Elantxobe, what to see and what to do.

Elantxobe, discover what to see and do in one of the most beautiful villages of Bizkaia.

Elantxobe, one of the most beautiful villages in Bizkaia, once again steals our hearts. It is not for less. The houses built on the slope of Cape Ogoño, joined by narrow and steep stone streets, form together with the port, one of the most striking urban centers of all Euskadi. This Basque town is located in the northeast of the province of Bizkaia, in Urdaibai, just 45 km from the capital, Bilbao. An ideal location to get to know the most authentic and impressive corners of the province of Bizkaia while we soak up the culture and history of the Basque people. “Elantxobe is the most extravagant village for its structure, original, for the situation of its hamlet and surprisingly for the picturesque nature that surrounds it” Juan Delmae. Its peculiar formation, together with different aspects of its daily life, have turned it into one of the most demanded Basque villages by the tourists who travel to Euskadi. In this aspect, the fact that it is located on the Basque coast, helps a lot. Especially in summer, when the heat invites to the bath. This beautiful and unique town has an approximate area of 1.85 square kilometers and a population of 346 inhabitants according to the 2018 census. Some numbers, which we are sure will help you to get an approximate idea of the space that awaits you under the protection of the cape of Ogoño. The region in which the municipality of Elantxobe is located, Busturialdea-Urdaibai, offers us to know dozens of plans and spaces of its territory. A logical fact, seeing the amount of natural, cultural and historical resources it has. Attentive because we are sure that more than one will like our proposals.

If you want to know Elantxobe from the point of view of the inhabitants of Urdaibai, we recommend you to visit this municipality on July 22, the day that “Madalen Eguna” or “Madalenas” is celebrated, a festival with a strong seafaring tradition in which the towns of Bermeo, Mundaka and Elantxobe participate. Of course, that day, the town is usually full to capacity, it is not advisable to go by car.

Elantxobe has two distinct areas, the upper part and the lower part, the port. The upper area has some impressive viewpoints that give us a bird’s eye view of the town and the Cantabrian Sea, impossible not to take a picture. It also has a historical heritage in which the church of San Nicolás de Bari and many other emblematic corners of Elantxobe stand out. On the other hand, the lower area takes most of the leisure of Elantxobe. It is here where we find the port, the bars, the restaurants or the natural swimming pools among many other spaces. If you want to know more in detail this beautiful coastal town, we recommend that you do not miss the following lines, they do not have any waste.

Why is it called Elantxobe?

Before discovering the beauty that hides this municipality, we would like to show you the meaning of its name. The origin of the name Elantxobe, resides in a neighborhood of the neighboring town of Ibarrangelua called Elantxo. A small nucleus of “baserris” (farmhouses in Basque) located in the highest area of what we know today as Elantxobe. Little by little, the population expanded towards the port, towards the lower areas, towards the sea. A fact that led to the creation of a village with its own identity known as Elantxo-be. We must say that “Behekoa” in Euskera means “the one from below”, a word that, when contracted, is found in many Basque areas in the form of the suffix “be”. This is the case of the village that we present today, and Elantxobe refers to “Elantxo below”. As you can see, even the name has a curious, original and even charming origin. Now that we have discovered the origin of its name and its meaning, we encourage you to know the different attractions that Elantxobe has.

History of Elantxobe.

Before getting to know the different charms of this town, it is advisable to know its culture and history. It is for this last reason that we want to summarize in a couple of lines the history that hides this small “txoko” bizkaino. Under the gaze of the Ogoño cape, protected by the cliffs, we find the fishing port of Elantxobe. Undoubtedly, the great culprit of the existence of this urban nucleus. And the fact that a small number of fishermen settled in the vicinity of what we know today as Elantxobe, may have been the origin of it. According to different sources, in the year 1524, there was already fishing activity in Elantxobe, and therefore, we can deduce that there was also a small urban center. The call effect made other men from neighboring towns join this trade, making the fishing activity grow. Among all of them, they created the brotherhood and built several docks to protect the area from the scourge of the sea. Here are some small milestones of this Biscayan town.

Its houses, staggered on the hillside, facing the sea, make clear its seafaring origin. A landscape that, today, attracts thousands of tourists to its port.

Rural houses near Elantxobe.

If you are looking for rural houses near Elantxobe, we recommend you to consider the houses of Ea Astei, one of the reference lodgings of Urdaibai. In this sense, we believe that it can be a great option for all those who want to know Bizkaia and Euskadi from the comfort of a quality accommodation. The 5 houses that make up this tourist complex are surrounded by a large area of great natural wealth in which we find gardens, swimming pool, sauna, fronton and many other amenities. These cottages are located less than 15 minutes drive from the town center of Elantxobe, an unbeatable location. We recommend you to check the availability and prices of these lodgings here.

Urdaibai, Elantxobe area.

Urdaibai was declared a Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO in 1984, a space that represents one of the great natural areas of the Basque Country. A landscape, in which green and blue merge giving us places of great charm as the beach of Laga or the Valley of Oma. This enclave located in the heart of the historical territory of Bizkaia, in the region of Busturialdea-Urdaibai, extends for more than 230 square kilometers. Urdaibai is delimited by the stretch of the Bay of Biscay between Cape Matxitxako and Cape Ogoño, a small paradise on earth. Among all the spaces it hosts, we must highlight the presence of 22 municipalities, including Elantxobe. If you want to know in detail each of the treasures hidden in Urdaibai, we recommend reading our article, Urdaibai, 21 places to see and enjoy. You will not be disappointed.

Elantxobe bus platform.

Known as the rotating traffic circle or the rotating square of Elantxobe, this mechanism is essential for the municipality to have a regular bus service. A space that provides the municipality of Elantxobe with one of the most curious spectacles of the entire Cantabrian coast. And it is that this turntable is installed at the entrance of the village, at the top, so that large vehicles, such as buses, can turn around without any maneuver. Due to the dimensions of the streets of this town, we could say that without this platform it would be impossible for a bus to turn around in the vicinity. So, if you have the opportunity, we recommend that you do not miss the show, especially because of the picturesque and unique nature of the subject. To do so, the best thing to do is to consult the timetables of the A3513 line of Bizkaibus, the public bus company of the province of Bizkaia. In the section “how to get there” of this article we detail the schedules and frequencies.

What to see and do in Elantxobe.

In this section we are going to mention 18 spaces. Of all of them, the first 6 are located in the center of the town itself, while the rest are in the vicinity, in the region.

If after enjoying all these spaces you are still thirsty to know more places in Euskadi or enjoy different experiences, we recommend a few plans to do with your family in Euskadi. On the other hand, remember that Euskadi is the mecca of gastronomy, we advise you to enjoy our beloved pintxos, Cantabrian fish or a good txuleta, to suit all tastes.

Boat trips to Elantxobe.

Currently there are different maritime routes to contemplate Elantxobe from the sea. However, there is no regular maritime service that connects Elantxobe with other ports in the area. That is to say, it is not possible to use the maritime transport to arrive to disembark in Elantxobe, we have to be content to see it from the sea. If you are interested in this type of trips, we recommend reading our article on boat routes in Bizkaia, we are sure that more than one will catch your attention. If you feel like enjoying this experience, you can book it directly from our website: here.

How to get to Elantxobe and where to park.

This fishing village has very narrow and sloping streets due to its geographical location. A spatial distribution, which makes Elantxobe has three accesses to be able to access: one in Bermokiz, another in the upper part and another by the port, in the lower part of the village. We recommend to access by the last 2, the first one is only recommended if you plan to visit Elantxobe and follow the route that leads to Ogoño.

As you can see, Elantxobe has everything you need to reach it by private and public transport, now the choice is yours.

Recommendations to visit Elantxobe.

We have created a small list of recommendations for you to visit Elantxobe in total comfort. We hope it will be of help. Anyway, if you have any questions, we encourage you to leave us a comment in this article, we will try to answer as soon as possible.

Video of Elantxobe.

Elantxobe deserves a video. That is why we wanted to upload to our YouTube channel a small summary of what awaits you in this small fishing village. If you like it, we recommend you to subscribe to our channel, we are sure you will find more than one video that will take you straight to your next destination.

As you can see, Elantxobe is a fishing village located on the edge of the sea. An unusual village, one of those that hardly remain on our coasts. We strongly recommend you to visit this enclave taking advantage of the trip to visit the Biosphere Reserve of Urdaibai, one of the most important natural areas of the Basque Country. By the way, if you have any questions about what to see and what to do in Elantxobe, we recommend you to use the comments of this article to let us know, we will try to answer as soon as possible. Ondo pasa!