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Wise Pilgrim APPGuenes is the standard first stop on the Olvidado, 25 km from Bilbao. It's a good-sized town with all services. Hotel Erreka is the main accommodation option.
The camino passes in front of Guenes' late Gothic Santa Maria church, which figures in most pilgrims' photos of the first day.
The Katay restaurant, 100 m from the hotel to the left in front of a furniture factory, is recommended. There's an albergue on the outskirts (Albergue Sanxtolo), but it only takes groups, not individual pilgrims.
Beyond Guenes, the camino passes through Zalla (4 km) and reaches Balmaseda (9 km further). After Balmaseda, the Pais Vasco ends and the province of Burgos begins. The landscape becomes less urban — forests, dirt paths, streams. Pleasant walking with little elevation gain.
