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Starting in Bilbao, take the A-8 to the Muskiz-La Arena exit and you’ll reach Pobeña (Muskiz). Here, you can stroll along the natural dunes of La Arena Beach or take the Itsaslur Rail Trail, an old train track along the coast.
Gernika is a must-see to understand the history and traditions of Bizkaia. Home to famous peppers and beans, this town holds a market every Monday year-round and the large Last Monday in Gernika agricultural fair in October.
Continue on to Zierbena, a small port that maintains its traditional charm and wonderful grills.
You can take a detour to see the Santimamiñe Cave, a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, with almost 50 beautiful cave paintings. Next, you’ll head back toward Arteaga where you can visit Urdaibai Bird Centre, a living bird and nature museum, and Arteaga Castle. After that stop, this route takes you to the beaches of Laida and Laga, a golden sand paradise surrounded by high mountains. Unbeatable for swimming, these beaches are also great for surfing, kayaking, stand-up paddle boarding, and canoeing on the Urdaibai Estuary.
Next, you’ll arrive in Santurtzi, the big fishing town in western Bizkaia. Visit Casa Torre Palace (18th century) with its historical information centre. The Brotherhood of Fishermen building houses the Santurtzi Itsasoa Museum.
Santurtzi Elantxobe
From here, in the summertime you can take a whale watching tour on the Bay of Biscay. Reservations required. You can also visit one of the last traditional wooden fishing boats left in the Cantabrian Sea, the Atunero Agurtza.
Adventure on wheels
Portugalete is a medieval town with an Old Quarter worth a visit. While you’re there, have a look at the majestic Bizkaia Bridge, also called the Hanging Bridge, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2006. It is the point of connection between the two banks of the estuary: the left side, industrial and working class, and the right, residential and bourgeoisie. You can cross it with your car on board its gondola or take the vertiginous walkway above.
Next, you’ll make a stop in Elantxobe, a breathtaking town set between two cliffs. Have a rest by the tide pools at the port. Ea is a tiny fishing village that you absolutely must see. Following the path of the fishermen along the coast of Bizkaia, you’ll reach Lekeitio, a town with a colourful port, a wide array of restaurants, a legendary island, and a majestic old quarter.
At the entrance to Güeñes you’ll find Villa Urrutia, the town hall, a witness to residents who went to the Americas and returned wealthy. Noteworthy religious architecture includes the Church of Santa María (16th century). To enjoy an original experience with art in nature, you can visit ARENATZarte, in Arenatza park. If you’re visiting with your family, be sure to stop at Bizkaia Park Abentura (temporarily closed), in Arangoiti Industrial Area. Zalla has preserved its invaluable historical legacy with sites such as M urga Palace and Terreros Tower, a great example of defensive building from the time of the War of the Bands. The hermitage of San Pedro de Zarikete is also notable and has a sprout from the Tree of Gernika planted next to it. To enjoy the outdoors, check out Bolumburu recreation area and take a stroll along the old Robla railway line. Abellaneda (Sopuerta) is a must-see town. Its Council House is a symbol of the privileges and freedoms afforded to these towns as they were annexed by the Lordship of Bizkaia. It is also home to the Encartaciones Museum.
Bizkaia Bridge
This route begins in Igorre, a tranquil village that knows how to enjoy the little things. The 17th century Vildósola Palace, Zubizarreta House, and its different baserris (Basque farmhouses) from the 16th to 18th centuries stand out here. Areatza is under the shelter of Gorbeia, Bizkaia’s tallest mountain (1,482 m) and the namesake of the Natural Park. It has a wealth of sites to visit: Santa Isabel Convent, the Church of San Bartolomé, as well as Gortazar Palace and the neoclassical Town Hall in the town square. Here you’ll also find the Information Centre or Parketxe where the whole family can learn about Gorbeia Natural Park. The park spans over 20,000 hectares between Araba/ Álava and Bizkaia and is the largest nature reserve in the Basque Country. At the top of Mount Gorbeia, there is an 18-metre-tall cross, the symbol of the park. You can spend some time at the spa in the Areatza Hotel and Spa or visit a local cheese producer and taste an Idiazabal D.O. cheese, made with indigenous latxa sheep’s milk.
Gorbeia
You can take in a storybook landscape at the magical Otzarreta Beechwood, a place brimming with charm. Its 100-year-old beech trees grow vertically instead of horizontally, because more than 50 years ago, their branches were pruned to get coal from their wood. Next, you’ll go to Legutio, a lovely spot in Araba/Áraba, surrounded by green meadows and nearby Urrunaga and Albina reservoirs, with their interior beaches ideal for water sports. Back in Bizkaia, in Otxandio, you’ll be fascinated by the wealth of monuments to see: the Town Hall, the Church of Santa Mariñe, and the Vulcano fountain. The next stop is Dima containing the San Pedro Apóstol Church, the Humilladero Hermitage, Urizar Palace, Ziarrusta Tower, and the Gothic Church of Magdalena de Lamindao.
Balmaseda
The Boinas La Encartada Museum, a defunct factory that manufactured traditional txapela berets, will take you back to the end of the industrial revolution. You can visit the buildings and see the priceless original machinery. If you’re a foodie, you’ll love to see las Putxeras, the vessel that the train operators of the Bilbao-La Robla line used to cook a traditional bean stew with the heat of the coal from their boilers. A number of toppings are offered with the stew. Pair this bean dish with a local Txakoli.
Once on the other side, you’ll have arrived in Getxo, in the Areeta (Las Arenas) neighbourhood. Getxo is a large municipality and in this first route, we recommend going to the Neguri neighbourhood. It’s full of late 19th century and early 20th century gentry palaces. Its refined British style demonstrates the influence of the relationships established between the British islands and the great business families in the area at the time.
Otxandio
Zenarruza Monastery
Central Coast Route Artxanda Funicular
You can also visit Akarlanda, a park perfectly set in nature. It has parking, a futsal court, a basketball court, a skate park, and more. Bring a picnic to one of its outdoor tables and have a peek at Martiartu Tower. The next stop will be the mining landscape of La Arboleda. You can make your way up from Trapagaran by car on a curving road or on the La Reineta Funicular, which offers spectacular views of the Inlet of Bilbao. La Arboleda is a historic mining town that begins in the Triano mountains. Nearby, you’ll find the Peñas Negras Environmental Information Centre. You can find a number of lakes in the area. They were once pits used for open-pit iron mining. You can try traditional bean dishes in the picturesque restaurants frozen in time in the minero neighbourhood.
Hidden Valley Route
This route begins with Ereaga beach, Getxo’s marina, and the Old Port of Algorta. This is a charming fishing neighbourhood climbs up an escarpment. Stop in Berango to visit the Iron Belt History Museum built during the Spanish Civil War to defend Bilbao. Then, you’ll arrive in Sopela, the perfect place for surfing. Barinatxe-La Salvaje beach has its own dune system and Arriatera-Atxabiribil beach has lively bars with great views of the sunset.
The next stop is Sopuerta Abentura, a forest adventure park for the entire family. Then you’ll continue on to Loizaga Tower, an antique and classic car museum with a private collection of mint condition Rolls-Royces.
The next stop is Plentzia , which is a perfect place as it has an estuary, a great beach for families, and a marina. It shares the bay with the municipality of Gorliz, home to the intriguing Crusoe Treasure Underwater Winery and petrified dunes leading to the lighthouse. Next, you’ll head to Bakio featuring Bizkaia’s longest beach, which is great for surfing. This is a town that has known how to maintain a significant rural economy centred around caserío farmhouses. One result of this is the production and sale of Txakoli wine, the history of which you can discover at the Txakolingunea, Txakoli Winemaking Museum.
The first stop on this route is in a town where the iron industry played an important role, Gordexola, whose forges were active until the mid 20th century. It is also a place with palaces, villas, and manors, as well as tower houses and luxurious mansions built by people who went to the Americas to make their fortunes.
INFORMATION
EMERGENCIES 112 INFORMATION 010 (for calls within the Bilbao area) 944 010 010 (for calls outside of the Bilbao area) CONSULAR OFFICE 944 706 426 CITIZEN INFORMATION 944 241 700 GENERAL TRAFFIC AND ROAD INFORMATION 011 LOST AND FOUND 944 204 981
ITSASMUSEUM BILBAO www.itsasmuseum.eus EASTER PROCESSION MUSEUM www.museodepasosbilbao.com BILBAO BULLFIGHTING MUSEUM www.plazatorosbilbao.com BASQUE COUNTRY MUSEUM www.euskal-museoa.eus REPRODUCTIONS MUSEUM www.bilbokoberreginenmuseoa.eus ATHLETIC CLUB MUSEUM www.athletic-club.eus BASQUE LANGUAGE INFORMATION CENTRE www.azkuefundazioa.eus ARCHAEOLOGY MUSEUM www.bizkaikoa.bizkaia.eus
TOURISM BILBAO · Plaza Circular, 1 Edificio Terminus · 944 795 760 · Alameda de Mazarredo 66 (Next to the Guggenheim Bilbao Museum) AIRPORT 944 031 444
BIZKAIA BAKIO 946 193 395 · www.bakio.org BALMASEDA - ENKARTUR 94 680 29 76 · www.visitenkarterri.com BARAKALDO BEC (Bilbao Exhibition Centre) 944 995 821 · www.barakaldo.org BERMEO 946 179 154 · www.bizibermeo.eus DURANGO 946 033 938 · www.turismodurango.net Elorrio 946 820 164 · www.visitelorrio.com GERNIKA-LUMO 946 255 892 · www.gernika-lumo.net GETXO 944 910 800 · www.getxo.eus GORLIZ 946 774 348 · www.gorliz.eu KARRANTZA-HARANA 946 806 928 · www.karrantza.org LEKEITIO 946 844 017 · www.lekeitio.org MUNDAKA 946 177 201 · www.mundakaturismo.com ONDARROA 946 831 951 · www.ondarroa.eus ORDUÑA 945 384 384 · www.ordunaturismo.com OROZKO 946 122 695 · www.orozkoudala.com PLENTZIA 946 774 199 · www.plentzia.org PORTUGALETE 944 729 314 · www.portugalete.org SANTURTZI 944 839 494 · www.turismo.santurtzi.net SOPELA 944 065 519 · www.sopelaudala.org SOPUERTA 946 504 750 · www.sopuerta.biz TRUCIOS-TURTZIOZ 946 109 604 · www.turtzioz.org
NATURAL SPACES
URDAIBAI BIOSPHERE RESERVE 946 257 609 · www.turismourdaibai.com 946 870 402 (Ihobe) · www.ekoetxea.eus GORBEIA NATURAL PARK 946 739 279 Information Centre www.areatza.net www.gorbeiaeuskadi.com URKIOLA NATURAL PARK 946 814 155 · www.urkiola.net ARMAÑÓN NATURAL PARK 946 806 257 688 884 330 · www.visitenkarterri.com
Museums in Bizkaia ON THE COAST Fishing Museum Bermeo · www.bizkaikoa.bizkaia.eus Plasentia de Butrón Museum Plentzia · www.museoplentzia.org Rialia Museum of Industry Portugalete · www.portugalete.org/ES-ES/RIALIA SANTURTZI ITSASOA INFORMATION CENTRE AGURTZA FISHING BOAT Santurtzi · www.turismo.santurtzi.net BIZKAIA BRIDGE Las Arenas (Getxo) /Portugalete www.puente-colgante.com LEKEITIO MARITIME HERITAGE CENTRE Lekeitio. · www.faro-lekeitio.org TXAKOLINGUNEA - TXAKOLI WINEMAKING EXHIBITION Bakio · www.bizkaikoa.bizkaia.eus/txakolingunea URDAIBAI BIRD CENTRE www.birdcenter.org EKOETXEA URDAIBAI http://www.ekoetxea.eus INLAND SIMÓN BOLÍVAR MUSEUM Ziortza-Bolibar · www.simonbolivarmuseoa.com DURANGO ART AND HISTORY MUSEUM Durango · www.turismodurango.net ENCARTACIONES MUSEUM Sopuerta · www.enkarterrimuseoa.eus EL POBAL FORGE Sopuerta · www.visitenkarterri.com BASQUE COUNTRY MUSEUM Gernika-Lumo · www.bizkaikoa.bizkaia.eus GERNIKA PEACE MUSEUM FOUNDATION Gernika-Lumo · www.museodelapaz.org GERNIKA MEETING HOUSE Gernika-Lumo · www.gernika-lumo.net “JOSÉ LUIS GOTI” BASQUE MUSEUM ON THE HISTORY OF MEDICINE AND SCIENCES Leioa · www.ehu.eus OROZKO MUSEUM Orozko · www.orozkomuseoa.eus BASQUE COUNTRY MINING MUSEUM Gallarta · www.meatzaldea.eus BALMASEDA HISTORICAL MUSEUM Balmaseda · www.visitenkarterri.com BOINAS LA ENCARTADA MUSEUM Balmaseda · www.bizkaikoa.bizkaia.eus/laencartada VALENTÍN DE BERRIOTXOA MUSEUM Elorrio · www.museoberrio-otxoa.com LOIZAGA TOWER. ANTIQUE AND CLASSIC CAR MUSEUM Galdames · www.torreloizaga.com BASQUE HAMLET ECOMUSEUM Artea · www.euskalbaserria.com IRON BELT INFORMATION CENTRE Berango · www.berango.net
We recommend visiting Urkiola Natural Park. On a hillside, you’ll find the Sanctuary of Santos Antonios (Abad and Padua). Legend has it that if you walk around the stone in front of the sanctuary three times, you’ll find a romantic partner soon. There are a number of inns, hostels, and restaurants.
If you’d like to see a wild animal shelter or walk in the footsteps of dinosaurs, head to Karpin Abentura.
Stop in Bermeo to discover the isthmus of San Juan de Gaztelugatxe, one of the most spectacular spots on the Basque coast. After you go over a twoarch bridge, 241 stairs will lead you up to the small hermitage of San Juan. Don’t forget to ring the bell three times, make a wish, and drive away evil spirits. Once in the city centre, indulge in the culinary pleasure of marmitako (tuna and potato stew) and gourmet canned goods. A visit to the Fishing Museum (Ercilla Tower), will teach you about the area’s whaling past and its people.
In Karrantza, the Pozalagua Caves are a must-see. Recognized as the Best Corner of Spain, they contain the largest concentration of eccentric stalactites in the world. The walk through the grotto is on a metal walkway that will lead to you to Versailles Hall, after walking through a lake that was dried up by mining activity.
Orduña
Once you’re back in Bizkaia, you’ll enter Orduña, the only settlement in the territory with the title of city. Once an important commercial and customs hub on the border with Castille, it has a rich civil and religious heritage. Plaza de los Fueros is a great starting point for walking and cycling routes through the Sierra Salvada mountains. We recommend climbing up to the Nervión Viewpoint, where you can take in one of the most extraordinary
You’ll then continue on to Mundaka, an international surfing destination with the longest left-breaking wave in Europe, has the hermitage of Santa Catalina, with one of the best views of the coast. In Busturia, in the Urdaibai Biosphere Reserve, go and visit the EkoetxeaUrdaibai Euskadi Biodiversity Centre.
Finally, you’ll reach Gernika, an icon recognized around the world as a result of the bombing during the Spanish Civil War and thanks to Picasso's painting depicting it. The town is now a symbol of peace. Visit the Meeting House and its famous tree, People of Europe Park, the Peace Foundation Museum, the Basque Country Museum, and the Church of Santa María.
Head back to the starting point in Apatamonasterio (Axpe Atxondo) and get back on the road toward Elorrio, with a wealth of historic sites: palaces, stone manors, the Monastery of Santa Ana, the Basilica of Purísima Concepción, Don Tello Gate, Tola Palace, and the ruins of the medieval wall. On the outskirts of Elorrio lies the surprising Argiñeta Cemetery, one of the most important funerary monuments in the Basque Country, built in the High Middle Ages.
If you love wine and are interested in trying a quintessentially Basque wine like Txakoli, there are several routes you can follow to not only see all the tourist attractions in Bizkaia, but also visit a few wineries and taste this delicious wine. Ask for a Txakoli route leaflet at any tourist office. More info: tourist offices, bilbaoturismo.net and visitbiscay.eus Salto del Nervión Waterfall
Gernika-Lumo
On the way to Elorrio, you can stop in Atxondo to take a relaxing stroll along the Arrazola Green Route. From there, you can also climb up to Betsaide, another highly-recommended spot. It’s the exact point where the three territories of the Basque Country (Araba/Álava, Gipuzkoa, and Bizkaia) meet.
Txakoli Routes
Pozalagua
Bilbao from Artxanda
GUGGENHEIM BILBAO MUSEUM www.guggenheim-bilbao.eus FINE ARTS MUSEUM www.museobilbao.com DIOCESAN SACRED ART MUSEUM www.eleizmuseoa.com
Urkiola
San Juan de Gaztelugatxe
Your last panoramic view will be in Kobetamendi, one of the green spaces of Bizkaia’s capital. It’s the perfect space for family recreation. It has a park next to a lake and offers spectacular views of the city and its metropolitan area. In the summer, the park hosts the pop-rock music festival Bilbao BBK Live, which was attended by more than 140,000 last year.
In the centre of Durango you’ll be able to see the Cross of Kurutziaga, the Basilica of Santa María de Uribarri, a number of noble palaces, and the Memory Space, a monument erected in memory of the 1937 bombing of the town. The Basque Book and Music Fair, which is held in December, is the Basque Country’s most important cultural fair.
Make a foray into the sibling-territory of Araba/Áraba, to see Artziniega and Quejana. The former is a small medieval village notably containing Artziniega Tower, the Ethnography Museum, and the Sanctuary of Nuestra Señora de Encina. The centre of Quejana is the monumental ensemble comprising a fortified palace, Dominican Convent, and the Virgen del Cabello Chapel Tower. Next, you’ll go to Aresketamendi, the renewable energy park in Amurrio. It’s an outdoor space where you can try out and compare the way different devices work with different energy sources.
Loizaga Tower
L a A r b ol ed a
Museums in Bilbao
Durangaldea Route
Nervión Route
This getaway starts at El Pobal Forge in Muskiz, one of the last forges left in Bizkaia. You can tour the forge compound itself to see the manor where the forgers lived, a small bread oven, and a flour mill.
BILBAO TURISMO www.bilbaoturismo.net BIZKAIA TURISMO www.visitbiscay.eus BASQUE COUNTRY TOURISM www.turismo.euskadi.eus/en NEKATUR/AGROTOURISM 943 327 090 · www.nekatur.net
BILBAO
Abellaneda
This journey ends in Balmaseda with a beautiful old quarter presided over by the Viejo Bridge, the oldest testament to the town’s wall. The town’s Easter celebration is well known for putting on a realistic Passion Play that attracts more than 50,000 people.
Markina-Xemein, a town on the Northern Way of St. James, has radiant renaissance and baroque palaces. The curious San Miguel de Arretxinaga hermitage has three large stones inside it. Four kilometres away, you’ll find the Collegiate Church of Ziortza also known as the Zenarruza Monastery. It’s an important historic and artistic monument on the Primitive Northern Way of St. James with a notable plateresque cloister, the only one in Bizkaia.
PRACTICALINFO
TOURIST OFFICES
Next, you’ll head to Ondarroa along the scenic road that winds along the seashore. The old quarter contains Likona Tower and the Church of Andra Mari. When hunger strikes, you can try the famous marmitako (tuna and potato stew), baby squid in ink sauce, roasted sea bream, hake a la ondarresa, or clams in green sauce paired with a Txakoli from Bizkaia.
Route around Bilbao People from Bilbao affectionately refer to their city as the Botxo (hole). It’s nestled between mountains, and you can even see the ocean from them on a clear day. We invite you to take in these one-of-a-kind views from the Artxanda Viewpoint. The most exciting way up is on the Artxanda Funicular, which has been connecting Bilbao to the top of the mountain since 1915. It only takes three minutes to get to the top and you can hop on at Plaza del Funicular (calle Castaños). If you’d like to go by car, leave Bilbao on La Salve Bridge, passing under the red arc, L’arc rouge, by French artist Daniel Buren. You’ll enjoy an extraordinary view of the city and see The Gear, an original piece of the first Artxanda Funicular, and The Fingerprint in memory of the victims of the Spanish Civil War.
Arratia Valley Route
Kadagua Route
East Coast Route
West Coast Route
FOLDABLE MAP
In mid-July, next to the caves, the natural auditorium of the old Pozalagua quarry hosts an outdoor music festival with renowned Basque folk artists. The valley also offers the opportunity to visit local cheese producers and try one of their famous carranzana sheep's cheeses. Head toward Lanestosa with a beautiful old quarter with regal palaces from the 17th and 18th century and mansions built by people who went to the Americas to make their fortunes. A visit to the Rock Art Information Centre, Kobenkoba, is always enlightening.
views in the Basque Country: Salto del Nervión waterfall. The horsetail waterfall is almost 300 metres tall. The best time to go is during the rainy season or while the ice in the mountains is melting. From there, head to Orozko to wander its streets and discover the Church of San Bartolomé de Olarte, the Anunzibai Bridge, and the Legorburu Mansion, home to the Ethnography Museum.
bilbaoturismo.net visitbiscay.eus