Garai
Vizcaya · País Vasco
Garai (in Basque and officially, in Spanish Garay) is an elizate, town and municipality located in the province of Biscay, in the Basque Country, Spain. Garai is part of the comarca of Durangaldea and has a population of 318 inhabitants as of 2009 according to the Spanish National Statistics Institute.
History
As happens with most of the elizates, the origin and date of foundation of the town is unknown. As a member of the ancient merindad of Durango, it had voice and right to vote in the Juntas of Guerendiaga, where it occupied the seat number six. The town was divided into two neighborhoods and it was focused on farming activities; production of corn, wheat, several sorts of vegetables, legumes, cherries, apples and chestnuts.
In the oldest part of the town is located a small palace-baserri named Garatikua and built by Juan de Garay, governor of Paraguay. In the 19th century, it was called "Garay-Goitia".
On May 1, 1966, the terrorist-separatist organization ETA occupied the town for several hours in one of its first official actions. The telephone lines were shut down, several graffities were made and the Ikurriña (at that time, illegal) was set on a visible part of the town. The command abandoned the town before the arriving of the Civil Guard.
Gallery
Festivals
November 2026
Festivals this month
- No festivals recorded this month.
Rest of the year
- June: San Juan (24)
- July: Santiago Apostol (25)
Trails and hiking
•Ardoaren eta arrainaren bidea (GR 38)
•Bolibar - Kortaguren baserria (PR-BI 28, 5.9 km)
•Mikeldi Durangaldea (GR 229)
•Ardoaren eta arrainaren bidea (Maskakorta-Lekeitio) (GR 38.1)
Routes passing through Garai
Town hall
Town hall of Garai
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How to get there
- 🚗 34 km from Bilbao (about 24 min by car)
- 🚗 49 km from Vitoria-Gasteiz (about 35 min by car)
🧭 Travelling around the villages of Spain: a practical guide — Opening hours, transport, money and customs, before you set off.
- ✈️ 34 km from Bilbao airport (about 24 min by car)
- ✈️ 45 km from Vitoria airport (about 32 min by car)
Practical info
🅿️ Where to park
- Where to park · 0.1 km away
- Where to park · 0.9 km away
- Where to park · 1 km away
🏧 Nearest cash machine
- Caixabank · 3.3 km away
- Laboral Kutxa · 3.4 km away
- Bankinter · 3.5 km away
⛽ Nearest petrol station
- Eroski · 2.7 km away
- Euskoil · 2.9 km away
- Repsol · 3.4 km away
ℹ️ Tourist office
- Tourist office · 1.1 km away
- Encina de Garai · 1.3 km away
- GR 38 - GR 229 · 1.8 km away
🔭 Viewpoints
- Panorámica de Berriz · 3.1 km away
- Viewpoints · 4.4 km away
- Viewpoints · 4.4 km away
🏖️ Where to swim
- Igerileku luzea · 4.7 km away
- Swimming pool, kids · 4.7 km away
Wall
🏛️ The town hall publishes on this wall. Residents publish their business in Services and their home or job offer in Community, for free.
This wall is still quiet.
News
🏛️ The news is published by the town hall. Residents publish their business in Services and their home or job offer in Community, for free.
There is no news from Garai yet. Be the first to tell it.
Videos
Discover Garai on video: