San Sebastian 2018/2019 Guide

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1.

BEHINDTHE GREENHEART

INLANDROUTE

Goierri is overlooked by the always magical Aralar Mountains which are dominated by the Txindoki Peak, a symbol of the Basque mountains and landscape; our very own Matterhorn. In the centre of the region, in Beasain , you can visit the monuments of Igartza and travel back in time to medieval Gipuzkoa: the 12th century bridge, the mill, the winepress and the splendid wood and stone structure of the palace.

GIPUZKOA’S HEART ISN’T RED, IT’S GREEN AND WINDING: deep valleys, curved roads, villages built next to the rivers that cross the region in an inevitably ornate style. The inland has a wealth of curves, slopes and places that are well worth visiting. The N-1 that crosses the valley of the River Oria is the main road connecting the north and the south. You won’t have to drive too far to reach Tolosa , a noble town that was the capital of Gipuzkoa for ten years in the 19 th century. It would be an excellent idea to head to Tolosa one Saturday

BASQUE

morning, when they hold the bustling and colourful farmer’s market. Another unique market is in Ordizia , a few kilome- tres to the south. They’ve been holding its market for five centuries in the very heart of the old town, which has been declared a Historic-Artistic Site. Every

Tolosa

Wednesday you get the chance to experience one of the more tradi- tional aspects of the Basque way of life. We’re now in the Basque Highlands, where nature, culture and cuisine come together to form an enticing tourist attraction. If you go back a little down the River Oria you’ll come to Beasain , an industrious town and the epicentre of Goierri. And very close by, in Ataun , you can visit the Barandiaran Museum, which is a Basque mythology museum. There’s not a great deal of distance from there to Idiazabal , which is famous for the designation of origin of its cheese. And you also have Segura very nearby, one of the region’s most elegant and beautiful villages, which was founded in the thirteenth 13 th . Its narrow cob- blestone streets are unique in Gipuzkoa, as are the nearby Aizpea mines (in the town of Zerain), a unique cultural site where you can contemplate the impact that iron mining has had on the landscape, culture and Basque society since the 11 th century. After passing through Mutiloa, you come to the town of Ormaiztegi , where you can visit the Zumalakarregi Museum. Located in the house where the Carlist general Tomás Zumalakarregi was born.

# GOITUR, GOIERRI TURISMOA T: 943 16 18 23 www.goierriturismo.com

# TOLOSALDEA TOUR T: 943 69 74 13 www.tolosaldea.eus

DONOSTIA/ SAN SEBASTIAN

G I P U Z KOA

TOLOSA

ORDIZIA RENFE From Train Station

TOLOSA T5 From Avda. de la Libertad,28

BEASAIN

ORDIZIA

N AVA R R A

ZERAIN ORMAIZTEGI

IDIAZABAL

RENFE

SEGURA

ATAUN

Segura