The best city hikes and walks in Aizkorri-Aratz

Beautiful old steam locomotive next to the old Oñati train station.

The University of Oñate was founded in 1540 by Bishop Rodrigo Mercado de Zuazola, one of the most important Spanish humanists of the 16th century. It is the oldest university in the Basque Country. The University of Sancti Spiritus is undoubtedly Oñate's most famous landmark. It is considered one of the most important Renaissance civil buildings in the Basque Country. The building has a quadrangular floor plan and is arranged around a two-story courtyard, with the upper floor surrounded by a balustrade. The cloister consists of rounded arches on both floors, supported by cylindrical columns with Ionic capitals and coffered ceilings in the Mudéjar style. It is advisable to book a guided tour at the nearby Tourist Office. It costs 6 euros per person and includes a tour of the university and the Church of San Miguel Arcángel, Oñate's most important religious monument.

The Church of San Miguel is a Gothic-style religious building that immediately strikes with its grandeur and monumentality. It is located very close to the university building, making both buildings easily accessible. It is recommended to book a guided tour at the nearby tourist office. It costs €6 per person and includes a tour of the university and this church. The Church of San Miguel Arcángel is the most important religious monument in Oñate, a magnificent temple well worth exploring.

The town of Oñate is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful in the province of Guipúzcoa, surrounded by verdant mountains. It's worth strolling through its cobbled streets lined with historic palaces and mansions, and visiting some of its most important monuments, such as the Bidaurreta Monastery (only the chapel is accessible), the Sancti Spiritus University, the Church of San Miguel, and, of course, the Sanctuary of Aranzazu (about 10 kilometers from the town), the place where the image of the patron saint of Guipúzcoa is venerated.

The Plaza de los Fueros is a large rectangular pedestrian street that forms the center of the city and features several good taverns and restaurants with terraces under the arcades. Designed in the mid-19th century, it is a colonnaded square, enclosed on three sides, opening onto a small garden area, behind which is a large esplanade used for a street market on Saturdays. In this square of simple neoclassical buildings, the Town Hall building is particularly striking for its lavish and exuberant decoration.

The Town Hall building towers over Plaza de los Fueros. It is a Baroque building, built in 1758 by the Basque architect Martín de Carrera. The main façade features a portico with three large semicircular arches, above which opens a large lattice balcony with richly decorated, molded windows crowned by split pediments. The main façade is crowned by five pinnacles with an iron cross in the center.

Legazpi gained importance in the mid-20th century when it became one of the Basque industrial epicenters. Its location in Urola gives it a beautiful environment and it has a beautiful historic center. In addition, you can visit the Chillida Lentoki center, a space created to better understand the work of the San Sebastian sculptor Eduardo Chillida, who carried out some of his works in this town.

Beautiful town nestled in the Guipuzcoan valley of Alto Urola. The name of the town comes from Basque and means 'place of the elm'. The Urola River runs through the town and separates it from the municipality of Urretxu. Zumárraga is also the end point of the Urola greenway, a cycle route that runs through a beautiful rural landscape. A destination with a lot of charm and personality.