Things to Do at Zubizuri Bridge

A white steel arch curves over the Nervion like a harp string, suspending a glass-floored pedestrian walkway from cables that catch the Bilbao rain and turn it into running silver lines. Santiago Calatrava designed the Zubizuri ("White Bridge" in Basque) in 1997, the same year the Guggenheim opened, and together they announced that Bilbao was done being a rust-belt port city. The bridge connects Campo Volantin on the right bank to Uribitarte on the left, a 75-meter crossing that takes 2 minutes to walk and 20 minutes to photograph. The original glass deck was treacherously slippery when wet - which in Bilbao means most days - and Calatrava sued the city when they added a non-slip rubber surface over his design. The lawsuit was Bilbao's most entertaining architecture debate. Practical won over aesthetic. Walk across at night when the bridge is lit from below and the white steel glows against the dark river. The view upstream toward the Guggenheim's illuminated titanium curves from the bridge's midpoint is one of the best free views in the city.

The Zubizuri spans Bilbao's center. You'll cross it naturally while exploring-the bridge connects Campo Volantín on the right bank with Uribitarte on the left. Ten-minute walk from the Guggenheim. The nearest metro stop is Moyua. Both lines 1 and 2 stop there, putting you just 5 minutes on foot from the bridge. Abando train station works too. It handles local and regional connections-equally close to this white arch spanning the Nervión.