7 Lovely Things to Do in Lekeitio, Spain’s Basque Gem

Little Lekeitio in the Basque Country is one of my favorite hidden gems in all of Spain. Bilbao’s got the Guggenheim, San Sebastián’s got the foodie cred — but little beachside Lekeitio stole my heart.

About an hour outside of the larger Basque cities of Bilbao and San Sebastián, this quiet coastal town is home to not one but two of Spain’s loveliest beaches — and it’s a must-stop if you’re doing a road trip through Basque Country, connecting Bilbao to San Sebastián to St-Jean-de-Luz and Biarritz in France.

There’s not a ton of actual checklist-y things to do in Lekeitio.

But that’s exactly the charm. This seaside escape is perfect for slow travel, lazy beach days, and pintxos-filled evenings. It’s also a great waypoint between Bilbao and San Sebastián if you’re doing a road trip along Spain’s Northern coast.

Wander through the Old Town

Lekeitio’s main roads pretty much leave no way to get lost. Virtually every street winds its way downhill toward the beach.

Along the way, all the streets dotted with casual bars and restaurants where locals gather over cider, txakoli (the local young white wine), and of course, freshly caught seafood.

If you get hungry, order a few pintxos — the Basque version of tapas — and enjoy your snack.

Visit Lekeitio’s Gothic church

Before you reach the sea, you’ll spot the town’s beautiful basilica, the Asunción de Santa María of Lekeitio.

This striking stone building has beautiful arches on the exterior ceiling, curving upwards, resembling the ribcage of a whale. It’s not always open — it wasn’t when I visited — but if it is, it’s supposed to be really intricate on the interior as well.

Take in the views from Isuntza Beach

Walk past the church and you’ll be rewarded with a postcard-perfect view: Lekeitio’s first beach, Isuntza, and its small, colorful harbor.

When I visited, it happened to be during one of the Basque Country’s rare heat waves (this is one of the cooler regions of Spain) — so the beach was packed with locals enjoying the “scorching” weather.

To put that in perspective, Lekeitio’s July norms hover around high temperatures of 75°F (24°C). That is to say, their heat wave was basically my Californian definition of a pleasant summer day.

Walk toward the bridge for a hidden view

Keep strolling towards the right as you pass Isuntza Beach and you’ll find the scenery changing in an unexpected way: a stretch of turquoise water so clear and vibrant you’d swear you’d stumbled into the Caribbean or Southeast Asia.

As you near the bridge, you’ll come across a small rental hut where you can grab a kayak or stand-up paddleboard. Looking back, I wish I’d carved out more time here to paddle across those teal shallow waters and soak it all in.

Keep walking to Karraspio Beach

About ten minutes farther along the path, you’ll reach Karraspio Beach, the quieter and, in my opinion, lovelier of Lekeitio’s two beaches.

Here, the crowds thin out, and you’ll get a perfect view of San Nicolás Island, a tiny green bump that looks almost within reach… and it actually is, sometimes.

Watch the “Pathway to Nowhere” at low tide

So that island I mentioned above? I know it doesn’t look like it from this photo I took during high tide, but during low tide, you can actually walk or wade your way across the sandbar to explore it.

From Karraspio, you can look back toward the colorful harbor and watch one of Lekeitio’s coolest sights: people appearing to walk on water as they cross the narrow pathway to San Nicolás Island.

End the day with pintxos by the sea

When the sun starts to dip, head back into town for round two (or three) of pintxos and Basque cider. This is when the city is a lot livelier and wakes up from its sleepier daytime vibes.

Just know that in Spain, a lot of restaurants close during the middle of the day and don’t re-open until proper dinner hours. For example, one restaurant I loved, Restaurante Mantxua, has dinner hours only between 8:30 PM and 10 PM!

Allison Green

Allison Green is a former teacher who has been travel blogging since 2016, visiting 75+ countries in total. She has a Masters in Teaching and a B.A. in English and Creative Writing. As a former educator, she merges her writing and educational experience to encourage ethical, sustainable travel. She has been a speaker at the World Travel Writers Conference and TBEX. Her writing, photography, and podcasting work has appeared in National Geographic, CNN Arabic, CBC Canada, and Forbes, amongst others. When she’s not on the road, she lives in Bangkok, Thailand.