Camping Zingira

The closest of the Gipuzkoa province's 17 clean and mainly urban beaches are Zarautz (eight kilometres) and La Concha (10 kilometres), which are also the two most popular (La Concha or, in Basque, Kontxa Hondartza, is a particularly famed urban European beach). Other excellent day trip options are the beaches of Hondarribia and Saturrarán, within 40 to 50 minutes' drive, and snapping pics of the cliffs between Zumaia and Deba, to the north-east along the coast. If you hanker after Gipuzkoa’s mountains as well as its beaches and coastal towns, go and see Mount Jaizkibel 42 kilometres away, or the peaks of the Aralar Natural Park, on the border of Gipuzkoa and Navarre in the Aralar Range. For urban sightseeing, there's the Cristóbal Balenciaga Museum in Getaria, the big staircase in Mutriku's Nuestra Señora de la Asunción Church, and of course spectacular San Sebastián, for its aquarium, Old Town and parks, and pintxos in the many local bars (the town has the highest concentration of bars in the world). Walking trails and guided tours are available in Pagoeta Natural Park, half an hour's drive away.