Go to content

Route 3. Portugalete, Santurtzi and Zierbena

The Mouth of the Estuary and the Bay of Abra

This route starts in Portugalete, the town where some of the most recognised and iconic pieces of Bizkaia’s industrial heritage can be found, including Vizcaya Bridge, declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and the spectacular work of engineering, the iron jetty, and Rialia, a museum displaying a significant collection for visitors to better understand the industrial and seafaring past of Bizkaia. From here, you’ll go to Santurtzi and its maritime museum as well as the Agurtza Tuna Fishing Boat. You’ll wrap up this seafaring-themed day with a visit to Zierbena, a fishing port with a long-standing tradition

We recommend going by

  • andar

  • barco

  • metro
You can start this route by walking between Portugalete and Santurtzi.
But there are other means of transport available to see the points of interest for Bizkaia’s industrial past and its conversion to its current state. You can use the metro line 2 connecting these two towns or take one of the tour boats along the estuary to its mouth.

Points of interest

  • Galdames mining railway

    To transport iron ore from the mines to the loading docks, starting in the 1870s, several private mining companies were founded with foreign capital ...

    More information

  • Portugalete workers’ route

    Like Barakaldo and Sestao, Portugalete has an industrial workers’ route. The route has 11 informational panels at various points telling the industrial ...

    More information

  • Rialia museum of industry

    The Rialia Museum of Industry is in a privileged location, a vantage point that allows you to understand our seafaring and industrial history.

    More information

  • UNESCO Vizcaya bridge

    The Vizcaya Bridge is considered an engineering work of art. It was the first transporter bridge in the world and one of the most outstanding constructions ...

    More information

  • Iron jetty in Portugalete

    The industrialisation of the Basque Country was made possible by two key circumstances: on the one hand, the presence in Meatzaldea of a low phosphor iron ...

    More information

  • Estuary motorboat ferries

    The need to allow large ships to sail into the centre of Bilbao made connecting the two sides of the estuary quite difficult, and this problem was only ...

    More information

  • Sea and fishing heritage museum in Santurtzi

    The Santurtzi Itsas Museoa tells the story of Santurtzi’s connection to the sea in all manners: professional, social, cultural and recreational.

    More information

  • Port of Zierbena

    This place maintains its charm and seafaring flavour, with fishing and leisure boats moored in the port and traditional restaurants and grills surrounding ...

    More information

Good Idea

A Good Idea

Visit the Old Quarter of Portugalete

The Old Quarter of Portugalete continues to be a beautiful, emblematic space that maintains its Medieval essence.

You’ll find monuments from the various periods and styles like the Salazar Tower or the birthplace of Victor Chávarri who also has a monument from the early 20th century.

‘Fresh sardines’ in Santurtzi

There's nothing better on this route than taking a break to taste the grilled sardines in the port of Santurtzi and, if you’ve got time, visiting the Santurtzi Itsas Museoa.

Zierbena offers the opportunity to take a dip before having a meal or snack

This place maintains its charm and seafaring flavour, with fishing and leisure boats moored in the port and traditional restaurants and grills surrounding it, emitting a delicious aroma of trilled fish.

Guide in pdf format

Download the Iron River guide.

DownloadGuide in pdf format