Urola Kosta Region

The Urola Kosta district occupies the central stretch of the Gipuzkoa coast, between Donostia-San Sebastián and Deba, grouping five municipalities — Aia, Getaria, Orio, Zarautz and Zumaia — with a combined population of around 74,000. It is a coastal strip where flysch cliffs alternate with sandy beaches, working fishing ports and an inland landscape of green hills crossed by the Urola and Oria rivers. Proximity between sea, mountain and village is the constant here: from any point, the Cantabrian Sea is less than 15 minutes away.

The most distinctive geological feature of Urola Kosta is the flysch coastline between Zumaia and Deba, declared a UNESCO Global Geopark of the Basque Coast in 2010. The tilted sedimentary rock layers, exposed by marine erosion, record a continuous geological history spanning roughly 60 million years, including the K/Pg boundary marking the mass extinction event 66 million years ago. Zumaia's intertidal platform, accessible on foot from the San Telmo hermitage, is one of Europe's most extensive marine abrasion platforms. The Algorri interpretation centre, beside Itzurun beach, offers guided visits to the strata and scientific context on the geological events recorded in the rock.

Zarautz has Gipuzkoa's longest beach — about 2,500 metres of sand that serves as the surfing epicentre of the Basque coast. International surf competitions are held here in autumn, when the north-westerly swell builds consistency. The seafront promenade connects Zarautz to Getaria along a 4 km coastal path running between Monte San Antón (known as the Mouse of Getaria for its silhouette) and the txakoli vineyards sloping down to the sea. Getariako Txakolina — a DO wine — is made from Hondarribi Zuri (95%) and Hondarribi Beltza (5%) grapes and produced in wineries on the coastal hillside itself. Harvest takes place in September and the young wine reaches the market between November and December.

Getaria, birthplace of Juan Sebastián Elcano, keeps an active fishing port where open-air fish grills operate year-round. Sea bream, line-caught hake and seasonal anchovies are charcoal-grilled at the harbour restaurants using a technique that has generated a culinary tradition specific to this coast. Orio, at the mouth of the River Oria, combines a sandy beach with a riverside walk and a trainera (rowing competition) tradition that shapes the village's social calendar every summer.

Aia, the inland municipality, provides the district's rural dimension: working farmsteads (baserriak), artisan Idiazabal cheese dairies and access to the Pagoeta Natural Park, where 130 hectares of Atlantic woodland with beech and oak allow low-difficulty walks with coastal views from the higher elevations. The combination of beach, cliff, geological heritage, fishing gastronomy and winemaking within a 20 km radius makes Urola Kosta a district where each municipality adds a distinct layer of experience without requiring long journeys.