San Juan de Gaztelugatxe is again open to visitors.

During the autumn and part of the winter, the Provincial Council of Bizkaia has carried out works worth one million euros to improve the accesses to one of the iconic points of the coast of Bizkaia: San Juan de Gaztelugatxe.

The place became the Dragonstone in the TV series Game of Thrones, and has had access closed for the last few months, but is now open to visitors from now on.

Several sections of the staircase leading to the islet have been restored, taking into account aesthetic aspects of integration into the surroundings and the use of local materials to preserve the image of the enclave as a whole.

Specifically, undercuts detected in the lower part of the walls have been eliminated, stonework has been repositioned, a crack has been repaired and the wall has been raised at different points so that it reaches the minimum height considered adequate to guarantee the safety of people.

NATURAL MONUMENT

The small island, which was converted into a peninsula thanks to an isthmus built with arcades in the Middle Ages, is crowned by a hermitage dedicated to San Juan, built in the 9th century on the remains of a fortress. It has been the scene of prayers, processions, fires, a thousand storms, skirmishes, shipwrecks, sieges and pirate attacks. For all these reasons, it is part of the memory of the territory and its people.

It has been classified as a Protected Biotope, a Special Protection Area for Birds and was declared a Natural Monument in 2023. In other words, it is an ecosystem that stands out for its uniqueness, spectacular beauty and singularity.

It is a place that arouses emotions regardless of whether or not the walker is a fan of the Targaryen or Stark houses.

Ask about public transport connections in Bermeo, which is served by the E4 Euskotren line, where you can get off in the Old Quarter of Bilbao and combine with the Metro, and the Bizkaibus.

Do not miss it.