The Camino de Santiago in Bizkaia

Discover the historic Camino de Santiago route along the Basque Coast, the oldest tourist route in Bizkaia. The route crosses the province, passing through Gernika-Lumo and the Basilica of Begoña in Bilbao, to Portugalete and the Suspension Bridge. A unique pilgrimage experience that combines nature, culture and the sea in Bizkaia.

Millions of people from all over the world have travelled the so-called Coast Way (Camino de la costa) since time immemorial, seeking the place where the sun sets beyond Earth’s furthest reaches or the tomb of St James the Apostle in the Field of Stars (Campus Stellae).

A section of this route crosses Bizkaia from east to west. It is a route that is increasingly well maintained, especially since the creation of the Asociación de Amigos de los Caminos de Santiago, in 1991. It is also more popular than ever. The scene of pilgrims travelling together is now common in Bizkaia at any time of year.

The Camino comes into Bizkaia through the hills of Markina-Xemein, where you can see the unique chapel of San Miguel de Arretxinaga. From there, it goes through the Bolibar woods, with their almost thousand-year-old Ziortza Collegiate Church, and the little town of Munitibar, before reaching the provincial town of Gernika-Lumo, home to the Casa de Juntas and museums.

To reach Bilbao, where you will first be welcomed by the Basilica of Begoña, you must follow the so-called Ruta Juradera de los reyes de Castilla, through Morga, Larrabetzu and Lezama, right next to Athletic Bilbao’s stadium. The next day you will reach Portugalete, which can almost be seen from the top of Kobeta hill, where the Nervión estuary, with its famous suspension bridge, comes into view.

The last section of the Camino through Bizkaia connects with Cantabria by the sea: through the mining area, with the industrial spectacle of Petronor, the Arena beach and the memory of the old mining train and the loading bays that stitched the cliffs to the depths of Earth.

MANY CAMINOS DE SANTIAGO

The route described above is the most popular and frequently followed. However, there was another route that connected the aforementioned ports of Bilbao and Portugalete with the route that passes through Burgos, Palencia and León. It does so by following the banks of the Kadagua River, crossing Alonsotegi, La Quadra, Sodupe, Güeñes and Zalla to Balmaseda, following in the footsteps of the old Camino Real that connected the sea with Castilla. From Balmaseda, the Mena Valley and the ascent to the Meseta.

WALKING AND SAILING

For several years now, every June, a fleet of makeshift boats sets sail from La Rochelle (France) with the aim of reaching the Arousa estuary in Vigo, from where they continue on foot to Compostela. They dock in Hondarribia or Gijón, as well as in Bizkaia, at the docks in Getxo or Bermeo. More and more people take part every year.

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