For 2024 Pilgrims: €50,- donation = 1 year with no ads on the forum + 90% off any 2024 Guide. More here. (Discount code sent to you by Private Message after your donation) |
---|
In case you wanted to stop in Zamudio, 6 km before Bilbao, I can recommend a nice pilgrim- friendly place (not an albergue) that I stayed in.
Buen Camino!
AJ, I think The Northern Caminos guidebook also makes the suggestion to consider the metro to Portugalete as the camino's poorly way marked and not very interesting, and I'll likely do that.
Besides the Guggenheim, there is a fantastic Museu de Bella Artes there. Last time they had young Murillo and I loved it even more than the Guggenheim.I think Bilbao is such a nice city that it might be worth a non-albergue night to enjoy the old part of town, walking along the river to see the Guggenheim, etc. The Bilbao albergue is about 4 km from the cathedral and the old part, on the way out of town. When I walked the Camino Olvidado two years ago (it starts in Bilbao) we stayed at the Pensión de la Fuente, double rooms about 35 €. Family run, very nice place, and the tapas places in the area are great! It´s also very close to the cathedral, where you can pick up the arrows. The Norte and the Olvidado split a few km on after you cross the river.
Besides the Guggenheim, there is a fantastic Museu de Bella Artes there. Last time they had young Murillo and I loved it even more than the Guggenheim.
I agree, Bilbao is worth a 2 day stay.
I had to remind myself of what was in that museum, here are the highlights:https://www.museobilbao.com/obras-maestras-listado.php
Wednesdays, it's free, and always free if you are an educator and have an ID that establishes that. Otherwise, 7 €.
I will make the low-brow comment that the collection inside the Guggenheim left me cold. There was one room filled with sunflowers dipped in lead, which is a technique sure to take the joy out of sunflowers! But the outside, wow, that's wonderful, walking around, climbing up and down on the bridge to get the different vantage points, it's really something.
Guggenheim entrance fee is 13 €.
My preferred way to spend an afternoon in Bilbao would be to enjoy the inside of Bellas Artes and the outside of the Guggenheim, and they are about a 10 minute walk apart from one another.
Sure! It is called Casa Rural Matsa. Normally the rooms are kind of expensive, but if you have the credencial, they charge pilgrims 22 euro/person for shared double. And if you happen to walk solo, you may still get a single room for 22 if there are no other pilgrims to share (I did).
I got the directions to that place from the hospitalero in Lezama albergue which was overfilled in the summer and there was really no more place to sleep. The address of the Casa Rural also says Lezama, but in fact it is closer to Bilbao, in Zamudio. The reviews and the map should be somewhere HERE
The Northern Camino guidebook talks about 3 possible routes out of Bilbao - the first, that follows the west side of the Río Nervión mentions skirting San Vicente de Baracaldo and going through Sestao. It appears, however, to follow some pretty major roads very close to the river, so I think the route must have been changed away from the route you took, which sounds very unsavory. There is also a variant to the east of the river which may be ok but it's (from google maps) about 13km of highway walking to Portugalete. I think my first choice will be the Metro. I'd rather spend the time it would take to walk the road on the beach at La Arena!
I disagree about taking the Metro - yes it's dull and boring walking up to Portugalete on the road near the river but why not take the rough with the smooth
I disagree about taking the Metro - yes it's dull and boring walking up to Portugalete on the road near the river but why not take the rough with the smooth
I also prefer to walk in and out of cities, it gives a much fuller picture of Spain, IMO. My question, spursfan, is whether the routed Camino now tracks the direct route out to Portugalete, essentially following the metro line, or whether it still goes through Barracaldo and Sestao -- that route would put a little edge into the "dull and boring", since it is one time on any camino that I felt a little threatened. We had to walk past an abandoned, window-less 6 or 7 story building that had lots of people living in it. It was a fairly creepy experience.
Yes we were surprised and happy to see the escalators right up to the top of the city street.Am I the only one who took the lift down in to the city? And who caught the escalator in the middle of the street in Portugalete to avoid the worst of the steep climb out? Surely not.
Alan
Be brave. Life is joyous.
The walk along the river parallels the metro and is in an industrial and yuky part of town. I was in such a hurry to leave the hostel I was in that I found myself walking at 5am or so. Not very wise. But there is no major road, just your typical area around a working port. Nice to know you can always change your mind and hop in the metro.The Northern Camino guidebook talks about 3 possible routes out of Bilbao - the first, that follows the west side of the Río Nervión mentions skirting San Vicente de Baracaldo and going through Sestao. It appears, however, to follow some pretty major roads very close to the river, so I think the route must have been changed away from the route you took, which sounds very unsavory. There is also a variant to the east of the river which may be ok but it's (from google maps) about 13km of highway walking to Portugalete. I think my first choice will be the Metro. I'd rather spend the time it would take to walk the road on the beach at La Arena!
I think nowadays most pilgrims walk on the right hand side of the river, I walked that way too. It is shorter than walking through Baracaldo, the way it is totally flat, and what was quite important in the summer, if you walk before noon, you walk in the shade from the buildings. And it is not along a highway, as someone mentioned, it is just a long city street. It was OK. I didn't notice any creepy areas. There are a few yellow arrows, not many, but you just go straight all the time until you reach the famous iron bridge which connects Getxo and Portugalete.
The Northern Camino guidebook talks about 3 possible routes out of Bilbao - the first, that follows the west side of the Río Nervión mentions skirting San Vicente de Baracaldo and going through Sestao. It appears, however, to follow some pretty major roads very close to the river, so I think the route must have been changed away from the route you took, which sounds very unsavory. There is also a variant to the east of the river which may be ok but it's (from google maps) about 13km of highway walking to Portugalete. I think my first choice will be the Metro. I'd rather spend the time it would take to walk the road on the beach at La Arena!
The GPS routes on wikiloc almost all show a path on the left side of the river, yet Arthur tells us most pilgrims walk on the right side.
We use cookies and similar technologies for the following purposes:
Do you accept cookies and these technologies?
We use cookies and similar technologies for the following purposes:
Do you accept cookies and these technologies?