Logbook · 14 places

What to see and do in Ondarroa

What to see and do in Ondarroa (Lea-Artibai / Markina-Ondarroa, Bizkaia): 14 places across monuments, nature, activities and curiosities, with a photo and a Google Maps location.

1 Villages · 6 Monuments · 1 Nature · 1 Activities · 1 Curiosities · 3 Historical milestones · 1 Food and drink

When to go to Ondarroa: festival calendar

May: Antxoa Eguna, fiesta de la anchoa (second Saturday of May)

How far each place is from the centre of Ondarroa

Towns near Ondarroa

What to see in Mutriku 3.2 km · 10 places
What to see in Berriatua 4.1 km · 8 places
What to see in Mendexa 6 km · 5 places
What to see in Deba 6.4 km · 11 places
What to see in Amoroto 7.6 km · 8 places
What to see in Mendaro 8.2 km · 10 places
What to see in Lekeitio 8.3 km · 12 places
What to see in Markina-Xemein 8.6 km · 11 places

Spain › Basque Country › Bizkaia › Lea-Artibai / Markina-Ondarroa › Ondarroa

What to see and do in Ondarroa

Ondarroa
Village
Villa whose first documentary reference dates from 1027 (charter of Sancho Garcés III); it received a settlement charter on 28 September 1327 from María Díaz de Haro, with the charter of Logroño, and was walled by royal order in 1335. It has traditionally been one of the main fishing ports of the Basque Country. It has 8,060 inhabitants (INE, 2025) in just 3.6 km², one of the highest population densities in Spain.
Casco histórico de Ondarroa
Monument
Urban ensemble of medieval origin, with buildings mostly rebuilt in the 19th century after the fires suffered during the Wars of the Bands (1462-1473); it was declared a Bien Cultural Calificado, the Basque regional heritage designation, under the category of Conjunto Monumental (Monumental Ensemble), in 1994.
Puente Plaiko Zubixe
Monument
1927 bridge over the Ondarroa estuary, declared a Bien Cultural Calificado, the Basque regional heritage designation, under the category of monument.
Ocupación francesa de Ondarroa de 1794
Historical milestone
On 28 August 1794, during the War of the Convention against revolutionary France, French troops occupied the town and burned nine houses.
Iglesia de Santa María
Monument
Late Gothic church built between 1462 and 1480, with Burgundian-influenced sculptures and characteristic gargoyles, the main religious landmark of Ondarroa's old town.
Ermita de Nuestra Señora de la Antigua
Monument
Patron sanctuary of medieval origin (12th century) rebuilt in 1750, located on the heights above Ondarroa.
Torre de Likona
Monument
15th-century Basque tower house linked by family tradition to San Ignacio de Loyola, whose mother, Marina Sáez de Licona, was born there.
Puente Nuevo de Ondarroa
Monument
Bridge designed by José León de Izaguirre in 1857, which historically served as a crossing point between Guipúzcoa and Biscay over the Artibai estuary.
Playa de Saturrarán
Nature
Beach shared between Ondarroa and Mutriku, near the Peña Fraile cliffs, on the stretch of coast towards Lekeitio.
Fundación de la villa de Ondárroa
Historical milestone
María Díaz de Haro granted a founding charter to Ondárroa on 28 September 1327, although the name of the settlement is already documented from 1027. In 1335 it also received a royal privilege to collect the toll on the medieval bridge over the Artibai.
Prisión Central de Saturrarán
Historical milestone
Between 1938 and 1944, a Francoist prison for female political prisoners operated on Saturrarán beach, near Ondarroa.
Antxoa Eguna, fiesta de la anchoa
Activity
A day dedicated to the anchovy in Ondarroa, with pintxo and fillet contests and popular tastings around the port's flagship product.
Anchoa de Ondarroa
Food and drink
The anchovy is Ondarroa's signature gastronomic product, supported by a canning industry active since the late 19th century and celebrated in fillet and pintxo contests.
Rivalidad histórica entre Ondarroa y Lekeitio
Curiosity
The two towns maintained disputes over resources for centuries: the timber of the Amallo area, whaling from 1581, and lobster fishing, the latter dispute settled in 1763.