Getxo in 30 seconds
75,981 inhabitants (INE 2024) over 11.89 km², 14 km from Bilbao. On the right bank at the mouth of the Bilbao estuary (ría), facing the Atlantic. Four districts: Las Arenas / Areeta (the transporter bridge, opposite Portugalete), Neguri (the garden city), Algorta (the old port) and Santa María de Getxo (the original settlement).
What to see
Vizcaya Bridge (Puente Bizkaia)
Opened on 28 July 1893, it is the world’s first transporter bridge, and was made a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2006. Designed by Alberto de Palacio with the French engineer Ferdinand Arnodin, it links Las Arenas with Portugalete: 61 m high, 160 m long. A suspended gondola carries people across the ría 24 hours a day, all year round, saving a road trip of some twenty kilometres; the upper walkway is reached by lifts added in 1999. A spectacular view.
Neguri — the garden city
A residential district created at the beginning of the 20th century (1904) and designed as a garden city for Bilbao’s bourgeoisie. Its name was coined by the linguist Resurrección María de Azkue. Handsome villas to explore on foot.
The beaches
- Ereaga
- Arrigunaga
- Las Arenas — near the transporter bridge
- Azkorri-Gorrondatxe and Barinatxe, further north
The coast and coastal walks
About 10 km of cliffs, coastline and beaches around the bay of the Abra. Don’t miss the Aixerrota windmill, the La Galea fort (18th century), the walk from Punta Galea towards Sopela and the Paseo Zugazarte. The marina offers diving, canoeing and other water sports.
The old port of Algorta
A former fishing port lined with traditional houses, bars and restaurants. A village atmosphere within the town.
Festivals
Getxo hosts international folklore, jazz, blues and folk festivals, as well as a craft fair.
Local specialities
- Fish and seafood
- Bacalao pil-pil (salt cod in pil-pil sauce)
- Biscay txakoli
Getting there
- Metro: seven Metro Bilbao stations in Getxo (Areeta, Gobela, Neguri, Aiboa, Algorta, Bidezabal, Ibarbengoa)
- Car: from Bilbao
- Bus: Bizkaibus from Bilbao
1-day itinerary
- Morning: the transporter bridge (gondola + walkway)
- Late morning: the villas of Neguri
- Afternoon: Ereaga beach, then a walk towards Arrigunaga
- Early evening: the old port of Algorta
My favourite photo
The transporter bridge from Portugalete at sunset, an iron silhouette against the sky. Or a Neguri villa on a sunny day.
Sources
- Turismo Euskadi (Basque Government) — Getxo (in Spanish)
- Wikipedia (in Spanish): Getxo (INE 2024 population), Vizcaya Bridge
Ongi etorri Getxora — Welcome to Getxo.