Gorliz, what to see and what to do.

Discover the potential of Gorliz, a small natural paradise located on the coast of Bizkaia.

Gorliz, is one of the 23 municipalities that make up the Bizkaia region of Uribe, a small corner of the western coast of the Basque Country that stands out for its great natural value and active tourism experiences. Located about 30 minutes by car from Bilbao and Loiu airport, Gorliz is one of the most attractive locations for anyone interested in discovering Bizkaia. You may remember Gorliz from our article on the Getxo-Armintza route, a route to which the municipality that concerns us today brings large doses of history, panoramic views and kilometers. The green fields of Gorliz run along the coast to merge with the powerful blue color of the Bay of Biscay, creating a beautiful range of colors that accompanies us along the coast. The coast of Gorliz surprises us with a route that allows us to enjoy hiking or MBT (mountain bike) in all its splendor, downhill slopes and suffered slopes give way to great rewards such as secluded coves or panoramic views, film.

As it is logical, Gorliz does not have the same communication as Bilbao, but its connections by means of other transports bring us closer to the Metro Bilbao network helping us to move comfortably.

Gorliz is one of those localities that gives pleasure to enjoy out of the summer season, when only its inhabitants walk the coves, beaches, cliffs and streets of the municipality, and is that, this town bizkaino quadruples its population every summer, a great multitude that often breaks the tranquility that offers us this municipality.

The main attractions of Gorliz; the beach, the lighthouse, the bunkers, the foral farm and the experiences of active tourism, annually attract a large number of tourists to its domains, characteristics that make it one of the most demanded villages by the Biscayans for the purchase of a second home for the summer period.

Nature marks the tourist attractions of the town, and all of them are surrounded by dreamlike landscapes, a great opportunity to get beautiful snapshots with your family, as a couple or with friends, you choose.

The beach and its dunes: The sandy area and the dunes that make up the beach of Gorliz, have undergone a great improvement in recent years, a project funded by the Ministry of Environment to provide this beach with the appearance it presented in the past. Thus, this project that began in 2007 has returned to nature the space that corresponded to it by removing the road and catering establishments. In short, Gorliz, shines today with its wide sandy area, its dunes and the cliffs that surround it, while the sea, calm and calm by the shelter of the bay of Plentzia, makes this beach one of the best of the coast of Bizkaia to enjoy with the family and to practice swimming in total tranquility. Thanks to the renovation of this space, Gorliz beach has great access for people with reduced mobility, unfortunately, the large parking lot that accompanies it, is saturated with vehicles on hot summer days.

Promenade: The Gorliz promenade merges with the Plentzia promenade to offer a quiet, simple and attractive route around the beaches of both municipalities.

Ruins of the Azkorriaga Fort: The Azkorriaga Fort was built in the 18th century with the sole purpose of defending the bay, a small defensive space of which today only its foundations, its ruins, remain. Beyond the historical character of the place, we must emphasize the epic beauty of this coastal space, a point from which we can see the beauty of the coast of Barrika and the cliffs of the area.

The lighthouse: Cape Billano hosts next to its cliffs the Gorliz lighthouse, a structure built in 1990 that attracts the attention of tourists and that in the past illuminated the way back home for many fishermen.Its location allows us to see everything that the eye is able to contemplate, no natural barrier is presented before us, it is time to capture the present. We recommend enjoying the perspective on the island of Billano that this area offers us, a beautiful and relaxing view with the Bay of Biscay in the background. The Gorliz lighthouse is located 30 minutes walk from the beach of Gorliz, a short walk that allows us to choose between the views of the interior or the coast to reach our destination. The coastal path, steep and unpaved, shows us the ruins of the Azkorriaga Fortress and the beauty of the cliffs, while the inland path runs through the Gorliz Farm showing us the portentous figure of the native breeds from the comfort of the asphalt. Our recommendation is simple, go up the interior and down the coast, but it is up to you to choose. Both roads lead to the same place, the lighthouse, and both start from practically the same point, the Hospital of Gorliz.

The pine forest and its barbecue area: The pine forest is one of the most popular areas in summer. Its grills, scattered among pines and tables, capture the interest of all the groups that plan to spend the day between the waters of the bay and the leisure area that represents the triangle formed by the urban center, the pine forest and the beach of Gorliz.

The Foral Farm: Since 1999, the Foral Farm of Gorliz has housed the Wildlife Recovery Center of Bizkaia, a space where pottokas (native breed of horses) run in semi-freedom in search of the recovery of the breed.Along with the promotion of native breeds, the farm carries out wildlife recovery work with the aim of rehabilitating all those animals that, after suffering some kind of damage, are going to be returned to their natural environment. According to the General Directorate of Forestry and Natural Spaces, this center is the answer to the lack of a place to research, analyze and recover the wild fauna of Bizkaia. We leave you a small video of the deer of the Granja Foral de Gorliz during the rutting season, a real spectacle of nature.

Hospital: Next to the promenade and the beach of Gorliz we find its hospital, a former Marine Sanatorium founded in 1919 by doctors Areilza and Larrinaga for the treatment of infantile tuberculosis. The Hospital of Gorliz, not only is a public space of great importance in the day to day of the Biscayan society, it also represents one of the points of interest of this locality. This building was the first structure to be built with reinforced concrete at the state level, an innovative space, which thanks to the sun, marine iodine, the work of doctors and the efforts of a large group of people with an altruistic vocation managed to face the greatest threat of the time, tuberculosis. In 1985 the Gorliz Hospital joined the network of health centers that Osakidetza has spread throughout the Basque Country.

Cannons, bunkers and trenches: The Gorliz lighthouse hides an interesting panoramic and historical treasure under its feet. It is here, next to the lighthouse, where we find a small network of subway tunnels that are still preserved in perfect condition. A complex of cannons, bunkers, trenches and tunnels from where the interests of the bay of Plentzia were protected. Today, most of the cannons of this settlement have been destroyed, the only one that survives is the cannon at the lowest point, the last survivor. This complex housed 4 shooting posts located at the front and rear of the lighthouse, from a bird’s eye view, from Google Maps you can perfectly check the waterfall shape that reflects in front of the sea. There are two options to reach these historical remains, but both have a somewhat steep slope and areas very close to the cliffs, we recommend caution. 3 of these spaces are linked together by tunnels that today we can still cross, a small and interesting adventure that we are sure that we are sure that both adults and children will like. We recommend taking with us a flashlight or headlamp (a cell phone flashlight may be enough) to fully explore all the cavities of this small corner of Gorliz.
We leave you a short video in which you can see the path that runs between the lighthouse, the tunnels and the canyon.

Cliffs, coves and fields: A 3 in 1 of high quality. Within a radius of 30 minutes, we find natural formations for all tastes, a wide range that nature offers us in exchange for respecting the environment around us. As we told you in our article about Barrika, in Gorliz, we can also appreciate how nature writes its own history on the walls of the cliffs that form the coastline of Gorliz, a small open-air museum, free and with luxury views. The strength of the sea, the rain and the climate of our land sculpted green fields and small coves with which to enjoy our adventure in Gorliz, a world of sensations for our senses.

Urban center: In the center of Gorliz we find 3 traditional buildings, the town hall, the church of the Immaculate Conception of Santa Maria and the fronton, history repeats itself, the strong core of every Basque village persists over time. Around these 3 buildings we also find other points such as the palace of Iturritxu and Axeo of the nineteenth century. The spaces we mention are the most outstanding of Gorliz, places that are seen with different eyes if we know them through the experiences of active tourism offered by Troka Abentura, one of the most important companies of active tourism in Bizkaia.

This coastal town is not only a quiet place to relax and enjoy the environment, it also offers a long list of experiences through which to get to know our land and sea, a more dynamic and lively alternative.

Troka Abentura: Txapas, responsible for this active tourism company, continuously creates new ways of getting to know our land through sport, a way of working that has turned Troka Abentura into a great option to enjoy the Basque Country. We recommend reading our article about the experience we lived in their hands: Troka abentura, adrenaline in its purest form. In the following video you can see one of the activities that Troka Abentura surprises us with, coasteering along the coast of Gorliz. Although the route traced by the members of Troka includes jumps into the water from the coast, do not panic, none of them is of these characteristics.

Crusoe Treasure, the underwater winery in the region of Uribe: Although this space does not belong to Gorliz, we cannot write this article without mentioning this point to our readers, and the fact is that, although the office of this innovative underwater winery is located in Plentzia, it is practically on the edge of Gorliz beach. In Euskal Herria, we are of good food and drink, a tradition, which has led us to have a great winery under our waters, the Crusoe Treasure underwater winery. The winery is located at the mouth of the port of Plentzia, at the mouth of the Butron estuary, in the center of the Bay of Plentzia, a space marked with a beacon in which nature and people have come together to achieve a goal with common interests, to raise one of the most interesting wines of recent times while creating an artificial reef that gives way to a new seabed. Where before there were only rocks and sand, we now have a rich seabed. What do you think? Recommended reading: Crusoe Treasure, the hold under the sea.

Enjoy the gastronomy: Gorliz, like any other Basque municipality, is also accustomed to good food, an experience that we can enjoy in any of the restaurants in the town center.

History of Gorliz: Before enjoying the land we walk on it is interesting to know its history, its past. The geographical location of Gorliz has led his people to the sea, a place where the ancestors of gorliztarraz today became famous for hosting the second largest fleet of Bizkaia. It is also curious to know how the old Gaminiz neighborhood of Gorliz gave rise to the current Plentzia after being endowed in 1299 with a territorial base by Don Diego Lopez de Haro.After knowing the charms of this incredible coastal town, after discovering what to see and do in Gorliz, what better than enjoying the waters of the bay of Plentzia? Enjoy one of the liveliest towns in Bizkaia in summer, enjoy Gorliz.