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 Getting to Mount Artxanda |
Carretera de Artxanda a Santo Domingo, nº 27 Bilbao, Vizcaya 48015 Spain +34 (0)944 45 4966 http://www.funicularartxanda.com/ |
This unusual means of transport, built in 1913, by the swiss company Von Roy, was opened in 1915. Its activity was interrupted, however, during the Civil War. The present installations were opened in 1983 and the old wooden carriages were replaced with metal ones with a capacity of 70 people. The 3 minute trip, with a climb of 226 metres, allows the passenger to contemplate the beautiful city panorama, as well as to enjoy one of the most frequented recreational sites in Bilbao at weekends: Mount Artxanda. Here you have some of the best known restaurants and grills in Bilbao, as well as the Artxanda Sports Centre. Review © 2007, Wcities |
 Photo: Thomas Cloer |
 Photo: Andy Hay  |
 Photo: sambossarellos |
 Photo: volante |
 Wood with painted trees |
De Gernika Bilbao 48300 Spain |
In Kortezubi, only 37km from Bilbao and on the outskirts of Gernika, is the Enchanted Wood of Oma. The paradisiacal Oma valley is the area chosen by Basque artist Agustín Ibarrola to create this singular wood where a perfect symbiosis of human and natural creation is realized. Several hundred pine tree form the natural support for colored geometrical figures that shape a landscape in which the visitor exercises each of his senses. The various compositions of the pictures Ibarrola draws on the trunks use the tree's rings to explore human perspective and astound the spectator with astonishing art. This is a journey, through 3kms of an inhabited track, that allows the walker to participate in this creative experience of composing and de-composing the figures. Review © 2007, Wcities |
 Photo: Girados |
 Photo: Carlos S. Grima |
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Walk along estuary bank |
Puente de La Salve Bilbao 48007 Spain |
Setting out from the Bilbao town hall, we enter one of the city's most privileged residential areas. Parallel to the estuary, Campo Volantin, which extends as far as the majestic La Salve bridge (so called because on arriving there sailors would pray at the sight of the Begoña basilica) has changed over the years. Mansions and villas began to disappear in the 1950's, replaced by blocks of apartments. Even today, though, there is still enchanting evidence of another age, in places like the parish of El Salvador, Santiago Apostol college or the magnificent nineteenth century Olábarri palace, which today houses the council of the Autonomous Port of Bilbao. The Guggenheim Museum and the Palacio Euskalduna, both situated on the bank opposite Campo Volantin, and which along with the Uribitarte pathway and the Calatrava footbridge have changed and made grander this landscape that rises parallel with the estuary. Review © 2007, Wcities |
 Photo: enplastilina |
 Photo: Umberto Luparelli |
 Photo: Lin Yu-Chung |
 Photo: sasa |
 Photo: tettinx |
 Photo: Abdallah Elshamy |
 Photo: Fred Hong |
 Photo: Alexander Goethals |
 Photo: Hrvoje Tomić |
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Old Quarter of left-wing municipality |
Puente Colgante Bilbao 48920 Spain |
Portugalete is one of the most important municipalities of the so-called Left Side of the estuary, a traditionally industrial and mining area to which Sestao, Barakaldo and Santurtzi also pertain. The town of Portugalete is currently an important industrial and commercial centre that is linked to the Right Side by this impressive piece of iron that is the Colgante bridge (Hanging Bridge). Portugalte's old quarter still retains its medieval flavour and among its most noteworthy features is, for example, Santa Maria church, in the Gothic-Renaissance style, which is situated very near the medieval Tower of Salazar, rebuilt in 1958 after a fire years before and dating back to 1379. The town hall, built in 1884, also stands out with its rectangluar form circled by arch-shaped porticos and wrought iron balconies. The visitor is advised to walk along the quay (El Muelle) until coming to what the locals call "The Point" (La Punta), the work of Evaristo de Churruca and opened in 1887 by Queen Maria Cristina and Alfons XIII. Review © 2007, Wcities |
 A breathing space |
Cerca de Palacio de Congresos Euskalduna Bilbao, Vizcaya 48011 Spain +34 944 71 0301 (Informacion Turistica) informacion@bilbaoturismo.bilbao.net |
You'll find this park alongside Bilbao's Gran Vía and you can escape from the traffic to spend some peaceful time walking along the pathways amongst an amazing diversity of majestic trees. It was laid out between 1912 and 1920 along the lines of an English country house gardens and it boasts four ponds. The most popular are the duck pond and the pergola pond, with its spectacular cybernetic fountain that's a veritable sound and light show during the summer. Next door, you can visit the impressive Museo de Bellas Artes (Fine Arts Museum). All parks in Bilbao are open 24 hours a day. Review © 2007, Wcities |
 Photo: David Perez Facorro |
 Photo: Juan J. Martínez |
 Photo: Jon Piorno |
 Photo: Marivi Sanz |
 Photo: Josean Prado |
 Photo: Miguel Gibert |
 Photo: IBANE OROZKO PALMERO |
 Photo: Patricia |
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A nature spot in Abadiño |
Autovia Urkiola Bilbao 48220 Spain |
Some 33 kilometres from Bilbao along the Bilbao-Irún motorway, the Duranguesado region is an impressive natural landscape of valleys and fascinating mountains, set in the Urquiola Natural Park. This beautiful landscape situated in the Vizcayan municipality of Abadiño has all the charms of a natural paradise and captivates all those who visit it. The Urkiola Park is a wonderful area of 5800 hectares that was declared a Natural Park in 1989. It is a vast area of land with 300 species of vegetation, among which the beeches and oaks that surround the summit of Puerto de Urkiola are plentiful. Alongside, there is a medieval roadway that joins the plateau with the Bermeo port, where the Santos Antonios Shrine is found. This is the place to which many people in search of a husband or wife come. Opposite the church there is a large stone which, it is said, you must walk around three times to ask for a spouse. Review © 2007, Wcities |
 Photo: Piet De Somere |
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Walkway between Las Arenas and Neguri |
Las Arenas y Neguri Bilbao 48990 Spain |
The Zugazarte walkway, that links the residential areas of Las Arenas and Neguri, both in the Getxo municipality, is notable for the number of small palaces and rambling houses dotted along the length of this stretch next to the sea. It is a landscape full of splendid examples of residential architecture, such as the villa called "Itsas Begi" (Eye of the Sea), built by the architect, Rafael Garamendi in 1927, or the one designed by Manuel María Smith in a marked Old English style, which occupies number 32 and goes by the name of "Bake Eder". A bit further on, at number 52, is the house called "San Joseren", built in 1914 by José Luís Oriol and another handsome example in Getxo's urban conglomeration. This is an area where palaces and stately villas abound. Built by Vizcaya's bourgeoisie between 1880 and 1920, they stand as symbols of the economic prosperity of the time. Review © 2007, Wcities |
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In Casco Viejo |
San Nicholas de Bari Bilbao 48005 Spain |
Many sailors reached the banks of this wharf, because of which San Nicolás de Bari (patron saint of sailors) hermitage was built. It was converted into a temple in 1940 and today is perhaps considered one of the best known churches in Bilbao. Pebbled walkways, splendid banana and lime trees, bear witness to the many cultural activities organized in what has been converted into a beautiful and central point in Bilbao's fiestas. From here you can admire the Arriaga Theatre, the oldest in Bilbao. Review © 2007, Wcities |
 Photo: Josu Garro Mezo |
 Photo: cesar |
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On foot through the city |
Cerca Plaza de Unamun Bilbao, Vizcaya 48006 Spain +34 944 71 0301 (Informacion Turistica) informacion@bilbaoturismo.bilbao.net |
Setting out from Plaza de Unamuno, begin the climb to the Begoña basilica through the paved streets of Mallona (Las Calzadas de Mallona). These are an essential part of the Day of the Virgin celebration (15 August) when thousands of people visit the shrine of this basilica. Begin the walk through these famous streets through which in bygone days marched a civic procession every May 2nd in order to commemorate the deaths of those who fell defending the town during the Siege of Bilbao. During the Carlist wars Bilbao was under siege and General Concha overthrew the siege on May 2. At the summit of Las Calzadas, the gate of what was Bilbao's cemetery in the nineteenth century still stands today. Review © 2007, Wcities |
 Photo: paul_m |