San Juan
Gained from the sea, San Juan is a pearl of the Basque
San Juan is a coastal village and a port in northern Spain. It is located on the seaside and it belongs to the province of Gipuzkoa in the Basque country. Basque people call it Donibane. It is 5 kilometers away from San Sebastian and it lies just beneath the Ulia Mountain. All towns in the Pasajes Bay are situated below the Jaizkibel massif.
San Juan Pasajes is mainly engaged in fishing and it has about 16,000 inhabitants.
San Juan has traces of various conquerors
The word “Pasajes” is a Basque word and it means “passages”; the reason is absolutely clear-the entire town of Pasajes San Juan is full of mystical passages. However, that is not the only meaning of Pasajes. This word also means “port” in Gascon. Gascon people had probably been ruling in this town until the reign of Spanish King Charles IV. It is not known when exactly San Juan Pasajes was founded, but it was mentioned in the 13th century for the first time. It was mentioned by the name Oiarso.
Oasis in the midst of the Pasajes Bay
However, Pasajes Bay includes 4 towns: Pasajes de San Juan, Pasajes de San Pedro, Pasajes ancho and Trintxerpe. They are all connected and they are all very close to each other. They can be visited either on foot or by boat, it is up to the tourists. In San Juan, the population is engaged only in fishing.
San Juan and many other coastal cities celebrate the beginning of the summer with many fiestas. Usually, the first fiesta takes place on the shortest night of the year (22 June). This first summer party is very impressive- a lot of Spanish national food, fireworks, good music and dance are part of it.
One of the main attractions in San Juan is Victor Hugo’s house which has been turned into a tourist office. Hugo lived in San Juan for a while (summer 1843); his book Voyage aux Pyrenees was written here.
San Juan is a quiet town with magic sunsets and sunrises and it is full of pleasant people. The climate is mild, residents are always cheerful and tradition is preserved. Everyone who ruled this city has left its mark on it. San Juan has many historical buildings and monuments. This city is beautiful at any time of the year. This city is also a great place for fishing. Above all, you will meet pleasant people here. Although it has not become a part of mass tourism yet, its culture and location are very interesting to many visitors.