Guided tours in Gernika.

Guided tours in Gernika, a town with a unique charm and history.

Guided tours in Gernika are the best way to get to know this historic Basque town. An enclave of great importance that we recommend you to visit during any trip to Euskadi. Gernika, officially Gernika – Lumo, is located within the boundaries of the Urdaibai Biosphere Reserve, an area of great natural and cultural wealth, which gives us dozens of spaces to enjoy and share. Gernika is by definition the home of Basque liberties, but also the scene of one of the most terrible historical events in our history: the bombing of Gernika. A historical fact that we recommend you to know through “Memoritour Gernika”, a very complete program of visits that helps us to understand the history of this town. Do you dare to take a guided tour in Gernika with us?

The painting of Pablo Picasso, ‘Guernica’, has become an icon. An internationally known painting that represents the horror that the people of Guernica suffered during those days. This painting shows the consequences of one of the attacks on civilians with the greatest international repercussions of that time. These consequences are also visible in different parts of the town. Although more than 85% of the buildings in the center of Gernika were destroyed, there are still structures with the scars of that atrocity. That bombed-out Gernika that inspired Piccaso has risen from the ashes to become an urban center full of symbolism. Home of the General Assembly of Bizkaia and the tree of Gernika. If you are looking for guided tours in Gernika or sightseeing tours to learn about the history of the bombing of Gernika, you are in luck. And today we are going to show you 4 guided tours that will make you travel back in time to know in detail much of the history of this Basque town. Are you ready to know our guided tours of Gernika?

Guided tours of the air-raid shelters of Gernika.

This guided tour shows us the bombing of Gernika from the point of view of the air-raid shelters. During the route, they will explain how, why and who built these shelters. This information, together with the visit to the interior of these buildings and the testimonies of the people who lived through the events of April 26, 1937, offer us a very complete vision of the bombing. This guided tour takes us to know spaces such as the Plaza de los Fueros, ‘Pasileku’ and the industrial zone of Gernika. Strategic spaces, where the shelters were located that today help us to know and understand the past.

Guided tour on the reconstruction of Guernica.

As we have already mentioned, 85% of the center of Gernika was burned and destroyed by the terrible fire caused by the incendiary bombs dropped during the bombing, a space that had to be rebuilt. Who carried out the design of the new buildings? For what purpose? These and many other questions are revealed in this impressive guided tour of Gernika. A nice way to analyze the layout of the city and to know what was the philosophy that was imposed after the bombing. We must emphasize that each square and each street allows us to know a different aspect of the history of Gernika. Who is in?

Guided tour around ‘Guernica’ and Picasso.

Picasso and his work ‘Guernica’, have become an icon of peace. Although many people catalog this work as a war painting, there are no weapons, airplanes or any other warlike element that would argue such a cataloging. Throughout this guided tour, in addition to explaining how and why ‘Guernica’ was painted, several figures in the painting will also be related to events that occurred during the bombing. A very complete guided tour that will help us to know in detail the creation of this work of art. Thanks to the strength with which it conveys its message, this painting is considered a work of art internationally. A painting that, although at first, due to the Franco dictatorship, was exhibited at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, it returned to Spain at the end of the dictatorship (1981) at the express wish of Pablo Picasso. Although in the streets of Guernica we have the possibility of enjoying a life-size replica of this painting, the original work has been exhibited since 1992 in the Reina Sofia Museum in Madrid.

Guided tour of the warcorrespondents .

This guided tour shows us what happened on April 26th from the point of view of the war correspondents who went to Gernika. People, who risked their lives to communicate to the world what happened during those days. Thanks to them, today we have more information about the bombing and the evolution of that conflict. Undoubtedly, one of the guided tours of Gernika that most attract the attention of the people who visit us.

Visit to the Gernika Peace Museum.

The Gernika Peace Museum is one of the most important museums in Bizkaia. A museum space that gives voice to the culture of peace and human rights. To renounce to forget, to renounce to revenge. That is the motto with which this museum shows us all the facets related to that catastrophic April 26, 1937. The data collected over the years by its historians, together with bombs, guns, testimonies and newspaper covers, narrate that horror that Picasso would capture months later. A permanent exhibition of great historical and social importance, complemented by interesting temporary exhibitions, make this museum a must-see during any trip to the Basque Country.

Guided tours for groups in Gernika.

We also offer guided tours for groups in Gernika. From schools and groups to associations and companies. Do not hesitate to contact us so that we can send you a personalized quote. Remember that these guided tours can be adapted to the needs of each group by adding new services such as meals, accommodation, guided tours in Bermeo, guided tours in Mundaka or boat tours in Urdaibai. We are happy to show you Gernika. Shall we talk?

Local guides in Gernika.

Thanks to the different local guides who teach the routes that we show you today, we have the opportunity to know the architectural, symbolic, historical and cultural heritage of Gernika from a close and pleasant point of view. Guided tours, available in several languages, take us to know each and every one of the aspects in which the bombing had an impact. In Gernika, as in any other part of the world, visiting the historical center with a local guide is an added value. In this case, Mikel and the rest of the guides, authentic experts in the bombing of Gernika, offer us the possibility of knowing in first person each and every one of the facets related to this historical event. We would like to take advantage of these lines to publicly thank the closeness and friendliness with which this team puts in value one of the darkest episodes of our history. Eskerrik asko!

Price of guided tours in Gernika.

The price of these guided tours is one of the most competitive in the Basque Country. Nowadays it is very difficult to find guided tours like these at such a reduced price. Any of the Memoritours Gernika that we have mentioned above have a cost of 8 € per person. A price, which is reduced even more, if we buy it together with the entrance of the Peace Museum. In these cases, the price of the guided tours of Gernika drops to 6 € per person. Good, nice and cheap. Undoubtedly, Memoritours Gernika has the best value for money of all the tours we have enjoyed in Gernika. Do not hesitate, we encourage you to book your guided tour online from here. Fast, safe and at the best price. You can’t ask for more.

Bombing of Gernika.

The Gernika Peace Museum has wanted to take the great work they have done indoors to the streets and squares of the town. Thus, the Peace Museum allows us to know all aspects related to the bombing of Gernika through its various tours. The Civil War was felt in Bizkaia from March 1937, although some effects could be felt since the outbreak of the war. As soon as the front was approaching, the reception of refugees and wounded soldiers was remarkable in the town. After the bombing of Durango on March 31, 1937, the fear of a bombardment of the town began to spread. For this reason, the authorities ordered the construction of air-raid shelters in different parts of Guernica. Unfortunately, on April 26, 1937, Monday, the bells did not stop ringing. The fears were becoming a reality. The airplanes started bombing Gernika around 16:00 and maintained the offensive for more than 3 hours. This is how the German and Italian air troops rehearsed different military strategies under the orders of the dictator GENERAL Francisco Franco.

According to historians, each wave involved between 15 and 20 aircraft (bombers or fighters) that repeated their devastating tactics over and over again. First, they would drop smashing bombs that would, as their name suggests, break the structures of the buildings. Then, they threw incendiary bombs that, taking advantage of the holes created by the previous ones, set fire to everything in their path. At the same time, all those people who had been under the shelter of the buildings and who were exposed by the destruction caused by the bombs were machine-gunned. A strategy that caused thousands of deaths. During the 3 hours that the bombing of Guernica lasted, more than 31 tons of bombs were used. As a consequence, 85% of the buildings in the urban center were destroyed. And all those buildings that managed to evade the bombs were destroyed by the flames.

Peace and Human Rights.

“Give up forgetting, give up revenge” is a phrase uttered by a survivor of the bombing and remarked in the museum, in this desire to cross the border of violence to move to a scenario of peace.

What to see in Gernika and surroundings.

The region of Busturialdea Urdaibai offers visitors a wide range of possibilities. Villages, routes, experiences, museums, nature and gastronomy come together to form one of the most interesting tourist destinations on the Basque coast. Would you like to get to know it with us? Here is a small list of some of the places we recommend you to visit in this part of the Basque Country.

Where to sleep in Urdaibai.

The rural houses are the perfect type of accommodation to discover this area of Euskadi. If you are looking for where to stay in Gernika and surroundings, we recommend you to read our article about the rural houses in Urdaibai. Remember that you can book your accommodation and experiences from our reservation center. A fast and secure way to book your trip at the best price.

Other guided tours in the Basque Country.

We have guided tours throughout the length and breadth of our territory, an example of this are the guided tours in Bilbao or guided tours of Vitoria Gasteiz. Tours given by local guides that we are sure you will love. In case you want to plan a guided tour for a large group, we recommend you to contact us through our contact form.

Video of guided tours Gernika.

As usual, we wanted to complement the words and images of this article with a video. A short audiovisual, which we hope will help you to get a more realistic idea of what you will find during the guided tours of Gernika. In case you like it, we encourage you to subscribe to our YouTube channel. We are sure that some of our videos will catch your attention, maybe your next destination in Euskadi?

Guided tours in Gernika are the best tool we have at our disposal for visitors to get to know Gernika from a historical and partial point of view. A great option for all those people who are looking to visit Gernika in the company of a local guide. In case you have any questions, we advise you to use the comments system below these lines to let us know. We will try to answer you as soon as possible. Ondo pasa!