Zumaia » Location » Access and communications



Entry to Zumaia

Zumaia lies on the junction of two important communication routes: San Sebastián-Bilbao and Zumaia-Zumárraga, ever since the Urola train joined the San Sebastián-Bilbao line.

Although it is a long time since Urola was in its hey day, Zumaia still maintains this strategic character, since the express trains and modern buses that replaced the beloved wagons of Urola can be used to communicate with Zumárraga or Azkoitia.

For communications with San Sebastián (Donostia) or Bilbao, the trains have always been used. The service was renovated some years ago, so now the one linking Zumaia with San Sebastián (Donostia) takes approximately 40 minutes.

There is also a bus service that runs regularly from Zumaia to San Sebastián (Donostia) via the motorway, which is why communications with the Guipuzcoan capital and the towns along this route can be described as good.



Guernica Bridge

Whoever prefers to use their own car to travel between San Sebastián and Bilbao has two options: the N634 or the A8 Bilbao-Behobia motorway. For those not in a hurry, we advise the main N634 road, especially in the section between Zumaia and Zarautz, since the landscape offered by the coast along the short 10 kilometre distance is very attractive. In addition, along the side of the road, there are exclusive rest areas for those who want to enjoy the peace and quiet of the sea and the breeze. In the same direction, but towards Bilbao, it is worth staying on the N634 until Deba, because interspersed along that stretch are fantastic views of the mountains and the sea, along the cliffside, before entering Deba.

However, if time is short, the motorway is a good choice, since the time it takes is reduced considerably: 45 minutes is all you need to get to Bilbao and 25 minutes for San Sebastián (Donostia).

Regarding the Zumaia-Zumarraga route, there is a road that rises through the Urola Valley and links Zumaia with Loiola in 15 minutes, and with Urretxu and Zumárraga in something less than three quarters of an hour.

The nearest airports from where you can fly to the large cities in both Europe and the rest of the world are the following: Hondarribia, 35 minutes away; Biarritz, 45 minutes; Loiu, 50 minutes and Foronda, approximately an hour and a quarter away.

Long-haul trains too are not far away either: Zumarraga station links us with Madrid and Barcelona. Plus, the TGV and the rest of the trains that go to France stop at Hendaia or Irún, from where you can get to San Sebastián (Donostia) very easily.

Zumaia also has links with two other towns aswell, although only metaphorically speaking: Zumaglia and Zug Daira. Two towns it has been twinned with for not very long, the first Italian and the other Saharan.