Portugalete Hotels and Accommodation

Portugalete is a port town in the province of Biscay, in Spain’s autonomous Basque Country. It was once a small fishing village and home port for a large sardine fleet, but has been largely overrun by the industrial city of Bilbao. However, Portugalete still has examples of old style architecture, and the walk along the riverbank is a pleasant experience for anyone visiting for a day or a weekend. Portugalete has the world’s first transporter bridge, built in 1893 by Alberto Palacio, a disciple of Gustave Eiffel. The Puente Colgante – officially the Bizkaiko Zubia –Puente de Vizcaya – links Portugalete to Getxo on the other side of the Nervion River. A transporter bridge is also called a ferry bridge or an aerial transfer bridge. Instead of having traffic travel on a supported span, this bridge carries people and vehicles across the water in a moving gondola supported by wires or a metal frame. This is done so that the bridge does not interfere with shipping on the river. The Puente Colgate is still in use. It now has an elevator that carries tourists to the top of the fifty-meter (165 feet) high towers of the bridge, for a terrific view of the port and the Bay of Biscay.