El Puente Colgante, Portulagete, Vizcaya
On a cold and dreary day in early January, my daughter, a friend and I traveled by metro from Bilbao to Portugalete to see the Puente Colgante for ourselves. It was built in 1893 and is the world’s oldest transporter bridge. It is quite a site to see. Puente Colgante literally means “Hanging Bridge” in English. The bridge “hangs” and “slides” which makes it able to transport six cars and several people between the towns of Portugalate and Las Arenas. It was an engineering feat in the laste 1800s when a disciple of Eiffel designed and built the bridge. It has been in continuous operation since its opening, except for four years during the Spanish Civil War.
Transporting Cars
View from above
The Port of Bilbao
Tourists are able to take an elevator to the top of the bridge and have fabulous views of the Port of Bilbao and the surrounding area. The cost is 6 euro and can read some of the history of the bridge in English, Spanish and Euskara.
The Port of Bilbao
PAÍS VASCO 