Ondarroa, what to see and do.

Ondarroa, a fishing village that enchants the visitor.

Ondarroa, popularly known as Ondarru, is one of the towns with the most personality of the Biscayan coast. An urban center, which, protected by the sea, the mountains and the mouth of the Artibai River, allows us to enjoy authentic spaces and experiences. An example of this is the historic center of Ondarroa, a labyrinth of streets piled up on the hillside, which surprises us with its seafaring flavor and medieval style.Ondarroa is located in the muga (border) of the provinces of Gipuzkoa and Bizkaia, in the middle of the Basque coast. A very rugged territory, in which the bridges that cross the river Artibai are indispensable at the time of knowing all the corners of this Basque locality. The last bridge to be built, Itsasaurre, is the work of the famous architect Santiago Calatrava. A striking and practical structure, which allows direct access to the port. But it is not the only attraction that we recommend you to visit, the Likona Tower, the Andra Mari church or the old bridge are some of the many places that we encourage you to discover during your trip to Ondarroa. Are you ready to know what to see in Ondarroa?

Although in this article you will find everything you need to know Ondarroa on your own, you may prefer to know this urban center accompanied by a guide. In this case, we recommend you to contact us through our contact form, we will try to answer you as soon as possible.

What to see in Ondarroa.

Although Ondarroa is one of the smallest towns in Bizkaia in terms of extension, we must say that it has a nice list of places to visit. Here are some of the most important ones. We hope you like them.

Guild house: The old fishermen’s guild of Ondarroa is located next to Zubi Zaharra (Old Bridge in Basque). In the center of the town. We must indicate that, although the guild house has a medieval aspect, this building was designed in 1920 by the architect Pedro Guimon. Under this house, on the bank of the river Artibai, we find the market, one of the most authentic spaces of Ondarroa.

Church Andra Mari: The church Andra Mari or Santa Maria, is one of the most important and striking historical buildings of Ondarroa. No wonder. This religious temple was built on the rock itself in the high part of the town, in a natural watchtower. Built in 1462 and reformed on several occasions (XVIII and XIX centuries), Andra Mari stands out for the enormous arches that we find under it and the elements that adorn its façade. An example of this are the Kortxeleko Manuak, 12 figures representing the different social classes of the Middle Ages.

Old town hall: The old town hall is located in the heart of the historic center of Ondarroa. Attached to the church of Andra Mari. This building has a 19th century facade designed by Mariano Jose Laskurain. We must indicate that it also became a school.

Chapel of the Eternal Father: The chapel of the Eternal Father, Aita Eterno Kapera in Basque, is located in front of the Old Bridge, which historically was the exit from Ondarroa to Gipuzkoa. Travelers would stop along the way to ask for protection.

Old town: Visiting Ondarroa and not going into its old town is a real mistake. In this space of narrow and steep streets, we find some of the most important buildings of the town. Declared Cultural Heritage in 1994, this urban center invites us to enjoy typical buildings of the Middle Ages while we enjoy that smell so characteristic of the Basque ports. The historic center of Ondarroa was built on the hillside, by levels. What makes that we find really showy corners.

Likona Tower: This tower located in the historic center of Ondarroa, a few meters from Zubi Zaharra and the old house of confreres, has entrance doors at several levels due to its great height. In fact, the stairs that we find next to this building communicate the street Iñaki Deuna and Handi. It is in this tower where Marina Saenz de Licona, mother of Saint Ignatius of Loyola, founder of the Society of Jesus, was born. Next to these stairs and the tower itself, in the lower part, we find the work of the artist Felix Beristain.

Zubi Zaharra: Zubi Zaharra, Old Bridge in Basque, is one of the most striking bridges in Ondarroa. Although today it is made of stone, the first bridge that existed in this location was made of wood (1795). This bridge was badly damaged in 1936 by the Civil War and in 1953 by floods. Even so, it remains one of the great icons of the town. Like most of the bridges that we find in Ondarroa, this one also allows us to cross the riverbed of the Artibai river in a comfortable, fast and safe way.

Itsasaurre Bridge: The Itsasaurre Bridge is the work of the famous architect Santiago Calatrava (1995). The first structure that he built in Basque lands. Nowadays, this bridge allows us to access directly to the fishing port of Ondarroa. This has been the last of the bridges to be built. And it is that we must indicate that Ondarroa counts on 5 bridges that allow us to cross the river Artibai.

Arrigorri Beach: The beach of Ondarroa invites us to enjoy its 150 meters long sandy beach with different water activities. This beach, located just a few minutes away from the town center, is the best option to enjoy the sea. Next to this sandy area we find different bars that give life to the promenade that joins Ondarroa with the beach of Saturraran(Mutriku).

Fishing port: The fishing port of Ondarroa is one of the most important in the Cantabrian Sea. It is currently the port with the highest volume of catches. The most common species landed in Ondarroa are bonito, anchovies, mackerel and sardines. The coming and going of trucks, the squawking of seagulls and the smell of fish betray its location next to the hillside and the sea. You can’t miss it.

Vega Building: This building also known as Hotel Vega (because it housed a hotel) is the work of the Bilbao architect Pedro Gimon Egiguren. This 20th century building is a good example of the Basque architecture of the time. In fact, it was listed as a cultural property.

Maskulo etxea: This building, current day center of Ondarroa, was once the headquarters of the Caja de Ahorros de Bizkaia and barracks during the Franco dictatorship. A structure, which we are sure will attract your attention.

Zeledonio Arriola Schools: This building constructed by Ricardo Bastida in 1929 housed for years the public schools of Ondarroa. In 2004, this center was closed due to the poor condition of the building’s structure. There are many projects that hover around this iconic building of Ondarroa, but unfortunately today it is still unused.

These are just some of the most important areas of Ondarroa, if you want to continue discovering this impressive fishing village, we encourage you to discover the swing bridge, the Church of Nuestra Señora de la Antigua, the marshes of Aieru or the Etxandia Tower.

What to see near Ondarroa.

The villages that surround Ondarroa, complement to perfection the tourist charms that this Biscayan town has. We leave you a list with the towns and spaces that we recommend you to visit in any trip to Bizkaia and Euskadi.

What to do near Ondarroa.

Ondarroa and the province of Bizkaia offer us a good number of experiences to enjoy. We recommend you to book some of the activities that we show you in this section. It is worth it. If you want to book in advance, remember that you can do it safely, quickly and at the best price from our reservation center. We hope you like them.

History of Ondarroa.

The history of Ondarroa has a great number of episodes to highlight, here are some of the most important ones. This Basque town was created in 1327 by Maria Diez de Haro, Lady of Bizkaia. Formerly, Ondarroa was protected by a huge wall that could only be crossed through one of its 5 access gates: Goikokale, Kalehandi, Zubi Zahar, Iparkale and Hareatza. It was a small urban center where sailors and fishermen lived from what the sea offered them. This town has always been linked to the sea, with fishing, merchandise and shipbuilding being essential parts of the local economy.The importance of this sector is reflected in the town’s coat of arms, where we can see the town, its bridge, a whale and a ship fishing for it. Ondarroa has suffered several fires throughout its history. And it is that, to the fire happened in 1473 due to the flag fights, it was added the one of 1794 due to the War of the Convention. This last one, has been one of the biggest disasters of Ondarroa, and it is that, during the war with the French, the fire devoured more than 100 houses.

Video of Ondarroa.

As usual in all our articles, we wanted to complement the text and photographs about Ondarroa with a short video. If you like it, we encourage you to subscribe to our YouTube channel so you can get to know all the places and experiences that we recommend throughout the Basque Country. Maybe you will find the destination of your next getaway among our videos.

How to get to Ondarroa.

The strategic location of Ondarroa in the muga (border) between the provinces of Bizkaia and Gipuzkoa, allows us to use the public services of both provinces. In this case, we recommend using the bus companies Bizkaibus (Bizkaia) and Lurraldebus (Gipuzkoa).

Festivities of Ondarroa.

Ondarroa has some of the most striking festivals in the Basque Country. Festivities such as “Andramaxak” (Andra Mari festivities), Antxoa egune (anchovy day in Basque) or Zapato Azule leave no one indifferent. Here is a small summary of all of them.

Curiosities.

We think it might be interesting for you to know some of the curiosities that surround this Basque town. Some of them are worthwhile. We hope you like them.

As you have been able to see, Ondarroa is a coastal town with a lot of charisma. An urban nucleus that, located between the sea and the mountains, invites us to enjoy its history, culture and gastronomy. If you have any questions about what to see in Ondarroa, we recommend that you 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!