First published: 16/07/19.

Klaus Freisinger 3.5

Vizcaya Bridge

Vizcaya Bridge (Inscribed)

Vizcaya Bridge by Klaus Freisinger

A short trip to the great city of Bilbao can be easily combined with an excursion to this unique bridge. There are both metro and train lines to Portugalete and Getxo (the towns on each riverbank) and it's just a short walk from the stations. Of course, you can see its impressive silhouette from far away already. The easiest way to use the bridge is to hop on a gondola, which runs every few minutes and only costs 45 cents for pedestrians (of course more for cyclists, motorbikers and cars). The downside is that you don't see a lot of the bridge above you, so for serious visitors, a tour of the footbridge on top is recommended (10 euros). First you walk to the platform above the ticket/souvenir shop, where you will be picked up by a guide and shown the way to the lift. Once on top, you have 15 or 20 minutes to explore on your own. There are many signs, and the view of the cities, the river and the bay are great. Theoretically you could descend on the Getxo side, but the lift there was closed for maintenance when I visited. There used to be many of these bridges worldwide (you can see images of them on the platform), but not many have survived, and this one is in a very good condition. Also, it's a welcome change from Spain's usually much older WH sites.

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