Basque Country live webcams

A coast of cities and surf

The Basque Country packs a lot into a short stretch of coast. San Sebastián wraps around the shell-shaped bay of La Concha, one of the best-known city beaches in Europe, with Monte Igueldo and Monte Urgull at either end. Bilbao, an hour along the motorway, reinvented itself around the Guggenheim Museum, and its river mouth opens onto the beaches of Getxo. Between and beyond the two cities, the coast is a run of cliffs and coves where surfers wait for the Atlantic swell: Sopelana is one of the most popular surf beaches on the Basque coast, and Saturraran, below the cliffs near Mutriku, is a wild beach between two headlands. Inland, Vitoria-Gasteiz, the Basque capital, has a camera looking across the city to the mountains.

By ferry from Britain and Ireland

Brittany Ferries sails to Bilbao from Portsmouth, and the ships dock at the port across the river mouth from Getxo, so the coast on these cameras is the first part of Spain many British and Irish drivers see. San Sebastián is an easy drive east, and France is just beyond it.

Food, festivals and the weather

The Basque Country is famous for its food, from pintxos in San Sebastián's old town to the fish grills of its harbours, and the cameras are a handy way to decide whether it is a day for the terrace or for the bar counter. The weather comes in from the Atlantic: green hills mean rain, and showers can sweep in and out of the frame within the hour.

When to watch the Basque Country

The Basque Country is one hour ahead of the UK and Ireland. The beaches face north, so the light is soft all day and best in the evening, when the sun sets late in summer. Check the tide too: at low water San Sebastián's beaches double in size.