Map › Spain › Zarautz & Zurriola › Zarautz
País Vasco · Zarautz, Gipuzkoa · Gipuzkoa
Zarautz
also known as Zarauzko hondartza, Playa de Zarautz, Playa de Zarauz
Nearby Zurriola 16 km · Hondarribia 31 km · straight-line distance
When it fills in
No onset time is published for this spot.
The wind
Direction
Character
mixed
Thermal or synoptic
thermal and synoptic
Strength
Direction to shore
NE thermal reported as cross-onshore; WNW is a usable wave-wind setup but can be gusty if too westerly
Dominant direction
WNW for stronger kite/windsurf sessions; NE summer thermal also reported
Forecast
Month by month
- Jan24
- Feb30
- Mar34
- Apr23
- May18
- Jun17
- Jul6
- Aug13
- Sep12
- Oct26
- Nov27
- Dec39
windy days per month (3 h+ at 12 kn+)
- 24%Jan14°
- 30%Feb13°
- 34%Mar13°
- 23%Apr15°
- 18%May17°
- 17%Jun21°
- 6%Jul23°
- 13%Aug24°
- 12%Sep22°
- 26%Oct20°
- 27%Nov17°
- 39%Dec15°
windy days per month (3 h+ at 12 kn+) · water °C below · season highlighted
| Month | Windy days | Force 4+ | 12 kn or more | Knots | From | Peaks at | Air | Water | Readings |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 24% | 48% | 42% | 11.4 kt | SSE | 13:00 | 8.9°C | 14°C | 62 |
| Feb | 30% | 40% | 35% | 13 kt | SSE | 14:00 | 10°C | 13.4°C | 57 |
| Mar | 34% | 60% | 48% | 13.2 kt | WNW | 12:00 | 12.5°C | 13.4°C | 62 |
| Apr | 23% | 48% | 45% | 11.9 kt | WNW | 14:00 | 12.8°C | 14.6°C | 60 |
| May | 18% | 52% | 39% | 11.7 kt | NW | 15:00 | 15.6°C | 16.8°C | 62 |
| Jun | 17% | 33% | 30% | 10.1 kt | WNW | 14:00 | 19.2°C | 20.6°C | 60 |
| Jul | 6% | 24% | 18% | 9.2 kt | WNW | 14:00 | 20.7°C | 22.5°C | 62 |
| Aug | 13% | 29% | 26% | 9.6 kt | NW | 14:00 | 21.3°C | 23.6°C | 62 |
| Sep | 12% | 42% | 33% | 10.3 kt | ENE | 15:00 | 19.2°C | 22.3°C | 60 |
| Oct | 26% | 55% | 52% | 12.7 kt | SW | 13:00 | 18.6°C | 19.9°C | 62 |
| Nov | 27% | 58% | 48% | 13 kt | WNW | 13:00 | 13.8°C | 17.3°C | 60 |
| Dec | 39% | 52% | 50% | 13.5 kt | NW | 11:00 | 11°C | 15.2°C | 62 |
modelled
A weather model's cell over this place, not a station on it. Good for comparing places, weaker for one beach.
Modelled from the operational forecast archive at 1.5–7 km (2023-2024), daylight hours only, not a ground station: it resolves thermal, lake and valley winds far better than coarse reanalysis but still tends to understate a strong local thermal. A windy day has at least three consecutive daylight hours at 12 knots or more. The typical daily max and the direction are columns of the table above, month by month. Highlighted months are the riding season from the spot record.
High-resolution weather model (modelled) · Open-Meteo historical forecast archive — best-match operational model (ICON-D2 / AROME / ICON-EU / GFS by region), not a ground station · 2023-2024
The water
Type
ocean beach break
Tides
Semidiurnal and large: four tides a day, with highs running about 2.9-3.8 m against lows of 0.1-1.0 m, so two to three and a half metres of water moves through the beach every cycle. The tide to ride is low, coming up or falling. High tide narrows the beach and builds the shorebreak.The heights are read off the nearest tide station a few kilometres along the coast, so treat them as indicative for Zarautz itself.
Temperature
Summer 20-25 peak; summer average about 21
Winter 12-13°C
Wetsuit
shorty or 3/2 mm in peak summer; normal/full suit in spring and autumn; thick suit in winter
Your level
The scene
What riders come here for
Launch and rules
three ways on to the water, and what each one asks of you
With a school or a boat
4 schools name this spot
On your own
Room to launch: large at lower tides, tidal/narrow at high tide, limited in crowded summer periods
Somewhere else
Zurriola, 16 km
Every spot within 40 km is on the map at the top of this page, with its distance under it.
Rescue
Launch
Long urban sandy beach launch on the longest beach of the Basque coast, close to 3 km of sand over a sand bottom, with practical space strongly affected by tide and summer beach users.
Space
large at lower tides, tidal/narrow at high tide, limited in crowded summer periods
Rules & access
Access rules drift faster than anything else we hold — check locally, and propose an edit if this has changed.
Rider tips
- Ride the lower half of the tide; at high tide the beach narrows and the shorebreak grows.
- Stay off the left side of the bay when the wind swings too westerly, because it is gusty there.
- Treat May through August as a constrained spot, with swimmers and beach users taking the room you need.
- Bring a full suit outside peak summer; winter water is 12-13 C.
- Ask locally before rigging; no municipal kite rule has been published for the beach.
Getting there
Airport
San Sebastian (EAS) and Bilbao (BIO) are the practical regional airports; San Sebastian is listed as the next big city
Route
You drive in and walk a short way to the sand. Zarautz sits on the Gipuzkoa coast between Getaria and San Sebastian.
Staying
An established surf and beach town: surf camps and hotels, plus hostels and campsites, with restaurants and bars.
No-wind days
Surfing, SUP, beach time, pintxos bars, Getaria, San Sebastian, txakoli wineries and coastal sightseeing.
Photos
FAQ
Is Zarautz suitable for beginners?
No. Sources list it intermediate to expert, and the combination of waves, swimmers, high-tide beach loss and crowding makes it unsuitable as a beginner kite spot.
What is the wind like at Zarautz?
WNW must be strong enough for a kite or windsurf session and can be gusty on the left side of the bay if too westerly. A NE summer thermal is also reported, described as cross-onshore.
How does the tide affect Zarautz?
The best tide is listed as low, coming and falling; high tide narrows the beach and increases the shorebreak.
What hazards should riders watch for at Zarautz?
Swimmers, shorebreak that gets larger around high tide, gusty wind on the left side of the bay in overly westerly conditions, and crowded summer beach and surf lineups are the main hazards.
Last updated: August 2026