bridge
Vizcaya Bridge (Puente Colgante)
The world's oldest transporter bridge, a UNESCO iron giant that ferries cars and people across the Nervion estuary in a hanging gondola.
20 km · about 25 min drive
EuropeSpainBasque Country
Balmaseda
Basque Country, Spain · Europe
About Balmaseda
Balmaseda is worth a stop: 10 minutes from Avellaneda, 34km from Salto del Nervión.
Balmaseda is in Basque Country, Spain, with about 7,700 people. You drive on the right here. The nearest town is Avellaneda, about 5 km away.
Balmaseda (in Basque and officially, in Spanish: Valmaseda) is a town and municipality located in the province of Biscay, in the Basque Country. Balmaseda is the capital city of the comarca of Enkarterri, in western Biscay and plays an important role in the province due to its proximity to the capital city of BilbaoRead more
and the regions of Cantabria and Castile and León.
Where to Stay in Balmaseda
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is there to see near Balmaseda?
Within an hour or so of Balmaseda: Vizcaya Bridge (Puente Colgante) (20 km), Guggenheim Museum Bilbao (23 km), Salto del Nervión (34 km), San Juan de Gaztelugatxe (43 km).
Are there any good drives near Balmaseda?
The nearest famous roads are Desfiladero de la Hermida, Corniche Basque and Puerto de San Glorio.
Where is Balmaseda?
Balmaseda is in Basque Country, Spain, about 5 km from Avellaneda.
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Quick Information
- Population
- 7,684
- Continent
- Europe
- Country
- Spain
- Region
- Basque Country
- Timezone
- Europe/Madrid
- Coordinates
- 43.2000, -3.2000
Emergency & Services
Essential numbers in Spain
Guardia Civil (traffic police): 062. Two warning triangles required in vehicles.
Full driving guide for SpainTags
Worth the detour from Balmaseda
8 notable places within an hour's drive.
museum
Guggenheim Museum Bilbao
Frank Gehry's titanium-clad masterpiece that single-handedly reinvented Bilbao is an essential road-trip pilgrimage for art and architecture lovers.
23 km · about 25 min drive
waterfall
Salto del Nervión
Spain's tallest waterfall at 222 meters, dramatically plunging into the Delika Canyon on the Basque Country border.
34 km · about 40 min drive
landmark
San Juan de Gaztelugatxe
A hermitage perched on a tiny tidal islet connected to the mainland by a dramatic stone bridge with 241 steps, made famous as Dragonstone in Game of Thrones.
43 km · about 50 min drive
film location
San Juan de Gaztelugatxe (Dragonstone)
The islet chapel reached by 241 stone steps and a serpentine bridge is Dragonstone's approach in season seven.
43 km · about 50 min drive
beach
Playa de Laga
A golden sweep of sand below the green pyramid of Cabo Ogono in the Urdaibai Biosphere Reserve, a favourite of Basque surfers.
50 km · about 55 min drive
restaurant
Asador Etxebarri
Bittor Arginzoniz's grill house on the square of tiny Axpe, where everything from caviar to butter is cooked over bespoke wood fires: perennially ranked among the world's very best restaurants. Book months ahead; the valley drive alone rewards.
50 km · about 55 min drive
landmark
Palacio de la Magdalena
An eclectic royal summer palace on a sea-girt peninsula in Santander, ringed by beaches and a small free-roaming zoo of seals and penguins.
55 km · about 65 min drive
Driving roads near Balmaseda
5 named roads, passes and coastal drives within 150km.
- 20 kmVizcaya Bridge (Puente Colgante)The world's oldest transporter bridge, a UNESCO iron giant that ferries cars and people across the Nervion estuary in a hanging gondola.
Driving in Spain
- Drives on
- the right
- Petrol
- ~€1.55/litre
- Motorway tolls
- ~€4.00/100km
When to drive here
April to October
Nearby Destinations
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