Faro de Higuer: Hondarribia Lighthouse in Basque Country Spain

There are not many ‘sights’ in Hondarribia, Spain, but one landmark we definitely wanted to see while visiting the town was the Hondarribia lighthouse: Faro de Higuer. The historic lighthouse marks the most northeastern point of Spain on the Atlantic coast.

Built in the late 1800s, Faro de Higuer (or Cape Higuer Lighthouse) stands 69-feet on the Bay of Biscay. Through the years, the light inside the lighthouse has been fueled by oil, petroleum and electricity and can be seen more than 25 miles away. 

Getting to the Hondarribia Lighthouse

Although there was limited information about getting to Faro de Higuer, we surmised that it was possible to walk to the lighthouse from the center of town. The free map from the TI that I picked up had a picture of a lighthouse on it with an arrow indicating the general direction, but since the location was cut off the map, I couldn’t tell how far it was from the center of town.

We decided to make an adventure out of finding Faro de Higuer. After having lunch at the Marina, which is already on the north end of town, we decided to set out in search of the Hondarribia lighthouse.

We walked around the sandy beach and then past the fishing port. The road split: the road to the right kept going straight out to sea, the one to the left started a steep incline that seemed to curve back around. Since it was obvious that the Faro de Higeur was not at the end of the road to the right, we opted to take the one on the left. 

The sidewalk quickly disappeared and we were left to walk on the side of the road, but the cars were few and far between. The hairpin curves took us past homes and barking dogs. We were surrounded by trees and cooled by the shade and we caught glimpses of the blue water of the ocean below through the tree branches.

We finally came to a clearing and – ta-da! – there was the Hondarribia lighthouse: Faro de Higuer! We started to walk up to it, but quickly realized it was not open to the public and, it seemed, it was actually a private residence complete with a garden. A path to the left of the lighthouse led us past two restaurants and then continued down closer to the water. The views were simply outstanding.

Before we headed back down to town, we had a celebratory We-found-the-Hondarribia-Lighthouse!! drink at the second, more rustic restaurant. The walk back to town seemed to be much quicker than getting there (it usually does if you know where you are going). The walk to Faro de Higuer was remarkably beautiful and a pleasurable walk outside of the main town.

Map of Hondarribia Lighthouse Walk

Our Top Tips For Your Trip To Hondarribia, Spain

We have some more advice and a few additional travel tips for your trip to Spain!

Where To Stay in Hondarribia

During our visit to Hondarribia, we stayed in the Hotel San Nikolas. However, there are several Hondarribia hotels to choose from in – or close to – the city center. Start your search on Booking.com or check out these top-rated hotels in Hondarribia: Villa Magalean Hotel and Spa, Hotel Obispo or Hotel Palacete.

For longer stays in Hondarribia, we suggest renting an Airbnb Apartment. We have found that staying in apartments is often less expensive than hotel rooms – with the added benefit of a kitchen and, usually, more space. Hondarriba holiday apartments can be searched on Airbnb or on VRBO – Vacation Rentals By Owner. 

Before You Go to Spain

• Don’t forget to pack a pair of lightweight and comfortable walking shoes for your trip. I (Sarah) have traveled with these shoes by Columbia and Skechers. Kris prefers wearing these shoes by Merrell and Sanuk.
• We’re certain you’ll be snapping tons of photos during your trip to Spain. Rather than relying on your mobile phone to capture the sights, upgrade to an actual camera for higher quality photos. We travel with a Canon Rebel (which takes amazing photos) and a Canon PowerShot ELPH (which takes beautiful pictures and is a slim and lightweight budget camera).
• Make sure to have a good map and/or guidebook before arriving in Spain as well as a great day bag to organize all of your essential everyday travel items!
• If you haven’t already obtained travel insurance for your trip to Spain, consider traveling protected with World Nomads.
• Visiting Other Top Destinations in Spain? We’ve got you covered with our detailed guides to Madrid, Barcelona, and Seville!

Looking for more travel planning tips? Head over to our Travel Planning page for our complete packing list and other travel resources!

We want to know: Have you been to Basque Country, Spain? Did you also visit San Sebastian? Did you eat the amazing Pintxos Hondarriba? Give us your best tips and advice for visiting in the comments! 

Pin it! See all of our travel pins on our JetSetting Fools Pinterest Board.