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Find out what to see and where to eat in Zierbena, a small town located just 20 minutes from Bilbao.
Before we tell you what to see and where to eat in Zierbena, we would like to introduce the town by 3 words that describe it perfectly: mountain, sea and gastronomy, the 3 axes of the local history. This small coastal town is located in the Biscayan region of Las Encartaciones, (Enkarterri in Basque), the westernmost region of Bizkaia and therefore, the one that borders the neighboring Cantabria. Zierbena shares the region with 14 other municipalities: Abanto, Alonsotegi, Artzentales, Balmaseda, Galdames, Gordexola, Güeñes, Karrantza Harana, Lanestosa, Muskiz, Ortuella, Sopuerta, Turtzioz and Zalla, a magical environment where nature takes over.
We are sure that each and every one of the people of Bizkaia agree that the first sensations that come to mind after hearing the name of Zierbena are the good gastronomy of the area, its small fishing port and the breathtaking views offered by the peaks of its mountains, sensations that we have experienced firsthand and that we discover below.
Information about Zierbena.
- Information point: La Arena Beach.
- Telephone: 662 547 469.
- Email: turismo@zierbena.net
- Population: 1,500.
- Where to eat: Taberna Eloy.
- Tourist attractions: Port, beach, mountains and gastronomy.
- Location: Enkarterri, Bizkaia, Basque Country.
Zierbena is a perfect place to spend a day with the family, a place where its mountains, its port and its restaurants offer endless possibilities. Do you want to know what you can do in Zierbena? Attention!
Zierbena, what to see and where to eat in this town with a taste of the sea.
The plan we recommend is as simple as it is beautiful, in two words: walking and gastronomy. The walk we let you choose (Punta Lucero, circular walk of the port or route by the bidegorri) but the gastronomy is not negotiable: seafood and fish, the local specialty.
The beach of La Arena: This sandy area of more than 900 meters long is located between the coastal towns of Zierbena and Muskiz, a beach that offers many leisure options in the westernmost stretch of the Basque coast. La Arena beach and its surroundings are perfect for active tourism experiences such as surfing or hiking, two activities very present in our daily lives. We must emphasize that this beach has all the necessary services so that people with reduced mobility can enjoy this coastal enclave, a fact that we see as essential in any self-respecting beach. In the own port of Zierbena, in the mouth, there is a space that the inhabitants of the locality use as beach, a species of natural swimming pool surrounded by two walls that regulate the passage of the water, one of the most demanded places in summer, curious.
Port of Zierbena: Small, traditional and charming, no more words are needed to define this space. The different bridges that surround the port make it possible to make a small circular walk around this emblematic place of Zierbena. A simple, quiet and short walk, which is accompanied by traditionally seafaring elements such as fishing boats or fishermen’s nets. This enclave of Zierbena has been compromised to adapt to the different extensions carried out by the superport of Bilbao, a contiguous space, whose exploitation has not prevented that the locality continues maintaining the same essence of long ago.
Camino de Santiago: The Camino de Santiago, present in most of our geography, has a small section of its route in the town of Zierbena, a point where many pilgrims take the opportunity to rest and taste some of the best dishes of the town.
History: Like many other Basque villages, in Zierbena, we also find remains of what was an ancient Roman necropolis, a settlement, which shows the strategic location of this town. Its inhabitants have always lived facing the sea, most of them having trades related to this environment. An example of this is the large number of fishermen or sailors who came from this municipality, trades that merged with those who lived off the land, from their baserris (Basque for farmhouses). Formerly, Zierbena was part of the Somorrostro Valley, one of the 9 valleys of the Biscayan region of Encartaciones, a valley that was divided into small villages that gave rise to what we know today as Zierbena, Muskiz, Santurtzi, Sestao and Trapaga, some of the most notorious towns in the region. Many of our readers may associate Zierbena with Abanto, but today they have nothing to do with each other. Although these two towns were one from 1842 to 1995, today they are totally independent.
Events: The first weekend of October, Zierbena celebrates the Seafood Fair (Itsaski Azoka in Basque), an event, in which the gastronomic tradition of the municipality is evident.
Mountains: Although we always relate Zierbena with the sea, we must keep in mind that this town is not only composed of the neighborhood we find by the sea, its inland neighborhoods (La Kuesta, Valle, Kardeo and San Mames) offer us a nice enclave to enjoy hiking.
In Zierbena we have endless routes, all of them with magnificent views of the Cantabrian Sea, an example of this is Punta Lucero, a space that we recommend as a perfect place for hiking, mountain biking or any other modality of these characteristics. For those who prefer the urban environment, Zierbena has one of the longest bidegorris (path specially designed for cycling, running or walking), throughout Bizkaia, a route of more than 11 kilometers long that starts at the beach of La Arena and ends in the town of Portugalete.
Sculpture: The sculpture that we found at the beginning of the port, in the center of the traffic circle, was created by Xebas Larrañaga in honor of the men and women who lived and live from the sea, a statue, where you can clearly see an arrantzale (fisherman in Basque) and his wife facing the sea. A small tribute to the history of Zierbena that we fell in love with.
Tourism: Located on the left bank of the Nervión, practically on the edge of the Bay of Abra, Zierbena is one of those places that the common traveler does not know, a pity. However, tourism in Zierbena is on the rise, and it is not surprising, its gastronomy, its mountains and the charm of its small fishing port make everyone who visits it fall in love. A rural town, in which the coast plays a fundamental role, do you dare to know it?
Where to eat: Zierbena enjoys a high quality gastronomic health due to the culinary expertise of the restaurants found in the area. We are sure that you will find all the establishments in the port of Zierbena very attractive, but our recommendation is clear: Taberna Eloy. A space, in which the traditional recipes of the area are still intact merging with some of the best local raw materials.
Taberna Eloy in Zierbena.
We went to Taberna Eloy, by recommendation, with a previous reservation and knowing what to expect: good seafood, good fish and good value for money. The restaurant is located at the back of the main street of the port of Zierbena, next to the local batzoki, at the entrance. A small, traditional and coquettish restaurant, in which we barely found 5 tables, with enough separation to not overwhelm us and to be able to enjoy the food quietly. A small txoko, from which we left with a smile from ear to ear.
Information about Taberna Eloy.
- Type of cuisine: Traditional.
- Specialty: Grilled seafood and fish.
- Average price: 50€ per person.
- Telephone: 94 636 53 13
- Location: El Puerto Auzoa, 17, Zierbena, Bizkaia, Euskal Herria.
Due to the large number of restaurants in Zierbena, it is not an easy task to choose one of them, but Taberna Eloy makes it easy.
Local: As we enter the port of Zierbena a small vertical sign alerts us to the location of Taberna Eloy. This restaurant is located at the back of the main road, as we enter the port of Zierbena on the left hand side, you can’t miss it. A quiet and small place, ideal for those who want to get away from the hustle and bustle and enjoy high quality dishes. Although the dining room of Taberna Eloy is of reduced size, they respect to the perfection the distances between tables, creating this way a small txoko of the good one to eat. A place decorated with marine motifs and old photos of the locality in which to enjoy the seafood and the fish is the main objective. Within its limited space, Taberna Eloy has individual bathrooms, a bar and a small nursery.
Attention: The attention was perfect, nothing to reproach and much to thank. In fact, when leaving the restaurant we did not hesitate to reward the quality of their services with our exclusive “TurismoVasco Tiketa” accreditation, a sticker through which we recommend to visit this gastronomic txoko.
Menu: Upon entering the restaurant, a very nice woman accompanied us to our table and told us about the dishes available, as in the old days, curious. Among all those mentioned, the grilled prawns and clams and the turbot caught our attention, that was our menu. To drink we opted for a good bottle of Txakoli Txomin Etxaniz, an ideal broth for the chosen dishes. We emphasized the flavor of the prawns and clams together with the texture of the turbot, all the dishes were frankly very good.
Price: When analyzing the value for money of the Taberna Eloy we must take into account that our experience in this place was in the evening, at dinner, time in which always less quantity is ingested. So, although our price per person was around 40€, we recommend that the average price of this restaurant in Bizkaia is closer to 50€. A good price if we take into account the quality of each of the products we tasted during our visit.
As you can see, Zierbena is much more than just a port to stroll through, its mountains and its gastronomy are waiting for you with open arms. What do you think? We are waiting for your comments!
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