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Zarautz
«Zarautz tiene una playa muy popular para hacer surf.»Zarautz has a very popular beach for surfing.
Zarautz is located on the coast of Gipuzkoa, between Getaria and Orio, and has the longest beach in the Basque Country: two and a half kilometres of sand. It was a whaling port and later a holiday destination for the court; since the sixties, it has been one of the European capitals of surfing.
Did you know
The cradle of European surfing.
Zarautz beach is considered the longest continuous stretch of sand in the entire Basque Country and is the historical cradle of European surfing.
How they talk in Zarautz
Euskera is very much alive and «zarauztarra» is the demonym. «Olatu» means wave and the lexicon of surfing enters local conversations naturally.
agur
Greeting used to take leave and, depending on the context, also to say hello. Short greeting formula in Basque, very recognizable in the daily life of the Basque Country.
Everyday life in Zarautz
The long wave for surfing
The beach is one of the longest in the Basque Country and has a wave that works almost always: the surf schools are open all year round and the local children learn from a young age.
«Hoy entran buenas olas.» — Good waves are coming in today.
The «txakoli» from the hillsides
The vines of the acidic white grape grow on the hills above the town, looking at the sea: it is poured from a height to make it fizzy, and drunk young, from the current vintage.
«Un txakoli, mesedez.» — A txakoli, please.
The «Getaria» walk along the coast
The path on the cliff leads to the nearby town in an hour's walk, with the sea below: it is the walk that the zarauztarras do on Sundays.
«Se va andando por el acantilado.» — You go there on foot along the cliff.
What to eat in Zarautz
Pantxineta
Puff pastry with custard and almonds on top, served warm.
Talo con chistorra
Small corn flour flatbread cooked on the griddle and wrapped around chistorra.
Marmitako
Tuna soup with potatoes and choricero pepper, born on the boats.
Festivals in Zarautz
Euskal Jaiak
early September
People go out in the «traje baserritarra», the farmers' outfit, and dance to the sound of the txistu in front of the sea.
What to see in Zarautz
La playa
Two and a half kilometres of sand: the longest beach in the Basque Country, and the best for surfing.
Palacio de Narros
The palace by the sea where Queen Isabella II spent her summers.
Torre Luzea
The Gothic tower-house in the centre, one of the few remaining on the coast.
Talaimendi
The promontory to the east, with the remains of a Roman settlement and the view over the bay.
Where Zarautz comes from
The longest beach in the Basque Country
13th c.
The villa
Fernando III gives it the villa charter: it is born as a fishing port.
16th–17th c.
The whalers
The boats from Zarautz go hunting for whales as far as Newfoundland.
19th c.
The holidaymakers
The court and the bourgeoisie of Madrid spend the summer here: palaces are built by the sea.
1960 → today
Surfing
The long wave of the bay makes the beach one of the European capitals of surfing.
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