Since I can’t seem to get enough of Basque fishing villages, my friends and I did a two-for-one the other weekend, visiting the towns of Bermeo and Mundaka. We took the bus to Bermeo, a larger town on the Bay of Biscay, and the most important fishing port in Basque Country. We then walked half an hour along the coast/highway (watch out) to the tiny village of Mundaka, known for having some of the best surfing waves in Europe. 

Bermeo

In Bermeo part of the wall along the sea was roped off because some enormous waves the previous weekend had broken the concrete—impressive. Remember this video I took in Lekeitio? Same stormy sea. We appreciated the sun and the colorful buildings and little boats, and then headed on to our next stop. Gotta love these tiny fishing ports, but there’s only so much to see and so many cafés to enter before you have your fill of the place. Onwards!

Mundaka

Mundaka is miniscule. With a population circling 2,000, it’s at once a place I’d die to see and die if I lived there. Upon entering the town, you get a great view of the Chapel of Santa Catalina, which is an appropriately tiny church for its tiny town. But despite being such a pinpoint on the map, people come from far and wide to surf Mundaka’s epic waves. We didn’t see many the day we went, but I’ve met travelers in Basque Country who came from as far as New Zealand to check out the surf scene. But me, I’m more into the fishing boats ;)

In Mundaka we grabbed some wine and pintxos, and then headed back. A very tranquilo day, no big plans, just a little taste of the coast and those oh-so-charming fishing villages that make my heart flutter every time. I know where to buy my vacation home if I ever hit it big.

You can reach Bermeo and Mundaka from Bilbao by Bizkaibus or Euskotren.

Have you visited the Basque Coast? Are you equally infatuated with fishing villages? 

About The Author

Jenny

Jenny Marshall studied Language, Culture, and Society at the University of California Santa Barbara, and now teaches English in Spain. Here she writes about the intersection of language and culture, and lives a life translated by travel.