Mount Ulia Trailhead (Camino de Santiago) - Donostia-San Sebastian, Gipuzkoa

Sebastian Z.

No me gusta andar. Voy en silla de ruedas.

Miriam H.

Schöne Tour, aber für die knapp 3 Std. Auf und Ab über Wurzeln und Stein, sind feste Schuhe empfehlenswert. Auch unbedingt Trinken mitnehmen und ggfs. Essen. Als wir im Hafen ankamen hatten am Nachmittag alle Restaurants/Bars geschlossen.

Robert L.

This hiking trail zig zags along the cost and features spectacular views of rocky coves, open waters and steep cliffs in the Bay of Biscay. My niece, wife and I did the 5.8-mile trek on a recent August day, accessing the trail in the hills above Donostia’s Gros neighborhood and making our way to the long inlet that separates the twin historic fishing and port towns of Pasai San Juan and Pasai San Pedro. It can be tricky finding Arbola Pasealekua, the narrow and steep street that takes you to the trailhead on the side of Mount Ulia. The best way is to put “Mount Ulia trailhead” in Google Maps—about a 20 minute walk from the Kursaal building on Zurriola Beach. As you climb up the street you will see old stone stairs. This long flight of stairs is the steepest section to climb if you are starting from Donostia. Follow the stairs to the trail, where you will see a sign post. Head toward Pasai San Pedro. This is near a fork in the trail. Stay to the left on the side closer to the coast. As we worked our way along the trail, we continuously marveled at the natural beauty: quiet rocky coastline, isolated coves and panoramic ocean views. We started around 11 a.m. and hiked at a casual pace, finishing in just under three hours. At times, the trail took us along a few steep stretches amid thick forests and fern-covered mountain sides. A portion of the trail comprises the Camino de Santiago, and we saw lots of hikers headed in the opposite direction of the famed pilgrimage route, speaking all kinds of languages. There are sign posts along the way as well as trees, their trunks marked with small white, green and red lines—the colors of the Basque flag. Follow these and you’ll be OK. Eventually you will end up on a bluff overlooking the large inlet that separates the two historic port towns. Then you’ll climb down a long flight of stairs that hug the mountainside and feature sweeping views of the water. We paid 1.20 E to have a small boat take us across the inlet to Pasai San Juan, which has more restaurants, and we enjoyed a great lunch on a plaza overlooking the water. Afterward, we rode the boat back to Pasai San Pedro, where we took advantage of the region’s good public transit network. We caught a Lurralde Bus back to Donostia. The fair was about 1.80 E. Make sure you have cash because this bus system, unlike the one in Donostia, does not take credit cards. We were back in our apartment in less than 45 minutes—totally stoked from this amazing adventure!

Sal F.

This trail head is close to San Sebastian and there are several trails that can be taken from here. We took the white/red and found the trail to be well maintained and having some awesome views.

The trail has a far amount of elevation but nothing too much and well worth the time and effort.

Raphael G.

I walked an 8km cyclic route from San Sebastián to mount Ulia and back. The day before it was raining so there were couple of slippery patches but the trail was walkable, quiet, the view was beautiful and the air clean.

Noah B.

Great mountain walk with amazing viewpoint at the top. Not a very long walk but good to get some exercise as well as being a challenge

Elin H.

Beautiful hike! We took the 5 k hike and it was a good distance. Beautiful scenery.

William P.