The western coast: Covaron and Castro Urdiales

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Impressive coastline, beaches and history

Following the coastline from Santurtzi towards the west, we find a beautiful landscapes full of history. The old docks, used in the 19th and 20th centuries to load the iron from the mines, have now been converted into beautiful promenades and beaches, available to be enjoyed at any time of the year.

5.6 km from Santurtzi, we find the small port of Zierbana, a place to swim in the sea, have a drink or eat some seafood. It is a very popular place for lunch on Sundays.

7 km further we find  Playa de la Arena, a popular beach almost 1 km long. Surfing and kite surfing are very popular here.

At the end of the Playa de la Arena,after crossing a bridge to Pobeña and walking a few metres, we find stairs on the right that lead us to the Paseo del Covararon, This elevated seafront promenade used to be a railway. The views of the Cantabrian shore are astonishing and we can find archeological remains of the mining activity there. The first part of the promenade ends in Covaron, and is about 2 km long.  The second part consists of 3 km more, to Ontón, a village in Cantabria, the province that borders Biscaya on the west.

Zierbana, Playa de la Arena and Covaron all have bus connections with Santurtzi. Bus A3335 drives to Playa de la Arena, Pobeña and Covaron and Bus A3321 to Playa de la Arena. More information:

Castro Urdiales, only 18 km from Santurtzi, is one of the closest towns in Cantabria, after the border with Biscay. It is a very popular summer retreat among Basque people. Its natural port and nice climate were an attraction for ancient civilisations.

There are, for example, archeological remains from the Roman Empire. There is a picturesque old town, with many bars and restaurants, as well as a fishing port and Marina. But what makes this town perfect for summer is the number of beaches: 6 beaches, 3 of them in the centre of Castro Urdiales.

To get to Castro, there are buses from Bilbao and Castro Urdiales.