The site
Asteasu and surroundings
Services - culture - leisure
Asteasu (www.asteasu.eus) is a small town of 1,500 inhabitants located in the Aiztondo valley of Gipuzkoa www.gipuzkoaturismoa.eus/eu . It has two neighborhoods: “Elizmendi” in the upper part with the parish church, and “kalea” the main nucleus.
In this main nucleus around the square are the Town Hall, Health Center and Culture Center, sports center, pharmacy, bars, restaurant, commerce, etc. It is the place where the writer Bernardo Atxaga was inspired to create the literary geography of “Obabakoak”. Obaba, the world created by Bernardo Atxaga appears in the publication Literary Wonderlands (Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers), a book that collects the 100 most important imaginary universes created by universal literature.
The small towns of Aduna (6 km), Zizurkil (3 km), Alkiza (6 km), Larraul (3 km) together with Asteasu make up the so-called Aiztondo valley in Tolosaldea. www.tolosaldea.eus Donostia-San Sebastian, the provincial capital, is less than 30 minutes away by car. The same as the coast of Orio, Zarautz…communicated by the GI2631, a road of great scenic interest. www.kostaldea.eu.
Health
- Public Health Center in Asteasu - tf. 943692423
- Pharmacy in Asteasu - tf. 94369008
- EMERGENCY telephone 112
Communications
- BUS that connects Asteasu and the rest of the villages in the valley with Villabona and Tolosa. www.lurraldebus.eus
- BUS in Villabona, which communicates with Donostia-San Sebastian and Tolosa. www.lurraldebus.eus
- Railway station in “Villabona-Zizurkil”. www.renfe.com/es/es/cercanias/cercanias-san-sebastian
Nature
- Asteasu is located at the foot of the Ernio-Gazume massif (1,070m), the emblematic mountain of Gipuzkoa. www.fagus-alkiza.eus
- Hiking is practicable throughout the environment. Some of them are described on the website of the town hall. www.asteasu.eus
- Via Verde in the Leitzaran Valley, a protected biotope. Access from Andoain (10 km) www.Andoain.eus/es/via_verde_plazaola www.Tolosaldea.eus/zer-egin/plazaola-bide-berdea
- Natural park of Pagoeta, Iturraran farmhouse, Agorregi ironworks, in Aia (15 km) www.gipuzkoanatura.eus/eu/parketxeak/iturraran
- Geopark of the Basque coast, from Zumaia (38 km). www.geoparkea.eus/es/
- Caves of Mendukilo a few kilometers from Lekunberri (Navarra). https://mendukilo.com/
Culture
- Architectural and landscape heritage, of great interest in all the towns of the valley.
- Basque is the language of majority use.
- “The path of the lizard” a signposted walk through the town, which runs through the places where the writer B.Atxaga was inspired to create the aforementioned literary geography of “Obabakoak”. www.muskerrarenbidea.eus
- Small ethnographic museum in Larraul (3km) www.larraulekomuseoa.net
- Open-air museum of the artist Koldobika Jauregi in Alkiza (2 km) www.urmara.com
- TOPIC puppet museum in Tolosa. https://topic.eus
- Chillida Leku Open Air Museum, near Donostia-San Sebastian www.museochillidaleku.com
- Ethnographic Museum San Telmo in Donostia / San Sebastian. www.santelmomuseoa.eus
Sports, leisure & entertainment
Asteasu
- Outdoor municipal pool.
- Bicycle lane Asteasu – Villabona.
- “Romeria” or pilgrimage to the mount Ernio every Sunday in September.
Tolosa
- Former capital of Gipuzkoa. Historic center of interest
- Market of local products every Saturday in Tolosa. www.tolosaldea.eus
Goierri
- The region of Goierri is in the southeast of Guipuzcoa, has 18 villages most of them with fewer than 1000 inhabitants.
- Hermitage of La Antigua in Zumarraga. One of the three visits of the route of the Temples, together with the sanctuaries of Loiola and Arantzazu. https://tierraignaciana.com/es/hiru-tenpluak/antio
- Market for agricultural products all Wednesday. https://www.ordiziakoazoka.eus/en/#
Orio, Zarautz, Getaria, Zumaia
- Beaches, surfing, gastronomy … www.kostaldea.eu
- Information on beaches www.gipuzkoa.eus/es/web/ingurumena/playas/informacion
Ondarribia
- Coastal border town. Nice old town, beach. https://www.bidasoaturismo.com/
Pasaia, Pasai Donibane
- Outstanding old helmets. http://www.oarsoaldeaturismoa.eus/es/
- Albaola The Basque Maritime Factory, located in Pasajes San Pedro (Pasaia, Gipuzkoa) is an innovative space where artisanal maritime technology is recovered and valued. The Factory is open to the public. www.albaola.com/es/
- Mater Boat Ecoactive Museum. MATER is a classic Cantabrian tuna boat. It is based in Pasaia, Gipuzkoa, from where it develops trips along the coast and offers a wide range of activities related to culture and the marine environment. www.mater.eus
Deba, Mutriku
- West coast of Gipuzkoa.
Donostia-San Sebastian
- Capital of Gipuzkoa. Car access to the center is not recommended. www.sansebastianturismoa.eus
- Historical amusement park on Mount Igeldo. From its terrace you can see one of the most famous views of Donostia. https://www.monteigueldo.es/
Northern Basque Country
- With the extensive beach of Hendaia and cities as beautiful as San Juan de Luz, although in summer there is a lot of tourism, it is worth visiting https://www.en-pays-basque.fr/es/
San Juan de Gaztelugatxe on the coast of Bizkaia
- Many people in summer. You must reserve an admission ticket. https://turismourdaibai.com/es/
Bilbao, Vitoria-Gasteiz
Pamplona-Iruña