Segura, what to see and do.

Segura, what to see and do in one of the most beautiful villages in the interior of Gipuzkoa.

Segura, one of the most charming medieval towns in the interior of Gipuzkoa, invites us to enjoy its history, nature, culture and gastronomy while we walk through its magnificent old town. A maze of streets and squares of medieval origin, where palaces and ancestral homes abound. A marvel.This village located in the region of Goierri, in the heart of the cheese territory (gaztaren lurraldea in Basque), is protected by the Oria river and the Aizkorri and Txindoki mountains. A strategic situation, which turned Segura into one of the most important urban centers of the trade between Castile and the Basque coast. In fact, in the Middle Ages, this urban center was one of the most important in the Basque Country. Would you like to know what to see in Segura with us?

Nowadays, Segura still maintains that singular charm with which it used to welcome merchants. And it is that its historical helmet, old walled nucleus, is conserved in very good conditions. We are, without a doubt, in front of one of the most important monumental sets of our territory.

What to see in Segura.

In this section we are going to reveal what for us are the most important places in the town. So, if you are looking for what to see in Segura, we recommend that you pay special attention to the places listed below. We hope you like them.

Historic center: The original urban nucleus of Segura was strategically built on a hill to create what would be one of the safest walled villages in Goierri. A town that had 5 gates through which goods from Castile and France entered and left: The upper gate or Castile gate, the Oxiña gate or Navarre gate, the small gate or Jauregi gate and the Zerain gate. Fortunately, the last 3 are still standing. Inside this great wall, houses of the same size were built in an attempt to ensure a certain equality among all social classes. Little by little, with the passing of time, this equality was disappearing with the construction of palaces. This is how today we can observe large manor houses next to old workshop houses. An architectural ensemble that we are sure you will like.

Casa Ardixarra: This is one of the oldest buildings in the Basque Country. This 16th century building, a former workshop house, is a magnificent example of the urban constructions of Euskadi. As you can see, Ardixarra is an emblematic building of Segura, an iconic space, which currently houses the tourist office and the Medieval Interpretation Center of the town.

Way of St. James: The Way of St. James of the interior finds in the Goierri region of Gipuzkoa a great ally. Although this route is slightly longer than the coastal one, it allows us to enjoy truly incredible spaces. An example of this is the historical artistic ensemble of Segura, Irun, Tolosa or Ordizia.

Portal de Oxiña: This portal was the main entrance for merchants and travelers from Navarre. In fact, it was formerly known as the Gateway of Navarre. The current name comes from the house next to the portal, Osina or Osinaga. Apparently, this house was in the past an important tower house of Segura. Although today we can only contemplate a simple arch, before, this portal had a tiled roof and a much more complex structure. In 1753, this structure was practically collapsed so it had to be rebuilt using the same materials.

Portal de Zerain: This portal is, as its name indicates, the old entrance gate from the neighboring town of Zerain. One of the 5 entrance gates of the old walled town. Its structure is somewhat more complex than the rest of the gates that we find today. And is that composed of two large arches between which creates a passageway under the floors of a house, we find what for us is one of the most unique entrance doors of Segura.

Church of Our Lady of the Assumption: This religious temple located in the heart of Segura, is one of the most representative architectural structures of Basque Gothic. A building, which, composed of 3 naves, keeps inside an altarpiece of the eighteenth century.

Convent of the Purísima Concepción: This convent that we find in one of the headwaters of the urban nucleus of Segura, was built thanks to the different donations made by important personalities of the time. Dependent entirely on these contributions, the convent was built in different phases. In its interior, the main altarpiece stands out, a piece from the 18th century, which was declared a Historic Artistic Monument. Currently, this convent is managed by the Conceptionist nuns, who live in enclosure.

Lardizabal Palace: This baroque style building was built by Francisco Lardizabal in the XVII century thanks to the fortune he earned with his ironworks. In 1977 this building and its garden, was ceded to the town council of the town, which, after 6 years of work was inaugurated as the new consistory of Segura. This palace stands out for its main facade built in ashlar stone, its 3 wrought iron balconies, its coat of arms and its garden. We must mention that this palace is located in Martin Lardizabal street, which makes clear the importance that this family had in the development of the town. Finally, as a curiosity, we would like to point out that the Lardizabal Palace, like many other emblematic buildings of Gipuzkoa, has a replica in the vicinity of Eureka Zientzia Museoa, the science museum of Donostia San Sebastian.

Erraztiolatza Museum: This small family museum in Segura opened its doors to the public in 2008 thanks to Rafa Berasategi. A space that allows us to know the traditions and customs of our ancestors thanks to different objects such as blacksmith tools, farming tools or even some prison elements such as shackles.

Palacio de Guevara: This 15th century building, built by the Gebara family, stands out for the decorative components found on its main façade. An example of these are the 3 coats of arms and 3 gargoyles that can be seen from Kale Nagusia. Undoubtedly, elements that call the attention of all the people who stop to appreciate the characteristics of this palace built in ashlar stone. We are in front of one of the most interesting architectural works of the Middle Ages in Segura.

Jauregui Palace: This baroque style palace located in Kale Nagusia, next to the Ardixarra House, is also known as Igartza Palace. A noble building, which stands out for its incredible facade. The large number of balconies and the coat of arms surprise travelers visiting Segura.

Balenzegi Palace: This Basque palace preserves most of its characteristics in good condition. We are thus, before one of the best preserved urban palaces of our territory. This structure was built in the middle of the 17th century next to what we know today as Plaza Zaharra, old square in Basque. Its name, Balenzegi, comes from the surname of the family that bought this palace from the Beresiartu family, the original owners of this architectural work. Its façade, without much fanfare, is striking for its coat of arms and its characteristic style.

Arrue Palace: We are undoubtedly in front of one of the most relevant buildings of Segura, a palace of the early sixteenth century, which was located next to one of the access gates to the old walled town (the portal of Castile or above). The fire of Segura in 1645 destroyed part of the Arrue Palace, which led to the construction of the last 2 floors that we can see today. If we look at the brick facade of this addition, we can see the coat of arms of the Arrue family next to the 6 wrought iron balconies and the gallery of 17 arches at the top.

Art: In Segura we find works of art scattered throughout its urban core. Murals, sculptures, monuments… Elements, which perfectly complement each of the palaces, churches and manor houses that we have mentioned above.

These are just some of the most important places in Segura, if you want to know more in detail this Basque town, we recommend a visit to the hermitage of San Andrés, the medieval gullies or the Basozabal house. We hope that all these spaces encourage you to travel to Segura and enjoy its incredible historical and cultural heritage.

Location of Segura.

The town of Segura is located in the heart of the Goierri region, in the south of the province of Gipuzkoa. At about 230 meters above sea level. It is crossed by the Oria River and surrounded by the Aizkorri, Txindoki, Santa Barbara and Maudinamendi mountains. Segura is 50 kilometers from Donostia San Sebastian, 70 kilometers from Vitoria Gasteiz and 90 kilometers from Bilbao. It is surrounded by the municipalities of Mutiloa, Zegama, Idiazabal and Zerain.

Guided tours in Segura.

In our opinion, guided tours are the best way to get to know this incredible town in Gipuzkoa. Unfortunately, this service is currently only offered to groups. In any case, we encourage you to contact us through our contact form to try to create a group to visit this medieval town. On the other hand, if you are looking for this kind of experiences in Euskadi, we encourage you to visit our reservation center.

Hiking in Segura.

Throughout the length and breadth of Segura we find dozens of informative signs that encourage us to walk the different trails that run along the town. And it is that outside the urban core there are several routes that allow us to enjoy natural areas such as Mount Santa Barbara, the Santa Engracia neighborhood or the village of Zerain.

How to get to Segura.

If you are looking for how to get to Segura, we recommend you to read this section carefully. And it is that here we are going to indicate you all the existing possibilities to arrive to this beautiful urban nucleus.

History of Segura.

The town of Segura was built in the 13th century by order of Alfonso X with a clear strategic objective. At that time the province of Gipuzkoa became part of Castile, leaving behind its past with the Kingdom of Navarre. A historical moment in which Segura represented one of the most important commercial towns in the north. The road linking Castile with the coast passed directly through this Basque town. In fact, during the XV and XVI centuries Segura became one of the most important commercial towns in the north. In 1996 Segura was declared a Historic-Artistic Monumental Site due to the good state of conservation of its historic center.

Fiestas of Segura.

The town of Segura has several important festivities throughout the year. Among them, we must highlight the festivities of the town, San Juan (June 24). A day marked on the calendar that is accompanied by other festivities such as the day of the awakening of the bear (Friday of carnival), the typical celebrations of Easter, the fair of flowers and plants (March), the festival of Basque culture Iparra Hegoa, the medieval fair, the dance championship of Euskal Herria or the day of San Nicolas Txiki (December 6). During this type of festivities the town breathes a great festive atmosphere accompanied by a varied program of festivities. Days marked in the calendar in which important days of bertsolaris, ball games, music, etc. are celebrated. Highly recommended.

Video of Segura.

As usual, we wanted to create a short video to complement the words and pictures of this article about Segura. We hope it will help you to get a more realistic idea of what awaits you at your next destination in Gipuzkoa. In case you like this kind of videos we encourage you to subscribe to our YouTube channel, we are sure you will find many interesting videos.

What to see near Segura.

The villages surrounding Segura make the Goierri region of Gipuzkoa offer us a nice range of places to see and enjoy. But we must not forget other areas such as the Basque capitals or the coastal towns, which, located less than 1 hour away, offer us the possibility of enjoying highly recommendable experiences.

Where to park in Segura.

The transit with motor vehicles inside the historic center of Segura is restricted. Only residents and authorized persons may enter the interior. Be careful. And there are cameras that control this access. In any case, you should know that there is a parking for cars and motorcycles and another for motor homes and vans next to the convent of the Immaculate Conception. In case these parking lots are not enough, you should know that there are more parking spaces along the roads surrounding the town of Segura.

As you have seen Segura is one of the most striking villages of Euskadi. An urban nucleus that, located in the interior of Gipuzkoa, in the region of Goierri, invites us to enjoy the authentic culture of Euskadi. In case you have any questions about what to see in Segura, we encourage you to use the comment system that you will find below these lines to let us know. We will try to answer you as soon as possible. Ondo pasa!