Hotel Iturregi

Activities

• There’s a very pretty beach at Getaria. It can get busy on weekends in summer, otherwise it’s all yours. You can hire sunshades for the day
  
  
• Also in Getaria is the Cristóbal Balenciaga museum. Balenciaga, a famous 20th-century fashion designer described by Christian Dior as ‘the master of us all’, grew up in the town
  
  
• Borrow one of the hotel's bikes and follow the coastal path east to Zarautz. Zarautz is a modern town with shops, restaurants, bars and a good beach
  
  
• Half an hour’s drive away is San Sebastián, a magical city. It has 2 beaches, one for surfers, another (La Concha) for sun worshippers. The latter, bang in the middle of town, is huge, with a bay in front, wonderful old apartments strung out behind, and a statue of Christ on top of the hill. The Old Town stands between the 2 beaches, with pintxos bars for a quick bite and the odd beer. There’s good shopping over by the cathedral and some serious restaurants, too
  
  
• Head inland to discover big valleys, vineyards (staff can arrange visits and tastings) and mountain villages. And some rock art - these hills are full of the stuff. Unfortunately, these days the art is off limits, but check out Ekainberri at Zestoa, where a nearby cave and its art have been recreated. Then drop down to Azpeitia to visit the sanctuary at Loyola, a shrine to St Ignatius, the founder of the Jesuits. There’s a parkland garden and an impressive basilica
  
  
• Bilbao is less than an hour by car. The Guggenheim is the big draw, but afterwards follow the river over to the Old Town for a drink
  
  
• Well worth a visit is Guernica, a hugely symbolic town and a seat of Basque law-making for centuries. Madrid may now be home to Picasso’s eponymous painting, created in response to the fascists’ bombing of the town in 1937, but a replica stands close to Guernica's ancient parliament