The Euskotren is a railway system that links together the two Basque provinces of Bizkaia and Gipuzkoa, connecting as far as the French rail system just over the border in Hendaia, spelled Hendaye in French and part of the French Basque province of Lapurdi. It snakes through the two provinces so it isn’t the most direct route if you want to get from Bilbao to San Sebastián, or the other direction, more quickly. However, it is extremely scenic and also very cheap, and cheaper if you invest in one of the travel cards from the area. 

Railway journeys are a passion of mine and travelling by Euskotren is one of the things I like most about living in the Basque Country. It is scenic, cheap and connects well (most of the time) with other means of publicly-used transport.

Destinations

Bilbao and San Sebastian are obviously two destinations which are handily connected, and this is good for tourists who maybe want to do the two cities while seeing something of the countryside in between. There are also other interesting places for tourists to see, like Gernika, Bermeo and their surroundings. You can check out the routes at the following link.

Bilbao 

Our hometown and a popular destination for modern travellers, Bilbao’s Euskotren system has been built up in the last few years to serve several outlying neighbourhoods. This was done by changing the first stop for San Sebastián at the old Atxuri station for the Matiko neighbourhood, then rerouting it to add new stops in. The principal hub in Bilbao is the Casco Viejo/Zazpikaleak (the old town) station, from where you can also get onto the Bermeo line and which is also a Metro Bilbao station. 

If you are stopping into Bilbao, the old town is right there outside the station. You can read more about the old town at this link and you can see more articles on Bilbao and its various parts at this link.  

Donostia/San Sebastián

San Sebastián is the name more commonly recognised by international folks, but you will see the Basque name Donostia everywhere once you get here. It is a magnificent city in terms of coastal scenery and you will eat and drink well there. 

The train arrives at Amara Station, which is in its own stylish neighbourhood, and the station is on a lively plaza with a range of bars and restaurants with leafy terraces. From there, it is about 10 minutes walking to the coastline where, a little beyond, you will find the old town under Monte Urgull. You can read more about Donostia-San Sebastián at this link. 

Gernika

This is the historic centre of Bizkaia’s autonomy during the Middle Ages and an international symbol of peace in light of the terror bombing which the town suffered during the Spanish Civil War of 1936-39. 

Again, this lively market town is a place where you can tour the bars and sample the pintxo culture of the Basque Country. 

The station is just around the corner from the town’s main plaza, which includes the Peace Museum, a testimony to the global peace movement. From there, various other items related to Basque culture can be seen and the old parliament building for Bizkaia with the famous oak tree, can be seen. 

You can read more about Gernika at this link. 

Bermeo

Bermeo used to be the capital of Bizkaia and is still an important fishing port. The town has a scenic old part and it looks out eastward toward Ogoño rock, a huge precipice surrounded by beaches and Basque villages. 

You arrive at the station, which is just at the side of the port and an expansive grassy area and park. The tourist office is there and also the main hub for buses, so transport connections are close. 

Just beyond the park, the town has a pretty marina and a harbour wall that stretches for several hundred metres, and is popular with local dog walkers and visitors who simply want a stiff walk and a lungful of sea air. From the harbour, you will see a port still functioning and working and as you return in from the harbour, you will find various bars and restaurants around the marina. 

Higher on up, you can walk to the coastal side of the old town towards Tala Park. This is a spacious park where you have great views of the sea, public barbeques and a quain wee bar right in the corner, on the cliff, called Talako Cantina. This bar is one of our personal favourites and a friendly stopoff with windows on three sides offering the best views of all. 

You can read more about Bermeo at this link. 

Hendaia and the French Basque Country

If you are travelling from Bilbao, you arrive in San Sebastián at Amara Station, in the centre of town. If you are travelling on to the French border, you simply jump off the Bilbao train and get on the one beside, which goes to Hendaia every 30 minutes. As they now do in Bilbao, many of the outlying towns between San Sebastián and the border like Pasaia and Errentería are served by this train, so the locals use it somewhat in the manner that Bilbao’s metro system is used for commuting. This really shows how the system gets its full use by serving both the local folk and tourists. 

You can read more about Iparralde, the French Basque Country, at this link.

Railway scenery

The Urdaibai Estuary

This is a spectacular nature reserve that stretches out from the market town of Gernika to the coast beyond Bermeo, close to the hermitage island of San Juan de Gaztelugatxe. The estuary is also referred to as the Gernika or Mundaka Estuary. 

The Bilbao-Bermeo line passes through Gernika and then along the western bank of the estuary, where you will see the protected area in all its glory as you pass through various villages including Mundaka, famous for its surfing culture.

Inland Euskadi

The Bilbao-San Sebastián line snakes south-eastward out of Bilbao through the villages of Amorebieta and Durango towards Eibar, before turning upward and travelling northward through western Gipuzkoa. Here you will pass through a mountainous area and various villages. You’ll notice quite a few of these villages have micro-industry, so combined with the transport system, the area does quite well in terms of employment. 

The Coast of Gipuzkoa

As you arrive at the coast from the direction of Eibar and western Gipuzkoa, you meet the seaside town of Deba. From there, the Bilbao-San Sebastián line becomes quite scenic, despite the occasional tunnel. Again, you will be looking at a lot of mountains as you look inland whereas on the coastal side, you are looking out over the Cantabrian Sea while passing through the scenic villages of Zamorra, Zarautz and Orio. 

Connections

As mentioned, the Euskotren system is often used by the locals for commuting into the central economic hubs, and this is facilitated by the various stations’ proximity to other stations. Bilbao is especially well connected in that the Euskotren passes through the old town, Zazpikaleak/Casco Viejo station. This means that you can connect with Metro Bilbao, which connects to both the left and right banks of the river. 

This isn’t always the case, and San Sebastián’s main station, Amara, is about a mile away from the main bus terminal, which is on the other side of the river. 

Prices

It is also very cheap, and you can check the ticket prices at the following link. I calculated the return trip roughly for our trip to Dax, when we used the Euskotren to get as far as Hendaia, and the price for two ended up less than €15. 

Should you take a ride on the Euskotren?

It might be a slower way to get between Bilbao and San Sebastián but it is worth the journey at least once. The scenery of the Basque Country is beautiful and Euskotren is a good vantage point for this. 

Other lines such as the Bilbao-Bermeo line compete with the bus in terms of times. Remember that there is no traffic to get tangled up in, so the train will get you there in steady time.