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.
3 km · about 5 min drive
EuropeSpainBasque Country
Ortuella
Basque Country, Spain · Europe
About Ortuella
Ortuella works well as a base: 5 minutes from Sestao, 42km from Salto del Nervión.
Ortuella is in Basque Country, Spain, with about 8,400 people. You drive on the right here. The nearest town is Sestao, about 4 km away.
Ortuella is a town and municipality located in the province of Bizkaia, in the Autonomous Community of Basque Country, northern Spain.
Nowadays part of the Greater Bilbao region, until the beginning of the 19th century it was integrated in the Valley of Somorrostro of Enkarterri along with Santurtzi. In 1901 theRead more
locality segregated from the municipality of Santurtzi, becoming known as Santurce-Ortuella. This segregation was motivated by an increase of population due to the mining boom at the end of the 19th century, which saw the district of Ortuella become the most populous part of the municipality. In the 1980s, and by means of the resolution of 27 March 1981, the name of the municipality definitively lost the term "Santurce", simply being "Ortuella", which was the usual name used by their citizens.
Ortuella was the site of a deadly explosion at the Marcelino Ugalde Primary School on 23 October 1980 that killed 50 schoolchildren and 14 adults, and injured killed and injured an additional 128.
The patron saint of Ortuella is Saint Felix of Cantalica (18 May), the name of the main church of the municipality.
Where to Stay in Ortuella
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Explore the Area
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is there to see near Ortuella?
Within an hour or so of Ortuella: Vizcaya Bridge (Puente Colgante) (3 km), Guggenheim Museum Bilbao (11 km), San Juan de Gaztelugatxe (27 km), San Juan de Gaztelugatxe (Dragonstone) (27 km).
Are there any good drives near Ortuella?
The nearest famous roads are Corniche Basque, Desfiladero de la Hermida and Puerto de San Glorio.
Where is Ortuella?
Ortuella is in Basque Country, Spain, about 4 km from Sestao.
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Quick Information
- Population
- 8,360
- Continent
- Europe
- Country
- Spain
- Region
- Basque Country
- Timezone
- Europe/Madrid
- Coordinates
- 43.3111, -3.0562
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 Ortuella
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.
11 km · about 20 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.
27 km · about 30 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.
27 km · about 30 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.
34 km · about 40 min drive
waterfall
Salto del Nervión
Spain's tallest waterfall at 222 meters, dramatically plunging into the Delika Canyon on the Basque Country border.
42 km · about 50 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.
43 km · about 50 min drive
cathedral
Santa Maria Cathedral Vitoria
A Gothic cathedral whose 'open for restoration' tour inspired Ken Follett, letting you climb scaffolding through 800 years of construction.
60 km · about 70 min drive
Driving roads near Ortuella
5 named roads, passes and coastal drives within 150km.
- Right hereVizcaya 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
Other places to explore near Ortuella.
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