Urban Coast

        Bilbao port was built in 1300. The Port of Bilbao is on the eastern side of the Bay of Biscay This privileged geographic location allows the Port to act as a link with the main international ports and it has especially good connections with both the American continent and the north of Europe. 

      Over 200 regular maritime services link Bilbao with 500 ports worldwide. As in the Basque Country there was a lot of iron ore, it was very industrial some years ago, but it is more a shipping port. 

   Bilbao’s pre-Guggenheim era was dominated by steelworks, yards and other port activities. But when they built the Guggenheim museum the city started a touristic era.

Sea Sports

 TRAINERA (Rowing)

       A trainera is a traditional boat of the Cantabrian sea coast at the southern end of the Bay of Biscay, propelled by oars.. Traineras were dedicated to the catch of anchovies and sardines. Today, this historical tradition has become a major racing sport. These races called “estropadak” are popular in the Basque Country, Asturias, Cantabria and Galicia.        

        

       The most importat competition is Kotxako Bandera and there is a premier league Liga San Miguel. A race normally covers a distance of 5.5 km. 

SURFING

         Surfing is also a popular sport in our shores. Some good surfing beaches in Biscay are Mundaka, Bakio and Sopelana. Billabong Mundaka Challenge and Sopelana’s Roxy Girls Champ are some competitions held here.

SNORKELING

             When there are not waves for surfing and the sea is calm, snorkeling is a good option. The clear and oxygenated waters of the Basque coast host a wide variety of sea animals. Remember they are not souvenirs!

Biodiversity

        Gaztelugatxe is a peninsula near Bakio with a hermitage on top. The peninsula and the surrounding waters are a sanctuary for sea plants and animals.

         The first marine reserve in Gaztelugatxe Protected Biotope can be found within the line drawn by internal waters and the coastline.

          The high quality of its waters, transparent, well oxygenated and without the presence of industrial and urban waste, favours biodiversity.

Here are some animals that you may see in the area.

Hermit crab

Mussels

Sea cucumber

Moray   

Horse-mackerel

Conger eels

Anemone

Limpets 

Sea bass                                                                                

Octopus

Sea urchins                                                                 

Spider crabs

Fish Dishes

Txipiroiak (baby squids in their ink)

Ingredients: 

baby squids, onions, olive oil, squid ink.

Pil pil cod

Ingredients: 

cod, olive oil, garlic, red pepper. 

 Kokotxak (cheeks of hake)

Ingredients: 

cheeks of hake, olive oil, garlic and parsley.

 Txangurro (spider cab)

 Ingredients:

 spider crab, onion, green pepper, white wine, olive oil.

 Marmitako (tuna casserole)

Ingredients:

 fresh tuna, potatoes, onion, green peppers, tomato, olive oil, water.

Basque Whalers

          If there is one animal from Basque tradition that is linked to the world of myth and magic, it´s undoubtedly the whale.

          From the Middle Ages to the 19th century, one of the main activities of Basque sailors was hunting the whale in the Bay of Biscay, Iceland and later Canada, especially Labrador and Newfoundland.

           

         A man would watch from a tower and alert the sailors, who would row towards the whales and hunt them with harpoons. The most expensive product was the fat, which was used as lighter fuel as it burned without giving off smoke and was odorless. 

Bizkaia Bridge

         The Bizkaia Bridge is a transporter bridge that links the towns of Portugalete and Las Arenas in the Biscay province of Spain. People call it the Puente Colgante (literally "hanging bridge").

         The 45-m-high bridge with its span of 160 m, merges 19th-century ironworking traditions with the then new lightweight technology of twisted steel ropes. It was the first bridge in the world to carry people and traffic on a high suspended gondola.

         It is the world's oldest transporter bridge and was built in 1893, designed by Alberto Palacio, one of Gustave Eiffel's disciples. The service was only interrupted once, for four years, during the Spanish Civil War, when the upper section was dynamited. Palacio saw his masterwork partially destroyed just before his own death.