Places to visit 
In the area surrounding the Basílica de Santa María, at the beginning of the street Calle Santa María we come across...
12 - THE RAILWAY
The construction of the railway, completed in 1888, made it possible on the one hand for the well-to-do in Bilbao to travel to the beach in Portugalete to bathe in the sea and, on the other, for goods and raw materials to be shipped to and from the blast furnaces of Altos Hornos.
The La Canilla building, in a Classicist style according to a project by Pablo Alzola y Minondo, was the terminus station for the aforementioned railway.
At the beginning of the 20th century, the railway was extended on to Santurce through the opening of a tunnel running beneath the town. In the 1960's, the management of La Canilla was taken over by the local council, which proceeded to refurbish it.
14 - RIALIA - MUSEUM OF INDUSTRY
The building known as the "Casa del Mar" (Sea House) is to open its doors during the second fortnight in January 2006, with its permanent exhibition being the historical-artistic collection of the blast furnaces, Altos Hornos de Vizcaya - the company that symbolises Vizcaya's industrial development.
RIALIA is designed to be a social museum, dedicated to the working class that plied its trade in iron. It depicts a changing society, as defined by migration and the labour movement - two of the aspects that make up the initial viewpoint.
Nevertheless, the role played by iron in the District, from its extraction as an ore through to its processing into steel and the appearance of an industrial fabric, led to a major transformation in the landscape. Factories, roads and railways, the spread of housing and other sundry consequences of industrial capitalism constitute the second viewpoint.
Consisting of six sections, the panoramic visit to RIALIA concludes with a stunning audiovisual presentation, accompanied by an exhibition of art inspired by iron. Artistic vanguards were also captivated by iron, not only as a raw material but also in their quest for new artistic expressions, volumes, spaces and sensations.
13 - CANILLA PARK
The area left free by the railway was turned into a gardened promenade with a circular fountain, designed by Adolfo Areizaga (1878), at its centre and flanked by four marble sculptures that represent the four seasons.
Towards the end of the promenade there is a bronze sculpture, an allegory of the struggle to channel the river and make it navigable, which was acquired by the local council from the now defunct "Aurrera" factory.
15 - THE NEW PORT
The visit continues with a stroll along the river, this time in the direction of the Bizkaia Transporter Bridge. On our way to the Plaza del Solar, we can appreciate the New Port.
This the port where the tugboats and sea pilots that guide vessels to their port of destination berth.
16 - THE BANDSTAND
Standing in the middle of the Plaza del Solar, it was built in 1912 under the watchful eye of the municipal architect Emiliano Pagazartundúa.
An example of iron architecture, its style is eclectic with obvious Mudejar influences. It has an octagonal lay-out, and of special interest are the foliated arches decorated with lyres and lion's head gargoyles, as well as the twin-peaked dome, in the French style.
17 - THE MANSION OF MANUEL CALVO
At one end of the Plaza del Solar, heading towards the transporter bridge, the Puente Colgante, stands what was formerly the summer residence of Don Manuel Calvo, a local indiano who amassed a vast fortune in Cuba . It was built in 1871, which makes it the oldest building in Portugalete's first expansion area.
Following the death of Manuel Calvo in 1904, the property was left to the Local Council, being converted into a café- hotel. It was fully refurbished after being razed by fire, with attempts made to preserve its classicist-style façade.
It is now the "Gran Hotel Puente Colgante ", with views out over the Ría del Nervión and towards the sea.
18 - THE TRANSPORTER BRIDGE - PUENTE VIZCAYA
The Bizkaia transporter bridge links Portugalete with the town of Getxo, on the Right Bank of the estuary.
Built in1893, it was the first of its kind to be built in the world as the need to allow large ships upriver meant that a conventional bridge could not be built. Indeed, today, there are only nine still working throughout the world.
This impressive iron construction is still the most popular method used for crossing the 160 metres from bank to bank, and has been declared World Industrial Heritage Monument.