Pilgrims on the road and friends along the way send me changes every day, and they go out the same day. The Camino del Norte app carries all of it offline, and it's still being built — new features arrive routinely.
Get the appGetting here
The ground behind you: what the walk into Markina-Xemein crosses, and where it could have been broken.
Tomorrow from Markina-Xemein
Nothing says you have to stop here, or there. These are simply the towns within a comfortable day's walk, so you can decide tonight.
| Town | km from here | Shared | Private | The walk |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bolibar | 6.2 | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes | |
| Monasterio de Zenarruza | 7.5 | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes | |
| Munitibar | 11.5 | — No | ✓ Yes | The walk from Markina-Xemein to Munitibar |
| Olabe | 17.7 | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes | The walk from Markina-Xemein to Olabe |
| Gernika | 25.4 | — No | ✓ Yes | The walk from Markina-Xemein to Gernika |
| Alto de Morga | 32.7 | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
Markina-Xemein is the first town of substance after crossing into Bizkaia, and it has more to offer than its modest size suggests.
The star attraction is San Miguel de Arretxinaga — a hexagonal 18th-century chapel built around three enormous boulders that lean against each other to form a natural chamber. The Archangel Michael stands at the center of this geological accident, and the effect is genuinely unlike anything else on any camino. The name Arretxinaga means 'place where the stones lie.' According to local legend, an unmarried man who passes beneath the boulders three times will find a wife within the year.
Markina is also the self-proclaimed University of Pelota. The municipal frontón, inaugurated in 1798 and seating nearly 1,000, has produced so many professional jai alai players of international fame that the nickname stuck. If you're here in the evening, watching a match is time well spent — the speed and violence of the ball is startling.
Other monuments include the Convento e Iglesia de la Merced and the Iglesia de Santa María de la Asunción de Xemein. The town has bars, restaurants, a small supermarket, and accommodation.
Market day is Thursday, in the Plaza del Mercado. June: San Juan is celebrated on the 24th and San Pedro the 29th. July: San Martín on the 7th, San Cristóbal on the 10th, and San Ignacio de Loyola the 31st. August: Goerria on the 1st, Nuestra Señora de las Nieves on the 5th, and San Jacinto on the 17th. September: Nuestra Señora de Erdotza on the 8th and San Miguel Arcángel on the 29th. October: Santa Teresa de Jesús on the 15th.
Markina's frontón has been the proving ground for Basque pelota players since 1798. Champions like Narciso Salazar, Arnedillo Mayor, and Cazalis Menor emerged from here at the turn of the 20th century, followed by Andrinua, Muguerza I, and Orbea I. Many emigrated to play professionally in Florida and Latin America, spreading Basque culture through the sport. The town's connection to pelota runs deeper than mere tradition — it's an identity.
The marked camino passes the church and convent and turns right at the first street past them. Follow the road across a small river and turn left at the first road, keeping close to the nearby building to follow a park trail as is wiggles its way along the river. The camino will take you back over the river (though it is covered so you might not notice) and then under the BI-633. It follows along a smaller river past an industrial park and into Iruzubieta.
6. September 2026 - 18:12
Leticia Campos has a 2 bedroom apartment in the centre of the old town. Me and my partner stayed here in September 2026. Fantastic location, very clean and comfortable and Leticia is a wonderful host, welcoming, great communicator and is happy to share her knowledge about the town. You can find the apartment on AirBnB.
16. March 2026 - 16:47
Found difficult to find a bed in March so got a flat on Airbnb. Great central location.
16. June 2025 - 20:47
Found it difficult to find places to stay in Markina-Xemein in May so resorted to booking something on airbnb.
it was a three bedroom, two bath even though there was only two of us (me and my husband).
Eat at Bar Mugarri. Delicious! Best burger I have ever had. Fries are awesome too. Get them fully loaded to share with a group. Bellari was a great host there. Grateful. 🙏
25. May 2025 - 18:30
I have done this section twice. I thought the pilgrim's hostel in markina itself was a kip.
The 2nd time round I stayed in the Rural Casa Intxauspe and I really enjoyed this place after an exhausting day on the camino. For €34 in a nice alburgue you got your bed a nice evening meal with wine or water and toast /croissant with coffee in the mornin. Lovelysetting. Hosts nice people who are very accomodating.
If u want to book private rooms thats a littlebit more expensive.
8. September 2024 - 18:25
Was open before the stated opening time of 3pm and filled up fast. Was full by 5pm, however the hospitaleros will put mattresses on the floor to avoid turning people away.
There’s a mass that pilgrims can attend at 7.30pm.
There are jugs of water, a kettle, fridge, microwave & common room.
There are single beds as well as bunk beds and lockers for each bed (which is numbered). Make sure you have a 1€ coin for the locker - you get it back.
There is also wifi and details of a laundromat in town if you need to do a load.
It’s old but it’s a donativo and it’s perfectly adequate for a pilgrims’ needs with friendly hospitaleros (Spanish/Basque speaking only).
4. September 2024 - 7:38
It was 15€ for a bed, 14€ for dinner (they had two separate dinner times 19:30 and 20:30), and 4€ for breakfast. They’ve got nice outside areas to relax with good views, all of the amenities you could expect from an albergue, and the people who run it are very nice. Beds have a bottom sheet and pillow with a case along with a thick blanket/comforter. I just used a sleeping bag liner instead for a sheet. I was able to walk up just after 15:00 without a reservation but I thought I overheard one say over the phone that they were full for tomorrow so maybe make a reservation?
20. August 2022 - 13:45
No sign of it being an albergue anymore.
12. August 2022 - 9:11
Stayed at intxauspe which is lovely, only thing is it doesn't have a kitchen pilgrims can use and if you leave sthg in the fridge need to take it out at night or wait until they come in the morning. There's a bar and they offer a nice dinner and breakfastas well.
31. March 2022 - 16:42
Funny little town. We stayed at CasaRural (Intxauspe) which is cheaper (€15) for Pilgrims. Lovely albergue, no dinner but good breakfast and town only a short walk away.
31. March 2022 - 16:42
Funny little town. We stayed at CasaRural (Intxauspe) which is cheaper (€15) for Pilgrims. Lovely albergue, no dinner but good breakfast and town only a short walk away.
31. March 2022 - 16:42
Funny little town. We stayed at CasaRural (Intxauspe) which is cheaper (€15) for Pilgrims. Lovely albergue, no dinner but good breakfast and town only a short walk away.
31. March 2022 - 16:42
Funny little town. We stayed at CasaRural (Intxauspe) which is cheaper (€15) for Pilgrims. Lovely albergue, no dinner but good breakfast and town only a short walk away.
Esta entidad ha sido beneficiaria de una ayuda del Programa de incentivos a la movilidad eficiente y sostenible (MOVES III), gestionado por la Xunta de Galicia a través del Instituto Enerxético de Galicia (INEGA) en el marco del Real Decreto 266/2021, y cofinanciada por la Unión Europea — NextGenerationEU, dentro del Plan de Recuperación, Transformación y Resiliencia.
