San Juan de Gaztelugatxe
VISIT SAN JUAN DE GAZTELUGATXE
San Juan de Gaztelugatxe is one of the most incredible places I have ever visited. It is no wonder that it was chosen to be Dragonstone in Game of Thrones . Daenerys Targaryen and Jon Snow climbed these same cobbled stairs in the seventh season of the hit series. Watching the episode when the Mother of Dragons arrives at what was once her home with three dragons flying over the Basque sky is very impressive, especially when you have already seen the series and are also a big fan like me.
But let’s get to what happens to us, our trip to Dragonstone , oh, sorry!, to San Juan de Gaztelugatxe with children on our summer vacation in 2023 .
TIMETABLES, TICKETS AND THE BEST TIME TO GO UP TO SAN JUAN DE GAZTELUGATXE
We were staying in Bermeo , 5 minutes from Gaztelugatxe by car. From Valencia I had seen that the tickets are free but you have to book in advance . As it is one of the most visited places in the entire Basque Country, they have decided (very wisely) to restrict capacity so as not to overcrowd the area and to be able to enjoy the visit without crowds of people.
Another thing I saw is that the first pass with a reservation was at 9:30 in the morning, buuuut the access doors to San Juan de Gaztelugatxe open at 8:00 , in that time slot between 8 and 9:30 you can enter freely, without a prior ticket or reservation .
What did we do? Obviously we went at 8 hahaha , I read several experiences of bloggers who had gone first thing in the morning and they recommended it without a doubt, how stingy is it to get up at 7 in the morning while on vacation? I won’t deny that it was, but the reward was worth it and in what a way…
At 6:45 I got up first and I got up the rest of the family, at 7:50 we were going towards Gaztelugatxe , we were absolutely alone along the entire route, we parked at the very door and it was also free (the parking is paid) but at 8 the ticket seller had not yet arrived, it was cool and there was a brutal fog, it looked like Mordor .
We had checked the weather forecast the day before and it was clear. The fog covering the entire hermitage of San Juan de Gaztelugatxe had a very eerie charm , which also helped us to avoid the heat (mind you, we are talking about August in an area with no shade at all), but we couldn’t see a thing! Although it was only a matter of time before the fog cleared.
The time separating these two photographs is just over 1 hour, incredible…
We climbed the 241 steps of San Juan de Gaztelugatxe in fog and waited patiently for almost an hour in the hermitage. We witnessed how in a matter of minutes the fog gradually dissipated, and when we went down it was completely clear.
NECESSARY EQUIPMENT TO CLIMB SAN JUAN DE GAZTELUGATXE
It’s wonderful no matter how you look at it, without a doubt one of the most magical and beautiful places I have ever seen. The Vikings behaved like champions and climbed all the stairs without even blinking (thank goodness), although I have to say that the worst and the heaviest slope is the exit with some brutal slopes.
It is essential to wear suitable footwear for a long walk with a lot of incline, whether it be trainers or hiking boots, water and if you go in summer a cap and sun cream, oh! and a fully charged mobile battery, you will never get tired of taking photos and recording everything on video 🙂
HERMITAGE OF SAN JUAN DE GAZTELUGATXE
We were unable to access the hermitage to ring the famous bell, there was a rather strange schedule, the hermitage only opens a few days a week and we missed it during the day, but it was still beautiful from the outside.
We spent more than an hour at the hermitage, without rushing, without stress, enjoying the surroundings, taking two million photos and videos, but when we saw from above that the first shift with prior reservation was in the distance, we decided to go down calmly.
Photos in every corner, in every angle… the Basque Country and specifically Gaztelugatxe is incredible, I never tire of going up to the North and getting to know it better, what a wonderful country we have!
Without a doubt, this year’s 2023 summer holidays have been one of the best of our lives. In June we were already on holiday with the children in Menorca , and when we thought that those waters and that trip could not be surpassed, Euskadi arrived giving it its all.
I will end this post with a short and concise sentence.
Thank you San Juan de Gaztelugatxe for existing, we will return.
