From Bilbao to Portugalete

This is undoubtedly the most urban stage of the entire Northern route. Mainly because the urban area of Bilbao forms an urban continuum up to the mouth of the River Nervión, which is exactly the stretch we are going to cover in this stage up to Portugalete. So yes, dear pilgrims, today we meet again the Cantabrian Sea!

You leave Bilbao following the Nervión estuary towards Portugalete. The official route runs along the left bank, between Zorrotza and Barakaldo; don't skip this urban stretch — it holds history and architecture of the estuary. The great icon of the day is the Puente Bizkaia (the Puente Colgante), a World Heritage Site, already in Portugalete, where the stage ends.