Getaria (Guetaria in Castilian) is known as la cocina de Gipuzkoa (the kitchen of the Gipuzkoa province) for its many restaurants and taverns. It was also the birthplace of Juan Sebastián Elcano (1487–1526), the first circumnavigator of the globe and Spain's most emblematic naval hero. Elcano took over and completed Magellan's voyage after Magellan was killed in the Philippines in 1521. The town's galleon-like church has sloping wooden floors resembling a ship's deck. Zarautz, the next town over, has a wide beach and many taverns and cafés.
Zumaia is a snug little port and summer resort with the estuary of the Urola River flowing—back and forth, according to the tide—through town. Zumaia and Getaria are connected along the coast road and by several good footpaths.
