Oñati, Arantzazu and the Heart of Gipuzkoa

Oñati is the hidden gem of inland Gipuzkoa: a stately town nestled in a green valley that for centuries served as the cultural and intellectual heart of the Basque Country. Its Universidad del Sancti Spiritus, founded in 1540 by Bishop Rodrigo Mercado de Zuazola, was the first and only university in the Basque Country until the creation of the UPV in 1968, and its Plateresque facade is one of the most beautiful Renaissance works in all of northern Spain. The cloister, with Herrerian-style columns and a monumental staircase, is a space of an elegance that surprises in a town of barely 11,000 inhabitants.

The Santuario de Arantzazu, 9 km from Oñati along a mountain road that climbs through beech forests, is the boldest work of modern Basque architecture. Built in the 1950s–60s, its facade is covered by the sculptures of Jorge Oteiza (14 apostles in limestone with abstract, geometric forms that were controversial at the time) and the gate by Eduardo Chillida. The interior, with fresco paintings by Néstor Basterretxea in the crypt, creates a sacred space of radical modernity that engages in dialogue with the Basque religious tradition.

The roads surrounding Oñati and the Deba valley are the paradigm of the inland Basque road: narrow, winding, with flawless asphalt (the Basque Country maintains its roads obsessively), lush vegetation on both sides (the constant rain produces an intense green reminiscent of Ireland), and generally light traffic. The GI-2630 connecting Oñati with Mondragón via the Puerto de Udana is a short but intense stretch of technical curves through beech forests.

The mountainous surroundings of Oñati include the Sierra de Aizkorri, home to the highest peak in Gipuzkoa (Aizkorri, 1,528 m), and the Arrikrutz caves, a karst system with giant stalactites and Pleistocene fauna remains (cave lions, woolly rhinoceroses). The caves are open to visitors, and the access road passes through a landscape of limestone mountains with beech woods and pastures where latxa sheep graze — the native breed used to make Idiazábal cheese.

Rider practicalities: inland Gipuzkoa receives heavy rainfall (over 1,500 mm per year), so rain gear is essential. May to October is the best season, but even in summer it can rain. The roads are excellent. Fuel stations in Oñati, Mondragón, and Bergara. For eating, the pintxo bar in Oñati (Bar Etxeberri) is famous throughout Gipuzkoa, and the charcoal-grilled beef chop (txuleta) is the signature dish of inland Basque cuisine.