Summer Guide to Visiting Tolosaldea
Welcome to Tolosaldea, a special corner in the heart of Gipuzkoa, welcome to the Basque Country, an unmissable summer destination.
With its rich history, spectacular natural landscapes and vibrant cultural offerings, this region offers a unique experience to all visitors
Plans to learn about history and culture!
At Tolosaldea, we offer you a different way to experience summer: a unique opportunity to get up close and personal with our towns, landscapes, and customs through guided tours.
Led by a professional guide, you’ll discover Tolosa’s old town, the vaults of the Church of Santa María, the Saturday market, and the chocolate, puppet, and art museums.
July and August.
Different tour options.
Basque, Spanish, English, or French.
Advance booking recommended.
Suitable for the whole family.
Get to know Tolosa and its surroundings in a special and relaxing way. Enjoy the guided tours that have been so successful in previous editions. To make your 2025 vacation in Tolosaldea an unforgettable memory.
A Historic Tolosa
Led by a professional guide, you’ll explore the streets of Tolosa’s Old Town, passing through squares steeped in centuries of history and legend. We’ll explain how Tolosa became the capital of Gipuzkoa and how its unique urban planning and character were shaped.
Monday to Friday, 11:00 a.m. (with a tasting of local products for €10 and 1.5 hours). Saturdays, 10:00 a.m. and 5:30 p.m.
1 hour.
€4
Basque, Spanish, English, and French.
Advance reservation is not required, but is recommended.
Departure point: Tolosaldea Tourist Office (Plaza Zaharra 10, Tolosa).
Recommended: For history, culture, and photography enthusiasts.
Church of Santa María and its vaults
You can visit the spectacular parish church of Santa María, the second largest in Gipuzkoa, and climb its vaults. Entering a wonderful hidden spot, you’ll discover a spectacular place after climbing 110 steps.
Monday to Friday 12:30 PM (with a tasting of local products for €10 and 1.5 hours). Saturdays 12:30 PM and 4:00 PM.
1 hour.
€4
Basque, Spanish, English, and French.
Advance reservation is not required, but is recommended.
Starting point: Tolosaldea Tourist Office (Plaza Zaharra 10, Tolosa).
Recommended: For history, culture, and photography enthusiasts.
From July 16th to August 29th (excluding weekends) from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., you’ll find the doors open for independent visits.
Tolosa Fair & Local Product Tasting
On Saturdays, the Tolosa market, which is over 760 years old, is filled with color and aromas. Produce from Basque farmers, seasonal fruits, cheeses, vegetables, and flowers are scattered around various squares. You’ll have the opportunity to learn all about it with the explanations of a local guide.
After the guided tour, we’ll do a local product tasting. You’ll experience the flavors of local producers.
Saturdays 11:00 AM.
An hour and a half.
€10.
Basque, Spanish, and English.
Reservations are essential.
Starting point: Tolosaldea Tourist Office (Plaza Zaharra 10, Tolosa).
Recommended: For food lovers eager to experience local culture.
Puppet Museum. TOPIC
There you’ll find an impressive collection of puppets from around the world, accompanied by a museography full of magical surprises.
Tuesday to Friday 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM / 4:00 PM – 7:00 PM
Weekends and holidays 10:30 AM – 2:00 PM / 4:00 PM – 7:30 PM
Scheduled guided tour, dramatized tour, and shows on the website.
Free admission €4
No reservation required
Recommended: For families with children and art lovers.
Chocolate Museum
An opportunity to learn about the history of one of the world’s tastiest flavors in the Basque Country and, of course, an unbeatable opportunity for tasting.
Self-guided tours are available during store hours; no advance reservation required.
Tuesday to Friday: 9:00-14:00
Mondays, Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays: 9:00-14:00
Price: €4
Guided tours and chocolate workshops by prior arrangement.
During store hours.
Mondays, Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays: 110:00 or 12:00.
Price: Guided tour €10, workshop €20
Recommended: For confectioners of all ages.
Ecomuseum of Larraul
This is a small museum dedicated to rural life in recent decades.
Each person can visit individually with a code and a time reservation online.
Tuesday to Sunday, 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Closed Mondays.
€4
1 hour
Ur mara
The Ur Mara Museum is a natural space dedicated to art, nature, and cultural dissemination. The permanent exhibition consists of pieces donated to the museum by Koldobika Jauregi.
Basque sculptor Koldobika Jauregi founded the Ur Mara Museum with Elena Cajaraville in 2010.
Hiking shoes are recommended.
Recommended: For any culture enthusiast who loves nature and art.
Self-guided tours.
Must be arranged in advance.
€5
Guided tour.
Must be arranged in advance.
€15
2 hours.
Tuesday to Sunday 10:00 – 19:00
Gipuzkoa. Izanetik izena 1025 - 2025
The exhibition, on display at the Church of San Salvador de Olazabal in Altzo, commemorates the millennium of Gipuzkoa’s name and offers a historical and artistic journey that analyzes the evolution of the territory’s cultural identity through 15 Gipuzkoan artists over the centuries. Each artist sought to show what Gipuzkoa means to each of them.
Gipuzkoa. The exhibition ‘Izanetik izena 1025-2025’ can be visited at the Church of San Salvador de Altzo from April 12 to October 31, with free admission. In addition, guided tours and complementary activities will be offered to make the exhibition accessible to all audiences, thus encouraging reflection and dialogue around Gipuzkoan identity.
The exhibition will be open Saturdays and Sundays from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. and from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. In any case, groups or individuals who would like to visit outside of these hours can make a request through the Altzo Town Hall website.
PARTICIPATING ARTISTS
Elena Arrese, Elena Cajaraville, Natalia Cambronero Nieto, Maria Jesús Cueto, Nisa Goiburu, Antton Mendizabal, Ángel Navas, Julia Otxoa, Ramón Ruiz Cabestany, Iñaki Ruiz de Egino, Ricardo Ugarte Zubiarrain, Iker Valle, and Pablo Zuriarrain.
Txotx in the summer!
Fresh Cider in Summer
If you want to learn about the origins of our internationally renowned popular cuisine, visiting the producers will be one of the “must do” you’ll have to include in your trip.
If you want to learn about the origins of our internationally renowned popular cuisine, visiting the producers will be one of the “must do” you’ll have to include in your trip.
Nature and Outdoor Activities
For nature lovers, Tolosaldea offers several possibilities. From gentle walks along the trails to challenging mountain routes through the Aralar Natural Park or the Hernio massif, there are options for all levels, including a hike accessible to all.
The mountain landscapes offer panoramic views that capture the essence of the Basque Country, with its valleys, rivers, and villages.
URMUGA
There is a mountain range that crosses the Basque Country from west to east, separating the waters leading to the Cantabrian Sea and the Mediterranean. This wonderful, wide watershed is called Urmuga.
In our collective imagination, borders divide, separate, and distance, but the Urmuga initiative aims to erase that image and create a new one.
We have very simple and old instruments: music and a love of the mountains. Urmuga stitches the Basque Country together from west to east, from north to south.
From top to bottom, river after river, tree after tree, forms a long seam, both in our geography and in our character as a people.
Patron Saint Festivals
Summer brings popular festivals, traditional music, pilgrimages, folklore, and “herri kirolak” (Basque rural sports), which are some of the things you’ll find at the festivals in almost every village in Tolosaldea. You can find the full events calendar on this website.
Other events of interest
The tourist office is always open
During July and August, the tourist office will have extended hours:
Every day 10:00-14:30/15:30-19:00
Consultation and advice service, guided tour bookings, brochures with tourist information about the area… we are here to help you with whatever you need!
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