkaia, invites us to enjoy its incredible architectural and cultural heritage just 30 minutes from Vitoria Gasteiz and Bilbao. This town, once known as “The cruise ship” due to its important commercial relations between Castile and the Cantabrian ports, is nowadays one of the most important industrial centers of Cuadrilla de Ayala.The location of Amurrio is another of its great allies. The aforementioned architectural and cultural heritage combines with an incredible natural environment to attract thousands of tourists throughout the year. Among all the natural charms that we find in the vicinity of Amurrio, the Salto del Nervión, the Delika Canyon or Sierra Salvada stand out. Of these 3 enclaves we are sure that you already know the Salto del Nervión, the highest waterfall in the whole peninsula. In any case, Amurrio awaits us with open arms to show us an important part of its history and culture. Are you ready to know what to see and do in Amurrio?

Since 1976 Amurrio agglutinates the towns of Aloria, Artomaña, Baranbio, Delika, Larrinbe, Lezama, Lekamaña, Saratxo and Tertanga, becoming one of the most important areas in the north of Araba. We must point out that throughout Amurrio we find different wineries and distilleries that offer us the possibility of tasting their wines through different guided tours. A deep-rooted tradition in this town of Alava that we encourage you to enjoy on any trip to Euskadi.

What to see in Amurrio.

If you want to know what to see in Amurrio we recommend you to read carefully each of the words in this section. And it is here where we have compiled what for us are some of the most emblematic places of this town in Alava. We hope this section will help you plan your trip to Amurrio.

Church of Santa Maria: The original church of Santa Maria de Amurrio was built in the twelfth century, although unfortunately more than half of the church we see today is from the sixteenth century. Even so, it is one of the most important temples of Araba and Euskadi.

Ermita de San Antón: The hermitage of San Antón is located in the center of the town. A religious temple of the sixteenth century, which is along with the church of Santa Maria one of the most important religious buildings in the valley. According to experts, the structure that we contemplate today is the original of the sixteenth century, but not the cover, which dates from the nineteenth century.

Ermita de San Roque: The hermitage of San Roque is located on the outskirts of the village, on one of the slopes of the valley. It is here, next to the hermitage, under the trees, where we find the recreational area of San Roque. A space with benches, fountains and barbecues, located about 30 minutes walk from the center of Amurrio, allows us to enjoy a nice day in a group or family.

Casa Torre Ugarte: This tower house built in 1718 by Manuel de Ugarte y Orue, is since 1983 the house of culture of Amurrio. A historic building that stands out for its coat of arms and its handcrafted wooden eaves.

Guk Sculpture: The Guk sculpture is a representation of all the Amurriarnos. Designed by Angel Camino, inaugurated in 2003, this sculpture is one of the most important artistic pieces of the town. Located in the Juan de Urrutia park, surrounded by trees of different species, this work of 31 tons has become a local landmark. In fact, during the event that rewards the person or group of people who have excelled in promoting the town, they are awarded a miniature of the Guk sculpture.

Urrutia Tower: The Urrutia Tower or Cejudo Palace is a historic building of the sixteenth century, which, according to experts, had a defensive tower in its origins. This building located next to the church of Santa Maria, has 2 coats of arms on its main facade: the coat of arms of the Urrutia family and the Guinea family. Although today this building is in a state of decadence, it was not always so. And it is that in the past this house with medieval palace style was one of the most important houses of the town.

Casas de Indianos: Euskadi has historically been a land of emigrants. Many of them left their homeland during the late 19th and early 20th centuries for Argentina, Uruguay, Cuba, Mexico or the United States. Most of these emigrants never returned, but those who did came back with small fortunes that they used to build what we know today as the houses of the indianos. Examples are Villa Margarita, Villa Fe, Villa Tobalina, the Villa of the Campo family or the house and chapel of the Isusi family.

Aresketamendi Open Air Museum: The Aresketamendi Museum, also known as the interpretation center of renewable energies, has more than 22,000 square meters and 26 inventions that show the smallest of the house (and not so small) the importance of renewable energies. Through these 26 inventions created to capture energy from the sun, water or air, this museum allows us to learn more about the sustainability of this type of energy. Located on the outskirts of Amurrio, this open-air museum invites us to participate and learn as a family. Are you in?

Amurrio Antzokia: Amurrio Antzokia represents one of the most important cultural spaces in Amurrio and the Aiara / Ayala Valley. A meeting place that has a striking regular program of theater, dance, music or cinema. This space, inaugurated in May 2005, is located in the center of the town, next to the church of Santa Maria.

Sculpture Juan Urrutia Zulueta: This man, born in 1866 in Amurrio and died in 1925 in Las Arenas, Getxo, was an important Basque politician and businessman. Juan Urrutia Zulueta studied Mining Engineering in Madrid and held political positions of deputy and senator, but without a doubt, he is known for creating and directing Hidroeléctrica Ibérica, one of the most important companies in the electricity sector.

Amurrio Town Hall: Amurrio’s town hall is located in the center of the Juan de Urrutia y Zulueta square. A stately building designed by José de Aspiunza y Urrutia, which was built in the early twentieth century. As a curiosity we must mention that part of the works were financed by means of a collection that was made among all the neighbors.

Acha Distillery: The origin of the current Acha distillery can be found in that gray and industrial Bilbao that we knew in the past, in a small workshop. It was then, in 1831, when Paul Pomes founded together with Manuel Acha this well-known liquor factory. That workshop was the prelude to one of the most important liquor companies in the Basque Country. Today, 5 generations later, this distillery produces more than 150 products for markets all over the world.

Salto del Nervión: The Salto del Nervión, the largest waterfall in the entire peninsula (222 meters), offers all those who visit Amurrio a unique and impressive spectacle. Of course, we recommend that you come during the rainy season or thaw, otherwise, it will be impossible to see it with water. If you want to know more in detail this impressive place, we recommend you to read our article about the Salto del Nervión.

Delika Canyon: The Delika Canyon houses the waters that descend from Mount Santiago through the Salto del Nervión. A space of great natural value in which we find the green path of Delika. A family route that we recommend you to enjoy, you will love it.

Txakoli wineries: In the Valley of Aiara / Ayala, we find a beautiful representation of the Denomination of Origin Arabako Txakolina. A D.O. that agglutinates wines of great quality. If you like good wine, we recommend you to visit some of the different txakoli wineries that are scattered throughout this incredible territory.

Although these spaces are only some of the most important, they are not the only ones. If you want to know more places to visit in Amurrio we recommend you to go to the tourist office of the town. We are sure that they will recommend you to visit the Museum of the liquor of Amurrio and some other places.

What to see near Amurrio.

The localities that we find in the vicinity of Amurrio contribute to complete the tourist proposals that this attractive town of Alava offers us. We hope you enjoy them.

Where to sleep in Amurrio.

If you want to sleep near Amurrio we recommend you to consider the possibility of staying in the wooden cabins of SatiaBerri. One of the lodgings with the best value for money in the area. We are sure you will love it. Remember that you can book quickly, safely and at the best price from our reservation center. Undoubtedly, its location and comfort will help to make your trip to the north of Araba a trip that you will hardly forget. We recommend you to book these accommodations as soon as possible due to their high demand.

Where to eat in Amurrio.

As in the rest of the Basque towns, in Amurrio we find an incredible representation of the Basque gastronomy. An example of this is Abiaga Jatetxea, a restaurant located next to the sports center of the town that encourages us to taste some of its best dishes. We are sure that its culinary proposals will catch your attention. On egin!

History.

We believe it is important to know the history of our destination before visiting it. The history and culture of a town are essential to understand the way its inhabitants live today. That said, we leave you some curiosities about the history of Amurrio:

Festivities of Amurrio.

The festivities of Nuestra Señora de la Asunción and San Roque, the patron saint festivities of the municipality (August 15 and 16), represent one of the most important events in Amurrio. But it is not the only one. And it is that other events such as the Txakolin eguna, the day of the txakoli in Basque, take on special importance in the day to day of this town of Alava. This festival in favor of the magnificent txakoli produced in this land is celebrated annually every third Sunday of May. In this sense we must mention that txakoli, one of the traditional drinks of Euskadi, is one of the most important gastronomic products of the Valley of Aiara / Ayala.

Video of Amurrio.

As usual, we wanted to accompany the words and pictures of this article with a short video. We hope it will help you to get a more realistic idea of what awaits you in Amurrio. If you like this kind of videos we encourage you to subscribe to our YouTube channel. We are sure that some of the destinations and experiences we show you in our channel will catch your attention. Who knows, maybe you will find your next destination.

As you have seen, Amurrio has a wide range of places to see and enjoy. In case you have any questions about what to see in Amurrio we suggest you leave us a comment in this article. We will try to respond as soon as possible. Ondo pasa!