The Basque Country is located in the border region between France and Spain on the Bay of Biscay on the Atlantic coast. The most beautiful cities are Bayonne, Biarritz and of course San Sebastian. This region offers many first-class surf spots, including Anglet, Zuriolla Beach in Donostia, Zarautz and the longest left-hand wave in Europe - Mundaka.
With its beautiful backdrop of mountains, hills and lush greenery, the Basque Country with its culture and beautiful bays offers a multitude of sights and is a dream destination for all individual tourists. The numerous first-class reefs and beach breaks along the coast are almost secondary. Starting with the surf spots in the birthplace of European surfing in Biarritz-Anglet with its spots Cote des Basques, Les Cavaliers, Le Club and many more, you will find the reefs Avalanche, the point break Lafitenia and Belharra further south around Saint Jean de Luz. Every winter, the biggest waves in Europe are ridden here by big wave surfers in tow-in sessions. Belharra made it to the finals of the Billabong XXL Big Wave Awards 2003 with a 20m wave.
Drive along the D912 coastal road past the cliffs towards the Spanish border. Just before crossing over into the Spanish part of the Basque Country, you will find Hendaye, an insider tip among surfers. If the waves get too big and break close out everywhere on the coast, you will still find waves running at this surf spot. Hendaye is also a good choice for beginners to learn to surf.
The Spanish Basque Country impresses with its sloping hills at the foot of the Pyrenees with small bays, green meadows and forests, historic cities such as San Sebastian and Bilbao as well as many surf spots and places to stay. With its local beach Zurriola, the Rio of Spain San Sebastian offers many sights and a lively nightlife in the summer months. A good right-hand wave runs right by the wall at the basketball courts / parking lots at Zuriolla Beach. As in the rest of Spain, the locals can be unrelaxing if you don't have the right skills or language skills. We continue on the A8 highway towards Zarautz - another first-class surf spot in the Basque Country, just 20 km west of San Sebastian. With two campsites to the east of the city, you'll find a small town with young tourists from all over Europe. The fantastic sunsets and good waves mean that many surfers stay longer than planned. The journey continues on the coastal road N634 through small fishing villages, past the big wave spot Rocaputa, the villages of Guetaria and Zumaia in the direction of Mundaka. At Deva on the GI638 and then on the BI3428, you will experience the hinterland of the Spanish Basque Country in its original form.
With the town of Mundaka and its left-hand wave right at the harbor entrance, you will reach the best surf spot in Europe. Unfortunately, one of the longest lefthanders in the world only runs quite rarely, but most often in the winter months. Not far from Mundaka you will find the surf spots Laga, Laida, Bakio and El Basurero with enough waves to go surfing even in the summer months. If the forecast is bad, it's worth making a detour to the old town and the Gugenheim Museum in Bilbao. Unfortunately, we can't write down all the sights and tips from one of the most beautiful regions in Europe here, as we wanted to limit ourselves to surfing. To find out more, it's still worth reading a travel guide....so you don't miss anything!
You can find more information about surf camps and surf spots in the Basque Country in our surf camp directory and surf atlas.
