Basque Country Tourist Guide

THE BASQUE COUNTRY

BILBAO

UP and down

A GREAT IDEA

A few feet from the beach

It was declared a World Heritage Site by the UNESCO in 2006. Portugalete is on the left, with Las Arenas (Getxo) on the right. Don't miss the experience of crossing by the upper platform: it provides marvellous views of the mouth.

Since the metro was inaugurated, Bilbao can proudly say it has beaches. The majority are on the right bank. There is a good choice from calm waters for the whole family to beaches where surfers gather to enjoy the special waves: Ereaga, Arrigunaga, Arrietara, Barinatxe... all the way to Plentzia, a beautiful seafarers' village from where it is a short walk to the mouth. The sight of the little fishing boats that the local people use to catch "txipriron" (squid) drawn up on the banks is absolutely charming.

t is an authentic icon with its four 61 metre-high iron towers joined by the 160 metres of the walkway. People and cars are carried across the river in the gondola suspended from the rails of the upper platform. Opened in 1893, the Bizkaia Bridge was the first shuttle bridge in the world to be designed and built as a metal structure. It was designed by Alberto Palacio y Elissague, who also had a part in another well-known work of the times, the Crystal Palace in Madrid's Retiro Park.

www.metrobilbao.eus

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