Bermeo (Bizkaia)

Bermeo is a working fishing town on the Bizkaia coast of the Basque Country, about 33 km north-east of Bilbao by road, and the town nearest to San Juan de Gaztelugatxe. Euskotren trains from Bilbao end at Bermeo station, a five-minute walk from the old port, where the Ercilla Tower holds the Fishermen’s Museum. It suits travellers who want a real port town with good fish, as a base for Gaztelugatxe and the Urdaibai estuary; skip it if you want a long sandy beach or a polished resort.

Quick facts

• Names: Bermeo (same in Basque and Spanish). Locals are bermeotarras.
• Where: Busturialdea district, Bizkaia, at the mouth of the Urdaibai estuary and Biosphere Reserve, below Mount Sollube.
• Coordinates: 43.4204, -2.7212 (the Ercilla Tower, by the old port).
• Population: 17,038 (INE 2025, via Spanish Wikipedia).
• History: chartered as a town in the 1230s (1236 in most histories; spain.info gives 1239). Ferdinand the Catholic confirmed it as “head of Biscay” in 1476, a title it lost in 1602.
• Port: the leading fishing port of Bizkaia and the most important in the Basque Country for inshore fishing (Spanish Wikipedia).
• Tourist office: temporarily at Hurtado de Mendoza Kardenala 14 during building works; Monday–Saturday 10:00–15:00, Sunday 10:00–14:00, holidays 10:00–17:30 (Tourism Euskadi, checked November 2026).

Access and parking

By train: Euskotren line E4 runs from Bilbao to Bermeo (OpenStreetMap). Bermeo station is about 330 m from the Ercilla Tower and the old port.

By bus: the bus station (Portua) is about 200 m from the old port. Tourism Euskadi lists the Bizkaibus A3527 Bilbao–Mungia–Bermeo, which also stops at San Juan de Gaztelugatxe.

By car: the BI-631 links Bermeo with Bilbao (33 km, about 35 minutes, according to Spanish Wikipedia); the BI-2235 runs to Gernika and the BI-3101 to Bakio. OpenStreetMap shows several free surface car parks around the Lamera seafront, about 500 m north-west of the old port, and an underground car park under the municipal market. Motorhomes have a paid area at the Pérgola car park and a free dump station nearby.

What to expect

Bermeo makes no effort to be a resort. Spain.info calls it a fishing town whose harbour keeps its traditional seafaring character, and the main port still works. The old port (Portu Zaharra) and the old quarter above it are the part to explore: tall, brightly painted fishermen’s houses, narrow streets and squares. Spain.info lists these sights:

• Ercilla Tower, Gothic, the only survivor of about 30 towers that defended medieval Bermeo (Spanish Wikipedia); home to the Fishermen’s Museum since 1948.
• Santa Eufemia church, probably the oldest in Bermeo, where the lords of Biscay swore to respect the local laws.
• The cloister of San Francisco, built in 1357.
• The town hall of 1732, with two sundials on its front.
• The San Juan arch, a 14th-century town gate, and Casa Kinkubera, a “Basque rationalist” building shaped like a boat.

Tourism Euskadi adds Néstor Basterretxea’s monument to the painter Benito Barrueta, whose opening frames Izaro Island, and the casino, built like a French palace. The coast around has cliffs and islets, Cape Matxitxako, and the Tala wood above the town.

The Fishermen’s Museum (Arrantzaleen Museoa) is, says Tourism Euskadi, one of the few museums anywhere devoted only to the life, work and techniques of fishermen, with gear, boats and objects from prehistory to today. Torronteroko Enparantza s/n; phone +34 946 881 171. Hours checked November 2026: Tuesday–Saturday 10:00–14:00 and 16:00–19:00, Sunday 10:00–14:00.

San Juan de Gaztelugatxe from Bermeo

Gaztelugatxe, the islet with a hermitage reached by a stone bridge and 241 steps, belongs to Bermeo and lies about 8 km from the town centre (Tourism Euskadi). You need a free entry ticket, obtained in advance, to walk out to it. The A3527 bus from Bermeo stops there, and a shared taxibus also runs. See our San Juan de Gaztelugatxe guide for the booking details and the walk.

Accessibility and safety

Best time to visit

Late spring to early autumn gives the mildest weather. The town fiestas run in early September: Andra Mari (also called Nuestra Señora de Almike) on 7–8 September, Fishermen’s Day (Arrantzaleen eguna) on 9 September and Santa Eufemia on 16 September, with a farm fair. The Magdalena on 22 July is the other big local day. Spring and autumn are also the quiet seasons at Gaztelugatxe.

Nearby alternatives

• Mundaka, 2.3 km away: the surf village on the Urdaibai estuary, next door.
• Isla de Izaro, 3.0 km away: the island framed by the Barrueta monument, seen from the Bermeo seafront.
• San Juan de Gaztelugatxe, 6.0 km away: the hermitage islet and its 241 steps.
• Bilbao, 24.1 km away: the Guggenheim and the Casco Viejo, at the end of the Euskotren line.
• Zumaia Flysch, 39.6 km away: the layered flysch cliffs at Zumaia.
• Getaria, 43.8 km away: another fishing village, on the Gipuzkoa coast.

Distances are in a straight line from the Ercilla Tower.

FAQ

How do I get from Bilbao to Bermeo?

Take Euskotren line E4 to its end at Bermeo, or the Bizkaibus A3527. By car the BI-631 takes about 35 minutes for the 33 km.

How far is Gaztelugatxe from Bermeo?

About 8 km from the town centre. You need a free ticket booked in advance, and the A3527 bus stops there.

Is there parking in Bermeo?

Yes. There are free surface car parks around the Lamera seafront, about 500 m from the old port, and an underground car park under the municipal market.

Does Bermeo have a beach?

Only small ones. Aritzatxu is a small cove about 900 m from the old port, with lifeguards, toilets and a bar in season; Arribolas is the other.

When is the Fishermen’s Museum open?

Tuesday to Saturday 10:00–14:00 and 16:00–19:00, Sunday 10:00–14:00 (Tourism Euskadi, checked November 2026).

Sources and freshness