Discover the Guggenheim effect before everyone else does! Bilbao was formerly ugly with industrial sprawl, but 'El Goog' has helped perform an urban miracle and the city is now used as a model for development across the world. With diverse, easily accessible opportunities to study human as well as physical geography, this stylish destination will soon be on the map for countless successful school trips.
Once heavily polluted and congested with docks and heavy industry, the banks of the River Nervión have been transformed into striking walkways enhanced by sculpture trails and a sustainable transport system. Bilbao is a superb location to conduct fieldwork on urban rebranding. The attractive surrounding countryside and varied coastline are ideal for physical geographical studies.
Students can explore attractively indented coastlines to investigate limestone arches, spit formations and shifting dunes. Not to be missed is the incredible geological formation of the Flysch, where layer upon layer of exposed sedimentary rocks record millions of years of tectonic movement. Take your students to visit a saltpan or a cement factory; take a ride on the world’s oldest transporter bridge or probe pock-marked landscapes, where terraced opencast mines are still clearly evident within a few miles of the heart of Bilbao.
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Key Study Areas
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Location Click here to view map
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Geography Excursions
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Our best value sample itinerary from £460
5 Days to Bilbao
Day 1:
Travel to Bilbao by air. Meet your transfer to take you to your accommodation. Take the funicular up Artxanda Hill for an overview of the city.
Day 2:
Day in Bilbao. Explore the regenerated riverfront and investigate sustainable transport including the metro and green tramway. In the afternoon take a boat down the River Nervion through the CBD, historical district, industrial area and residential zones to the estuary. Investigate the harbour and Bizkaia bridge, the world's oldest transporter bridge.
Day 3:
Day spent along the coast including Urdabai Nature Reserve for fieldwork on coastal landforms and a study of geological processes at the world famous Flysch.
Day 4:
Spend the morning at La Arboleda studying evidence of the former mining industry. Visit the Basque Mining Museum. Spend the afternoon at Salinas de Añana saltpans.
Day 5:
Free time to explore Bilbao before transferring to the airport for your return flight.
