San Juan de Gaztelugatxe

Island and Monastery in Bilbao

Gaztelugatxe from the coast — CC BY-SA 4.0 / Clementp.fr

Staircase Of Gaztelugatxe — CC BY-SA 4.0 / Clementp.fr

The island of Gaztelugatxe, Bermeo (near Bakio), Spain. — CC BY-SA 2.0 / Andy Roberts

The small rocky isle of San Juan de Gaztelugatxe is located on the coast of Biscay, 35km east of Bilbao. It is connected to the mainland by a man-made footbridge with 241 steps. On top of the island stands a 10th century hermitage, built by the Knights Templar which is dedicated to John the Baptist, who allegedly visited the island.

The islands name in Basque has two meanings: gaztelu-aitz, castle rock, or gaztelu-gatxe inaccessible castle.

Game of Thrones fans will recognize the setting, which starred as Dragonstone in season seven.

Visiting San Juan de Gaztelugatxe

Hours:

Island year-round, hermitage 11am-6pm Tue-Sat, to 3pm Sun Jul & Aug

Price:

£Island free, hermitage €1

Address: 48130 Gaztelugatxeko Doniene, Biscay, Spain

Duration: 4 hours

Official Website

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