Bilbao
Everything hinges on the “Guggenheim Bilbao” effect...the energy that has given the city its global outlook, making it the driving force behind its regeneration. Frank Gehry’s design leaves no-one indifferent. Nearby, the Bilbao Museum of Fine Arts displays its relevance with a collection of over ten thousand items. An avant-garde setting like no other. A space dedicated to the “cult of art” that concentrates the greatest names in global architecture.
More informationGernika
A symbol of Basque self-government, Gernika is a must on any tour of Urdaibai. The Casa de Juntas (Government House) and the emblematic tree under which the charters of Bizkaia were sworn are the main attractions, but there are many more. The nearby Paz (Peace) Museum and the wonderful Peoples of Europe Park, with valuable sculptures and wooded areas, are also worth a visit. However, the event that attracts most visitors is not a monument but the busy Monday market, that fills the streets of the town with life and bustle.
More information Conexión: PR-BI 181 Connection: GR38Urdaibai
After leaving Gernika, the train ventures into the most beautiful landscapes of the Urdaibai Biosphere Reserve. It is now time to relax and enjoy the views through the window. The tidal river is at its best as we discover a true natural paradise. Sandy flats that appear and disappear to the rhythm of the tides, marshes that are home to a vast biodiversity, and evergreen meadows next to hundred-year-old hamlets serve as the backdrop to a trip that will always feel too short.
More informationSan Kristobal
Opposite San Kristobal and its platform, you will find the most interesting marshes of the estuary. A winding path leads to them, where visitors can enjoy a world half-way between the land and sea. A wooden observatory provides a chance to watch birds as they peck in the silt and dive into the water in search of food. Although the greatest number of birds gather during the autumnal migration, any time of the year is good to enjoy this impressive natural setting.
More information Connection: PR-BI 160In the shade of Txakoli
Long lines of pillars next to the paths remind us of the past importance of txakoli in Urdaibai. This structure allowed the vines, planted on both sides, to grow over the paths, creating an arbour. This generated the ideal conditions for growing vines and provided shade for the people using the roads. An easy two-hour hike will lead to an ancient arboured path that will take us to the Madariaga Tower, which has been transformed into the Basque Biodiversity Centre.
More informationItsasbegi
Txatxarramendi Island seems to float in the tidal river next to the Itsasbegi unmanned platform. Its stunning forests eventually became a botanical park. The main feature found here is the Cantabrian oak forest, one of the last examples of the type of forest that covered the entire district thousands of years ago. You can reach Txatxarramendi on foot over the sand flats at low tide; however, there is also another option, less romantic but more practical, which consists in crossing the bridge that connects it to the mainland.
More information Connection: PR-BI 160 Conexión: PR-BI 176Laida
As we approach the mouth of the estuary, the horizon opens up before us. The sandbanks appear as beautiful abstract paintings as the train rolls by. The tides and currents play with the landscape, modelling it into the beautiful dunes found on Laida Beach. At high tide, the sandbanks disappear almost completely. Then, the fishermen take to the sea in their small boats. When the tide goes out, it is the turn of the beach-goers and sunbathers.
More informationMundaka
At the mouth of the Urdaibai estuary, we can find the seafaring charm of this ancient fishing town. The chapel of Santa Catalina, perched on a small promontory at the mercy of the ferocious onslaught of the sea, watches over the surfers, who come here to ride the best left-breaking wave in Europe. Together with them, the fishermen in their small boats provide a bit of colour to the small entrance to the port; the ideal location for the Old Quarters with its intricate lanes.
More information Connection: PR-BI 176Izaro
Between Mundaka and Bermeo, the train leaves the estuary behind and passes through cliffs that overlook the Bay of Biscay. Stranded opposite the mouth of the river, as if it were a large rock washed up by the force of the waves, we will find Izaro Island. Today, it is an uninhabited islet at the mercy of the wind that used to be home to a Franciscan convent until it was razed to the ground in the 16th century by Sir Francis Drake, a fearsome English privateer that gave Izaro its legendary fame.
More informationBermeo
Bermeo tastes of the sea, of fresh fish and salt. The entrance to the port, surrounded by picturesque fishermen's houses, witnesses the constant comings and goings of seamen. This is the anchorage of the largest inshore fishing fleet in the Bay of Biscay, an endless collection of boats of various colours. Such is the importance of fishing in the town that the most representative building in the Old Quarters is the Fishing Museum. It is housed in Ercilla Tower, a sturdy Gothic building that competes in beauty with the cloister in the nearby convent of San Francisco.
More information Connection: GR38