Private Gaztelugatxe Tours

Price, Length and Group

The table compares price per person, length, what happens at the islet and the group size, from each tour's own listing. Both carry a 5 rating and free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start.

Ratings and Operators

The Private Biscay Coast Day with Gaztelugatxe is guided by Jose Luis Ugena Menchaca and holds 5 from 162 reviews. The Private Gaztelugatxe and Txakoli Winery Day is run by Northern Spain Gastronomy and holds 5 from 5 reviews. The coast day lists ages 5 to 80.

The winery day runs in Spanish and English. On either day, the time at the islet sits next to the official advice: the Bizkaia provincial council tells visitors to allow about two and a half hours for the visit.

Inclusions Side by Side

The rows follow each listing's own inclusions and exclusions. The islet access itself is free of charge, so no tour fee is needed for it, but on controlled-access days somebody must hold a reservation.

Food on the Day

On the Private Biscay Coast Day with Gaztelugatxe food and drink are extra, so plan lunch in a coast town or pack food. Picnic tables stand along the Ermu route. On the Private Gaztelugatxe and Txakoli Winery Day lunch is regional appetizers and pintxos with regional wines, and the tasting covers 3 txakoli wines with local appetizers at a family winery near Bakio.

How to Book Your Own Free Ticket

Access is free, but on controlled-access days a free ticket must be reserved online on the official Gaztelugatxe Tiketa site. One request holds up to 10 tickets, which covers most private parties. Groups of 11 or more use the group process, with up to 34 tickets per request and a named responsible person.

Match your slot to the time your guide plans to reach the islet, since entry at any other time is not allowed.

• Show the ticket printed or on a mobile device at the attention point.
• Keep the confirmation email until you finish the route.
• A booking is cancelled automatically 60 minutes after the stated time.
• A no-show blocks new bookings for one year, so cancel from the link in the email if plans change.

If Bad Weather Changes the Plan

The province asks visitors who change plans because of bad weather to cancel online and book another day. On orange-alert days it advises against climbing to the hermitage during the affected hours. A private guide can move the islet later in the day, but only if a later slot is free.

The Official Access Calendar

The table lists the controlled-access days on the official calendar. On every other day access is free with no reservation or ticket. Summer days fill, so book early.

What You Get for the Effort

A stone bridge joins the islet to the coast, then 241 steps climb to the hermitage. At the top, visitors ring the bell three times for luck and to chase away evil spirits. Legend says St John the Baptist took three strides from Bermeo to the hermitage, leaving a footprint on the last step.

The first building is thought to date from the 9th century. It burned in 1978 and the major rebuild was finished in 1983. Turismo Euskadi lists the islet as Dragonstone, Daenerys Targaryen's castle in Game of Thrones.

The Coast Around It

Cape Matxitxako is the most projecting cape on the Cantabrian coast, with lighthouses from 1852 and 1909 and whale and dolphin watching from summer to autumn. The first marine reserve on the Basque coast lies between the cape and Bermeo. Akatx islet is a seabird sanctuary.

Urdaibai was listed by UNESCO as a Biosphere Reserve in 1984, and the txakoli day passes through it on the way to the winery.

Pickup and the Drive

The Private Biscay Coast Day with Gaztelugatxe collects you at your accommodation and lists pickup outside Biscay as not included. The Private Gaztelugatxe and Txakoli Winery Day includes pickup and a transfer. By car the route runs from Bilbao via BI-631 toward Loiu airport, then BI-2101 toward Bakio, about 45 minutes.

Cars can no longer drive down to the bridge, so every visitor walks down from the car parks by the old road. Motorhomes cannot enter those car parks because of a 2 metre height barrier.

Without a Private Car

From September to June there is no direct bus from Bilbao. Bizkaibus A3518 runs to Bakio and A3527 to Bermeo from Plaza Eliptica, then the A3524 van-taxi runs from Bakio, cash only since it does not take the BARIK card. Euskotren line E4 runs from Bilbao to Bermeo, and a bus is needed from there.

Bizkaibus timetables are on 946 125 555.

The Routes In and Out

The Bizkaia provincial council lists the walk as not recommended for people with heart or breathing problems, reduced mobility or strollers. Bring comfortable clothing and footwear, water and sun cream on sunny days.

The Viewpoint Option

The Private Biscay Coast Day with Gaztelugatxe notes that the full visit takes real effort and that the islet can also be seen from the viewpoints, so a party with mixed fitness can split up. The province says visitors with reduced mobility can enjoy the view from the lookout on the Ermu route. The Private Gaztelugatxe and Txakoli Winery Day includes the full walk, which reviewers describe as steep, so wear good shoes.

Only two sets of toilets exist on site, by the Urizarreta attention point and at the Ermu control point, staffed 10:00-19:00.

Match the Day to Your Party

The table pairs a common situation with the private day that fits it, using each listing's price, length and inclusions. If your party is 11 or more, the free access needs a group booking.