Bizkaia Bridge, the suspension bridge of Greater Bilbao.

Get to know the Bizkaia Bridge, an emblem of industrialization in the Basque Country.

The Bizkaia Bridge, also known as “the Hanging Bridge”, was built in 1893 with the sole purpose of joining the two banks of the estuary, a utility to which it remains faithful after more than 125 years of life. This Basque structure was the first ferry bridge with a metallic structure in the world, a colossus that continues to serve as one of the most important and efficient links between the two banks of the Nervión. At present, the Bizkaia Bridge shares this task with the Rontegi Bridge, the boats that cross the waters of the river and the 8 bridges that we find in the urban center of Bilbao, upstream. Every day, hundreds of vehicles and people are transported on the nacelles of this bridge that connects the urban centers of Portugalete (popularly known as Portu) and Areeta (one of the 5 neighborhoods of Getxo), 2 very different urban centers with an enriching cultural, historical and gastronomic heritage, 3 axes, which help all the people who visit us to understand the way of being of the Basque people.

In order to clearly understand the importance it had in its time, we must transport us back in time to that moment, letting our imagination fly. Let’s place ourselves. Industrial Bilbao, the gray Bilbao, one of the largest and most important industrial cities in the north of the peninsula. Rural Bizkaia was being battered by the industrial hurricane that was transforming all the spaces through which it passed, an effect that favored the economic and social evolution of the area while damaging the health of the agricultural sector. The estuary of Bilbao was one of the many areas that was altered by this effect, and is that, along its two banks, between the bay of the Abra and the 7 streets, began to proliferate industrial enterprises of all kinds. This fact made the Bilbao estuary become one of the most used transport routes at that time, an essential maritime highway to boost the industry that had been established on both banks of the Nervión river. In view of these events and the need to create a way to join both banks as they passed through Getxo and Portu, the idea of creating a bridge that would not hinder maritime traffic, the first metal-bodied ferry in the world, the Bizkaia Bridge, was born.

This great engineering project was designed by Mr. Alberto Palacio Elissague, while the construction work fell on the shoulders of Mr. Ferdinand Joseph Arnodin. A dream come true thanks to the indispensable financing of the Bilbao businessman Don Santos López de Letona. It is possible that during your visit you will find a certain similarity with the Eiffel Tower, an opinion that we share with you, and it is that, according to the experts, this Basque construction has certain influence of one of the most striking and important towers of the world. At present, the Bizkaia Bridge or Hanging Bridge is one of the most visited attractions in the Basque Country, a fact that does not surprise us given its originality and magnitude.

This large structure located in the final stretch of the estuary of Bilbao, next to the Bay of Abra, amazes us with the views it offers us of the mouth of the Nervión in the Bay of Biscay, a spectacle worth enjoying and photographing. Its surroundings, flanked by the municipalities of Getxo and Portugalete, is another of its attractions, spaces worthy of walking through its streets and squares. In the following lines we tell you everything you should know about the Bizkaia Bridge. We hope to contribute to make your visit an unforgettable experience. Remember, if you have any questions, you can write us a comment at the end of this article.

During our adventure in the Bizkaia Bridge, its workers told us anecdotes of their daily lives that contributed to make our visit more interesting and intense if possible. Some of these facts do not appear in the tourist guides or in the brochures of the Bizkaia Bridge itself, however, they always provide us with a different point of view that make visits like this one gain many points.

History: The Bizkaia Bridge has its origins in the late nineteenth century, when it was decided that it was necessary to build a bridge that would not hinder navigation at the mouth of the Nervión. This building designed by the engineer Mr. Alberto Palacio Elissague (involved in the construction of the Crystal Palace of the Parque del retiro in Madrid), built by the French engineer Mr. Ferdinand Joseph Arnodin and financed by the Bilbao Don Santos López de Letona, is the first ferry bridge with metal structure built in the world. Considered by many people as one of the icons of the industrial revolution in Bizkaia, this iron colossus faithfully represents the spirit of what this material meant at the end of the 19th century, a building created from the iron that was extracted in the mines of Bizkaia and which has travelled halfway around the world. The mines that we mention can be found on the left bank of the Nervión, some exploitations that we can know more in detail thanks to the visit to the Mining Museum of the Basque Country, a 100% recommendable visit. Inaugurated on July 28, 1893 to join the municipalities of Getxo and Portugalete, this Basque symbol has had several milestones throughout its history, among them, the most outstanding:

The Bizkaia Bridge, the world’s first ferry bridge, was inaugurated in 1893 and has been in operation ever since, quite an achievement.

Company “El transbordador de Bizkaia SL: This company is in charge of managing the Bizkaia Bridge from its offices located in the town of Getxo, in the same space where we find the maintenance workshops and the spare parts warehouse. The company “El transbordador de Bizkaia S.L.” was awarded the public tender that was called in 1995 for the exploitation of the Bizkaia Bridge and since then it has managed uninterruptedly all the services offered by this small Basque jewel.

Unesco World Heritage: Although the Bizkaia Bridge has won several awards for its incredible design and history, the declaration of World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 2006 is for many people the most recognized and popular of them all. This appointment was largely due to the spectacular fusion between the use of an innovative technique and its adaptation to the environment with which it was to coexist. The use of iron and steel cables created a precedent that influenced the construction of bridges all over the world. A work of functional art of great beauty that has endowed the final stretch of the Bilbao estuary with a character and personality never seen before. This recognition made the Bizkaia Bridge the first Unesco World Heritage Site in the Basque Country and the first of an industrial nature in the entire peninsula. The objective of cataloging spaces around the world as Unesco World Heritage is none other than to preserve these places, while making known the cultural, historical or natural importance of these spaces.

The visit: Many people ask us how to visit a suspension bridge, how to know the guts of this giant, well, it’s very simple. There are 2 trips, round trip, one by the pedestrian walkway that we find at 45 meters high, walking, and the other by the nacelle, the conventional means of transport of the Bizkaia Bridge. The entrance to the Bizkaia Bridge gives us the opportunity to go up to the footbridge at the top of the structure, about 45 meters high, walk along the 160 meters of footbridge to the other end of the Suspension Bridge, go down to Portugalete or Areeta (depending on the origin of our visit) and return to the side of the estuary from where we had set sail by ferry, a small adventure that gives us the opportunity to enjoy both sides of the river.

In addition, along the 160 meters of footbridge we find a kind of mini museum in which pieces used in the Bizkaia Bridge throughout its history are exhibited. By the way, it is not a race, there is no time limit, so we recommend you to make the visit with total tranquility, enjoy your stay walking the streets of each of the towns that separates the Bizkaia Bridge. Both trips have their own charm, but undoubtedly, the views that can be seen from the upper part and the opportunity to know a little more closely all the mechanics that moves this means of transport, make the upper part has a special meaning. Most of the components of the Bizkaia Bridge are located in its upper part, under the footbridge opened to the public in 1999. Until then, only the person in charge of the bridge climbed up to this part of the bridge to operate the nacelle. We must emphasize that this person climbed the 45 meters that separate the ground and the footbridge by means of a hoist based on pulleys, almost nothing. Under this footbridge, a structure can be seen, which, supported on two horizontal beams, supports a kind of rails along which the nacelle travels.

Location: Straddling Portugalete and Getxo, this unique structure in the world gives us the possibility to discover the lands that bathe the waters of the Abra Bay, a territory with many attractions to discover. This iron giant is located very close to one of the most important iron deposits in Europe. Mines from which more than 50 million cubic meters of mineral have been extracted throughout history, and which are largely responsible for the technique used in its day to build it. This fact has been reflected in our history and orography, and iron has been closely linked to Bizkaia since ancient times. In order for you to understand the extent of this symbiosis, we are going to explain the origin of one of the most emblematic soccer phrases: “Alirón, alirón, el Athetic es campeón”? Well, the word Alirón comes directly from the Biscayan mining. In the past, when the mines were exploited (nowadays in disuse), the Biscayan miners were paid according to the purity of the mineral, a fact that made that all the findings were catalogued. One of the most expected purities was “All iron” in Anglo-Saxon terms. When these two words were written, the workers began to celebrate by shouting that unknown word, adapting it to their vocabulary, which is how they created the term “alirón”, today accepted by the RAE (Spanish Royal Academy of Sciences).

How to get to the Bizkaia Bridge: Its location allows us to reach it without any problem, and is that, today the Bizkaia Bridge is very well connected by any of the many public transport of Bizkaia, metro, bus or train. If you go by subway you must get off at Areeta station (line 1) or Portugalete station (line 2), the other options are to use the services of Bizkaibus (Bilbao – Getxo line) or the suburban train station that Renfe has in Portugalete.

The most advisable is to use line 1 of the Metro Bilbao and get off at the Areeta stop to take the Plaza Geltokia exit, a large open space also known as the “Plaza del Ajedrez” (Chess Square). From here, we would only have to head towards the Bizkaia Bridge along Mayor Street until we reach our destination, you can’t miss it. We attach the route in Google Maps in case you have any doubts.

Where to park near the Bizkaia Bridge: Although the most comfortable means of transport to reach the Bizkaia Bridge is the metro, we must know that in case of arriving by private vehicle we will have to pay for parking near the bridge. And is that all around it, or most of it, is marked as blue zone OTA (traffic ordinance regulating parking). If you want to take a risk, if you want to go by car and not pay for parking, we recommend parking next to the estuary, on the road that separates Areeta and Erandio, it is a little further away but it is worth it.

Views: Once we climb to the highest part of the Bizkaia Bridge, once we reach the upper walkway, all the views we find are incredible, movie-like. But if we have to mention some of the best places to take pictures of this emblematic bridge, we must mention without a doubt the center of the walkway, a place where it is difficult to choose where to look. And the fact is that, wherever we look, we find an incredible panoramic bird’s eye view. East, west, north or south, they all have their own charm. We leave you a couple of photos that attest to what we tell you, we are sure you will love them!

We must remember that the Bizkaia Bridge, together with the cliffs of Punta Galea, is one of the highest points of the environment, one of the spaces from where the beauty of the Bay of Abra can be best appreciated. There is also the possibility of enjoying the views in the opposite direction, that is, to see the Bizkaia Bridge from below, from the estuary. In this sense, there are boats such as the Polaris Bat that make customized trips throughout Bizkaia. We recommend the reading of our article boats to cross the estuary of Bilbao.

Tips: Like any tourist attraction, the Bizkaia Bridge also has its pluses and minuses, its little secrets, its tricks. Here are ours:

Where to eat near the Bizkaia Bridge: In our opinion, the best options we have to eat near the Bizkaia Bridge are eating pintxos in Areeta / Las Arenas, eating a good fish in the Old Port of Algorta or sardines in the Port of Santurtzi. All these options are as valid as authentic, but as everything in this life depends on the budget and tastes of each of you. We recommend reading our article on Idiazabal croquettes from Itxas Bide Taberna.

What to see: The vicinity of the Bizkaia Bridge has a lot to offer, and thanks to the Suspension Bridge we can enjoy the surrounding towns without wasting time in the displacements. Thus, the towns of Portugalete, Santurtzi and Getxo put at our disposal everything we need to enjoy the charms that surround them. Here are some examples:

Schedules and prices: It is very important to know that the schedule of the visits of the Bizkaia Bridge has nothing to do with the schedule of transport that it offers us. In this sense, the schedule of visits is delimited by the schedule of operation of the elevators that take us to the top of the Bizkaia Bridge and the stores of the same, where you buy the access pass to them.

Unique in the world: The Bizkaia Bridge is unique in the world. A building that, like the Eiffel Tower in France, attracts thousands of visitors every year. Its originality lies in the techniques used during its construction and the mechanisms that make it move. As of today, there are only 11 ferry bridges in the world, here is the complete list:

As you can see, the Bizkaia Bridge, a true engineering marvel of its time, leads this list as the oldest and one of the longest ferry bridges, quite an honor.

How the Bizkaia Bridge works: The structure of the Bizkaia Bridge is formed on the 4 towers of 61 meters that we find on both banks, 2 on each side of the estuary. Some pillars, which are joined together with a 160-meter crossbeam located 45 meters above sea level and 8 steel cables anchored to dry land, form the base of this incredible bridge. The aforementioned crossbeam holds the gondola by means of 70 steel cables that, thanks to the mechanism (carriage, rail and electric motors), moves passengers from one shore to the other.

Videos: We leave you a couple of videos from our YouTube channel to give you a more realistic idea of what awaits you on the Bizkaia Bridge.

As a curiosity, we must say that there are several bilbainadas (typical songs of Bilbao) in which this incredible metallic structure is mentioned. Among them, “Bilbao y sus pueblos”, one of the best known bilbainadas of the Bilbao songbook, in which you can hear how the Bizkaia Bridge is mentioned, we leave you the original fragment:“Puente de Portugalete, tu eres el más elegante, Puente de Portugalete, el mejor Puente Colgante“, words that help us to understand the historical and cultural importance of this structure declared a World Heritage Site by Unesco. What did you think of the Bizkaia Bridge? We are waiting for your opinions!