Are you planning to visit Gaztelugatxe in a campervan and worried about parking or crowds?
We spent three days here in June that allowed us to photograph in all lights, figure out the best times to visit without the crowds, where to park for the best access and what to do if you don’t have a time slow reserved.
While you definitely don’t need three days, you do need to have a plan because this place gets pretty hectic which can result in you missing out on seeing it completely if you get it wrong.
Continue reading to find out how to have the best day trip to San Juan de Gaztelugatxe, including parking and camping logistics for larger campervans.
Why is San Juan de Gaztelugatxe So Famous?
Before we get into the best things to do at once you’re there, I think we need to talk about why it’s so famous and the Gaztelugatxe game of thrones history! Knowing this will help you plan your visit and understand why timing is so important.
This beautifully unique church perched on a little island seems to have burst onto everyone’s Northern Spain road trip itineraries after it was used as a filming location for Dragonstone in the globally famous TV series, Game of Thrones.
It was fairly popular before due to the incredible views, but in recent years visitor numbers have boomed with daily counts hitting 2,400 regularly through peak season. This resulted in the new ticketing system so they could keep on top of the crowds and limit it to 1,400 each day.
How To Get To Gaztelugatxe From Bilbao
The drive from Bilbao to Gaztelugatxe is a fairly easy and scenic one.
It takes roughly 45 minutes from the centre of Bilbao, making it a perfect day trip choice if you leave early enough.
If you don’t want to drive, or deal with the hassle of finding parking or organising time slots, there are several guided tours to Gaztelugatxe from Bilbao that will handle all of the logistics for you.
We chose to self drive because it was part of our larger Spanish road trip, and we didn’t want to be tied in to someone else’s timetable but they’re a good idea if you want to take your mind off the road for a bit.
Where To Park To See San Juan de Gaztelugatxe
This is where preplanning will work in your favour and help you get the most out of your day trip.
Parking at Gaztelugatxe is quite frankly a nightmare if you turn up between 9am and 6pm, so we recommend trying to get there really early or late the night before and staying the night (this was allowed when we visited – check for signs).
There are two car parks at Gaztelugatxe (marked on the map below) one smaller one at the top next to the main road, and one much larger one closer to the start of the track. The smaller one is free, the larger one is €3 to park but I don’t believe it’s timed.
Unfortunately, the smaller car park is the only one available to campervans and there’s probably only space for around 10 vans. This is made more difficult by the fact that people in cars choose to park here instead, mostly because they don’t realise that there’s a bigger car park down the road due to poor sign posting but also because some people don’t want to pay for parking. This adds to the limited number of spaces available to campervans if you arrive at lunchtime.
We saw a lot of campervans having to turn around and leave without parking, so a solution to this would be to make the smaller parking paid as well, and make it exclusive to campervans. This way it’s fair and accessible to everyone. Hopefully they don’t go the other way and ban campervans completely or put height barriers up like other areas around Bilbao.
With only one car park available, we knew parking was going to be a nightmare so we arrived at 11pm the night before and there were plenty of spaces available.
If you’re campervanning in Spain and you don’t want to stay overnight here, we noticed spaces started filling up quickly from 8am and by 9:30am there was a que.
Alternatively, there is a viewpoint around 1.2km further up the hill that had plenty of space and a quick turn around of traffic. However, this does add an additional almost 3km to your walk, which will be all up a steep hill and at the side of a busy road on the way back. Dec did this the first day we arrived and it really didn’t look like fun.
So, if you’re visiting Gaztelugatxe in a car, you can park closer to the hike and amenities which will also keep the flow of traffic moving.
Gaztelugatxe Opening Hours & Ticket Requirements
There’s a lot of confusion online about when Gaztelugatxe is actually open, and whether you need a ticket or not, and if so, what the Gaztelugatxe ticket prices are for self guided walks.
Let’s untangle that mess shall we:
Opening Hours
According to the Gaztelugatxe official website, the gates are closed between 5pm in winter or 7pm and 9.30am year round.
However, this was not our experience when we visited at both sunrise and sunset in early June, and we’ve heard the same from a few other people who have visited since and the gates have been open outside of these hours.
So while it’s technically closed between 5pm or 7pm until 9:30am, public access doesn’t seem to get closed off. This may change during peak season, or times it gets particularly busy.
Note: They do close access during periods of extreme heat. So if you’re visiting during weather warnings, you may want to speak with someone from the official website before you drive out.
Gaztelugatxe Ticket Prices
Between 9:3am and 5/7pm, you will need to reserve a time slot via this website.
This is COMPLETELY FREE!!
You do not need to pay for a ticket to San Juan de Gaztelugatxe, or to do the walk, so your road trip budget can be spent on snacks instead!
We’ve seen a few people complaining on various Facebook groups and within Google Reviews that it’s frustrating to have to pay for entry, but I think these people have probably misunderstood the system or visited the wrong website.
Entry into Gaztelugatxe is free!
The other thing to understand is that you do not need a ticket everyday.
When we visited at the start of June, a timeslot was only needed during the weekends.
From June 15th, through to September, you will need to reserve a time slot every day of the week to visit between the hours mentioned above.
Feeling overwhelmed by where to start?
Our upcoming Spain Road Trip Guide is designed to take the guesswork out of planning. Instead of spending weeks piecing together routes, campsites, overnight stops, and attractions from dozens of different websites, you’ll be able to build your entire Spain campervan itinerary using our tried-and-tested routes, interactive maps, and planning tools.
Gaztelugatxe Map
To make things easy, we’ve put together a map of the parking at Gaztelugatxe, and all of the viewpoints around the area. If you’d like the interactive version to save on your phone, click here.
The San Juan de Gaztelugatxe Hike
This is without a double the best thing to do in Gaztelugatxe and is the only way to get a true sense of the place, but I think the steep hike down before the 241 steps up takes a lot of people by surprise. It did me.
The hike starts just past the snack hut and restaurant by the main car park, and it’s all downhill from there.
It had rained when we visited, and the track was pretty slippery so I’m glad I wore decent walking boots.
As you wind through the forest down towards the coast, the view gradually opens up to you.
Once you reach the cross road, you’ll see a set of steps descending to the right and a gradual easy looking path to the left…
I’m sorry to say, but it’s the steep set of steps the the right that you need to take to reach Gaztelugatxe.
But not before heading left, which takes you to the viewpoint where you’ll get your first proper look at San Juan de Gaztelugatxe.
It was here that I started to question my life choices when I saw how much further down I had to go… and just how many steps I’d have to go up to get to the top. And of course, the realisation that I’d have to do it allll again on the way back.
I won’t lie. I genuinely considered turning around at this point and calling it a day which is something I saw quite a few people doing but I knew I’d regret it if I did. So, to my knees disappointment, I trudged on.
The next section continues to wind around and down to the coast but with a few more viewpoints and places to catch your breath before you finally reach the bottom and the track evens out. Here you can spend some time taking in the absolutely breathtaking (quite literally) view in front of you.
This is where you’ll easily be able to picture the classic Game of Thrones scene of Dragonstone with the dragons flying above it.
Unfortunately, the hermitage at the top is much smaller than the CGI castle from the show, and there weren’t any dragons when we visited ;) but it’s still an impressive sight.
The bridge and the hermitage themselves have been rebuilt several times over the years due to storm damage, but I don’t think it’s particularly obvious that it’s not the original that the Knights Templar built in the ninth century.
When you’re ready, head up the arrow steps. There are 241 of them in total and it becomes obvious pretty quickly why the time slot system has been put in place.
I couldn’t imagine 2,400 people passing through here everyday and being able to actually enjoy it.
At the top of the steps, take a moment to look back at how far you’ve come! Isn’t the view worth it?
The church is occasionally open for you to look inside, but for our visit it was closed. The views were plenty rewarding though.
When you’re ready to head back down, simply follow the same route exactly in reverse.
The steps are much easier going down and if you take your time, the hill climb will be less tiring.
It took me almost 3 hours there and back, but that was with lots of photo stops and bad knees. If you have good fitness you could do it quicker, but what’s the rush?
Top tip: Hiking poles, good shoes and plenty of water will make the hike much more manageable
Other Things To Do At Gaztelugatxe
Don’t just whip around the hike then leave! There are still a few other things to do nearby, mostly viewpoints!
Walk To The Easiest Viewpoint
If you really don’t want to, or aren’t able to, do the full walk there is a viewpoint that is much easier to access without any steep hills or steps.
The view doesn’t really compare to what you get further down the track but it’s a good compromise and only really needs 5-10 minutes.
Behatokia Viewpoint
If you walk to the Gaztelugatxe-begi hotel, and follow the car park around you’ll join an easy track that takes you to another viewpoint over San Juan de Gaztelugatxe.
This is a slightly better view than the last, but still nothing compared to the ones from the main track.
Gaztelugatxe Doniene Viewpoint
This is more of a drive, and the only other option for parking is the free car park is full.
The view from here is more about the general coastline than San Juan de Gaztelugatxe itself but it’s a nice little lunch stop before you head off to your next location.
What To Wear To Gaztelugatxe
Our best advice would be to wear comfortable walking shoes and several light layers.
During our visit, the weather fluctuated between rain and clear blue skies. I wore a vest top, jumper and a light rain coat and by the time I’d reached the top of the steps I was about ready to zip my walking trousers into shorts too.
More important than what you wear though, is making sure you take enough water with you, especially if you’re visiting in summer.
Once you’re on the track, it’s going to be at least a couple of hours before you get the chance to top up your water bottle, and there’s no shade once you reach the steps up to the church.
I also took my hiking poles. I wouldn’t say they’re essential, but I’m definitely glad I had them for the walk back up, and I saw more than a couple of people who looked like they wished they’d taken a pair too.
San Juan de Gaztelugatxe FAQs
How Long Does It Take To See San Juan de Gaztelugatxe?
You’ll need at least a couple of hours for a comfortable visit if you want to do the full walk.
If you just want to visit the first lookout on the track, half an hour will be enough but you’ll miss out on the best views.
Is San Juan de Gaztelugatxe Dog Friendly?
It sure is! We saw a few dogs enjoying the walk however, because of the steep narrow track with a low wall, and Lilly’s habit for jumping on or over walls like that, we decided it wasn’t sensible to take her which is why Dec and I went individually (the perfect excuse for me to skip the sunrise trip though!)
There isn’t much shade though once you reach the bottom, so I probably wouldn’t take them during the summer.
Is Gaztelugatxe Worth Visiting?
Absolutely! We thought Gaztelugatxe was one of the highlights of our Northern Spain road trip. The combination of the dramatic coastline, the winding stone bridge and the views from the top make it unlike anywhere else we've visited in Spain.
It does require a bit of effort to climb the steps, but if you're reasonably fit, the views are well worth it. Even if you decide not to do the full hike, there are several viewpoints nearby where you can admire the island from above.
Can You Visit Gaztelugatxe in a Campervan?
Yes! We visited Gaztelugatxe in our campervan and had no problems, but planning your parking in advance makes a big difference.
Some of the parking areas are better suited to larger vehicles than others, so we'd recommend checking our parking advice earlier in this guide before you set off. Arriving early is also a good idea even outside of peak season, as spaces can fill up quickly.
Ready For Your Visit To Gaztelugatxe?
What excited you most about your visit to San Juan de Gaztelugatxe?
Now you know how to plan your trip, you’re going to have an epic time and avoid making some of the biggest mistakes we see people making.
Is this part of a bigger road trip? If so, check out our full Northern Spain road trip itinerary to see what other epic locations we recommend. Including ones that aren’t quite as famous as this one ;)
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