Vizcaya Bridge

I was expecting to be pretty underwhelmed by this WHS (after all, it is just a bridge...) but it was actually quite a bit better than I expected! I visited this during March 2025, during the year my wife and I have been living in Spain. We had a trip to the nearby San Sebastián planned, and so rented a car specifically for the purpose of doing a day in Bilbao where I knew I we could see this bridge.

Unfortunately for me, our other activities took a bit longer than expected, and parking in Bilbao can be a bit tricky. Be aware of that if you are bringing personal transportation into the city as opposed to public transport. Due to the aforementioned factors, my group of four sadly did not have time to cross the bridge as planned, but I did still get to walk up to the base of the bridge and watch it move across!

I had read a decent number of the reviews on here before visiting, but there was one thing I still didn't quite realize – when people talk about the bridge's gondola, you should not think of a typical pedestrian gondola used to ascend mountains. Rather, the gondola is a huge platform that hangs just over the water, level with the street. That's what makes this a "hanging transporter bridge". The gondola is a big flat platform (with walls, but no ceiling) that you can drive your …

During our planned stay in Bilbao, the Gran Hotel Puente Colgante in Portugalete (adjacent to the bridge) was too appealing to ignore. With the Portugalete station nearby and the very useful Barik card (which also works for the Vizcaya Bridge), choosing Portugalete instead of central Bilbao turned out to be an excellent choice for us. 

We visited the platform just before sunset on our first day and the views were incredible. The vibrations you feel when the gondola is moving might startle some visitors. Since our hotel was less than 100 meters from the bridge, we woke up every morning with the bridge in our window / balcony view. We crossed multiple times over the next three days with our Barik card for groceries (yes we carried bags of groceries across), dinner/drinks, and shopping. Views of the bridge can be rewarding up and down both promenades that line the estuary or from viewpoints around the nearby Basilica on the hill.

Evenings were festive during the holiday season, so taking strolls on the promenade in Portugalete or Getxo was always appealing. Bilbao's efficient metro connected us easily with everything we wished to see in the city center. Understandably, Vizcaya Bridge is a relatively short visit for most travelers - either to the platform, the promenade views, and/or the gondola across. Yet, I would suggest considering Portugalete as an option worth considering for your accommodations. You will likely be rewarded with some beautiful mornings and sunsets. Moreover, the bridge remains …

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.

Bilbao has much to be proud of with its renovated downtown, full of modern architecture designed by the likes of Frank Gehry, Arata Isozaki, Santiago Calatrava, and Norman Foster; however, it is a work of architecture from the late 19th century that has given Bilbao its only World Heritage Site. I didn't meet many tourists in Bilbao who knew of the Vizcaya Bridge, although it is understandable since the bridge is located north of downtown, at the mouth of the Nervion River. In 1893, Spanish architect Alberto Palacio, with his brother Silvestre, completed this remarkable bridge, using an iron superstructure to move a hanging platform between the settlements of Getxo and Portugalete, replacing the ferries that previously carried workers and residents across the river. The bridge quickly became popular and was copied in other parts of the world, including Duluth, Minnesota, in the United States (although this bridge has since been converted into an aerial lift bridge). When I visited the Vizcaya Bridge last May, I could see Spain (and Basque Country) was very proud of this World Heritage Site, with plaques, a flag, and engravings on wood planks all celebrating its status. At the time of my visit, the upper deck on the superstructure of the bridge was only accessible from the west bank of the Nervion, so I purchased a ticket from the vending machine to stand on the passenger section of the platform to cross the river, watching the ships pass below and the wheels of the …

UNique – 7/10

In 1893, Vizcaya Bridge was built at the mouth of the busy Nervion River, just 11 kilometers away from Bilbao. It was meant to connect the sides of the river without disrupting the shipping traffic coming in and out of Bilbao, which was at the time Spain’s biggest port. The man who was tasked with the project was Alberto Palacio, one of Gustave Eiffel’s students. Just like his mentor’s famous tower, Palacio’s creation may have been imposing initially, but quickly became an attraction and a symbol of the city.

ESsential – 3/10

The solution that Palacio has come up with was a transporter bridge with a gondola shuttling back and forth between the banks of the river. The gondola service has been running non-stop since the construction of the bridge and was famously interrupted only once when the architect saw his creation partially destroyed during the Spanish Civil War.

COst-Effective – 9/10

The bridge is easily reachable by public transit from Bilbao. The ride on the gondola costs only 40 cents and lasts less than two minutes. If you have the time, I strongly recommend visiting the adjoining town of Portugalete for leisurely strolls on the cobble-stone streets and spectacular views on the bridge and river.

My wife does not share the same passion about Unesco´s list as I do. To me every site is worth a visit, to her only a few. I have visited some sites on my own but soon found out that sharing is a big part of the fun. So I had to think of something to get her accompanying me. She´s okay with visiting charming old cities but is less enthusiastic about industrial heritage and stuff like that.

I, for one, like the steel monsters such as Vizcaya bridge. My wife however couldn´t care less. What she does like is laying on the beach getting a tan. So when I told her that we `had` to see this hanging transporter bridge I made sure to tell her that sea and sand were around the corner. Besides that, it wouldn´t take too long to see a bridge would it? Only than she was willing to go. Quid pro quo sort to speak.

Unfortunately on arrival the weather wasn´t sunny. Clouds in the air blocked the sun. As my wife had ben looking forward tot his day she now was very disappointd. “Sorry honey”, I said, “but I can’t control the weather! But since we are here anyway and there is no need to go over tot he beach…. we might as well take the elevator for a nice view from upstairs. She let herself talk into it and off we’d go. I really liked it up there but, looking at my …

I visited this WHS in August 2014. I decided to visit from the Portugalete side as there is an indoor parking just next to the bridge. The "Puente Colgante" connects Portugalete to Getxo. For 7 euros I got a lift to the top part of the bridge (an back down of course!) and I walked from one side to the other. In the middle of the bridge a UNESCO flag was hoisted and on the bridge itself there were information boards on the history of the bridge as well as on other WHS around the world. The transporter bridge works non-stop and it carries a maximum of 6 cars + pedestrians for a minimal fee. I guess local pedestrians prefer using the cheaper ferry boat service however it's a great option when travelling by car. The highlight of my trip was experiencing the transporter bridge in action from high above and being able to feel every squeak and vibration as if it were coming to life. One last tip: don't forget to have a look inside the bridge gift shop; behind the ticket vendor there is the original UNESCO inscription certificate!

I crossed the river in the gondola for 3 euros. I travelled by local train from Bilbao Abando station to Portugalete enjoying a spectacular view of the bridge while approaching Portugalete station. Having crossed the bridge I went to the nearby Areeta metro station to catch a train back to Bilbao and the Guggenheim Museum.

I believe that this is the world's last remaining operating transporter bridge; I have only seen one other, derilict at La Boca in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

The Puente Colgante is located just north of Bilbao, not far from the motorway. I visited it from the Portugalete side. It was quite difficult to find a parking spot close by. Eventually, I decided to drive on for a while (farther up north), until traffic got less dense. There's a boulevard along the river that you can follow back on foot. The bridge actually is right in the center of Portugalete.

As others have noticed: the bridge bears a strong resemblance to the Eiffel Tower. It keeps attracting your view. It is grand and lean. The gondola that hangs and moves underneath looks like a little boat that is pulled back and forth.

Since 1999, the pillars of the bridge on both sides have lifts installed. These will take you up 50 meters, from where you can walk over the bridge's platform. At first instance, it looked like an interesting thing to do here. So I bought a ticket to the lift for 5 EUR. I got weak knees however when I looked up from below: the bridge looks so thin and scary! I entered the lift, but on the way up I told myself that I would go back down with the same lift immediately. I think it scared me because the construction is very 'open': you can see right through everything, so you also see all the depth and height.

Arriving at the top, the feeling wasn't so bad anymore. They have the upper …

This is really a nice experience. Built by Ferdinand Arnodin, a friend of Gustave Eiffel, the bridge construction reminds one of the Eiffeltower. It's actually an aerial bridge, a horizontal cablecar on which you drive or walk on. It has been carefully refurbished and it's really an experience to cross the river Nervion 'aboard' this bridge. As it fits only a small number of vehicles you may have to queue if you want to use it by car.