Aula· Spain, city by cityPaís Vasco
Portugalete
«Portugalete tiene el famoso puente colgante de Vizcaya.»Portugalete has the famous Vizcaya transporter bridge.
Portugalete is located on the left bank of the Bilbao estuary, opposite Getxo, with its old town climbing the hill. It was founded in 1322 to control port traffic, and since 1893 it has been connected to the other bank by the oldest transporter bridge in the world, which is still in use.
Did you know
The Salazar tower is a museum
The Salazar Tower now houses a museum dedicated to local history and the events of the famous family that dominated the area in the Middle Ages.
How they talk in Portugalete
«Jarrillero» is the traditional nickname for the inhabitants of Portugalete. «Ría» is the fundamental geographical word that structures transport, landscape and industrial history.
agur
Greeting used to take leave and, depending on the context, also to say hello. Short greeting formula in Basque, very recognizable in the daily life of the Basque Country.
Everyday life in Portugalete
The public lift inside the rock
To go up from the river to the historic centre there are free lifts and escalators: those returning from shopping take them like one takes a bus, and the sixty-metre height difference is no longer walked.
«El ascensor es gratis.» — The lift is free.
The other end of the «Puente Colgante»
The suspension bridge starts here and arrives in Getxo, and the portugalujos use it to go to the other side in a minute: it costs little and has been working for more than a hundred years, uninterruptedly.
The «Basílica» at the top of the hill
Santa María is at the top of the village and to get there you climb a long staircase: it is the landmark of the city, and from up there you can see the whole ría.
What to eat in Portugalete
Bacalao al pil-pil
Salt cod cooked slowly in oil with garlic: by moving the pan, the gelatin binds the oil into a sauce.
Pintxos
Bites on a slice of bread with a toothpick, taken from the bar counter.
Marmitako
Tuna soup with potatoes and choricero pepper, created on boats.
Festivals in Portugalete
Diana Portugaluja
in July
At dawn the band goes around the old town playing the diana, and whoever is sleeping gets up: that is how the festival begins.
Virgen de la Guía
1 July
The cuadrillas go down from the upper village towards the ría with a handkerchief around their necks, and the party begins on the pier.
What to see in Portugalete
Puente Bizkaia
The oldest transporter bridge in the world: a suspended gondola that crosses the ría every eight minutes.
Basílica de Santa María
The Gothic church at the top of the old town, with the Renaissance altarpiece.
Torre de Salazar
The 15th-century tower-house, the only one left of the many that existed.
El Casco Viejo
The old town on the hill, with the public lift that takes you from the ría to the church.
Where Portugalete comes from
The bridge that does not close the river
1322
The foundation
María Díaz de Haro founds the town at the mouth of the ría, to control port traffic.
15th–16th century
Trade
Castilian wool passes through here towards Flanders: the town becomes wealthy.
19th century
Industry
Steelworks fill the ría: Portugalete becomes a working-class city.
1893
The Puente Bizkaia
The transporter bridge opens: ships continue to pass, and people cross.
Want to learn Spanish by travelling across Spain?
In Aula every lesson is a city lighting up on the map — Portugalete is one of them. Two hundred lessons from A1 to C2, free, starting from your level.
Start from Portugalete →