Guggenheim Museum Bilbao
ModerateFrank Gehry's titanium museum
The building is the masterpiece: walk round it first, then Richard Serra's walk-through steel spirals inside; Jeff Koons's flower Puppy guards the entrance.
AbandoibarraArtMust-see
Bilbao & the Basque Coast, Spain
Ideal: 3 daysBest: May–OctPrice: Expensive
In 60 seconds
Bilbao & the Basque Coast in 60 seconds
Bilbao was a grimy port of shipyards and steelworks until Frank Gehry's titanium Guggenheim opened on the river in 1997 and turned the city around; today the riverside is a promenade and the industrial grit has been polished into one of Spain's most liveable cities. Spend a morning with the Guggenheim's huge steel sculptures, then cross to the Casco Viejo, the old town of Seven Streets, for a txikiteo — a glass and a pintxo in one bar, then the next. Basque is spoken alongside Spanish, and the food is serious. The coast nearby is wild and green: the hermitage of San Juan de Gaztelugatxe on its rock, reached by 241 steps, the surf of Mundaka, and the fishing town of Bermeo. San Sebastián is an hour away. Three days.
ArtArchitecture
Best for
- Food
- Coast
- Design
- Weekend
Known for
- Guggenheim Museum
- Pintxos
- San Juan de Gaztelugatxe
- Casco Viejo
Skip if
You want guaranteed sun — the Basque coast is green because it rains, and summers are mild rather than hot.
Your match
Choose a few travel interests and we will show how well Bilbao & the Basque Coast fits them. Choose interests
See
Must experience
The things that would make the trip incomplete without them.
Casco Viejo & Plaza Nueva
The Seven Streets and the arcaded square
The medieval core of the city: the market of La Ribera on the river and the neoclassical Plaza Nueva ringed with pintxo bars.
Casco ViejoOld TownPintxos
San Juan de Gaztelugatxe
A hermitage on a rock in the sea
A stone causeway and 241 steps lead up to the chapel on its islet; ring the bell three times. Free tickets must be booked in summer.
BermeoBook aheadCoast
Eat
Where to eat
A short list, kept short on purpose. Each entry answers one question: when is this the right choice?
More places to eat
Too few picks yet for their own heading, so they share this list.
La Viña del Ensanche
ExpensiveHam and wine bar since 1927
The place for hand-carved ibérico and a few perfect plates in the 19th-century new town.
EnsancheClassicJamón
Gure Toki
ModerateAward-winning pintxo bar on Plaza Nueva
Hot pintxos cooked to order by the second generation of the family that opened it in 1982.
Casco ViejoHot pintxosPintxos
Café Iruña
InexpensiveNeo-Mudéjar café since 1903
Tiled walls and carved wood; come in the early evening for coffee or the grilled lamb skewers.
Jardines de AlbiaHistoricPintxo moruno
Beyond the obvious
Hidden gems
Less obvious, rarely queued for, and usually the part people remember.
Vizcaya Bridge
The world's oldest transporter bridge · UNESCO
A gondola hung from an iron frame of 1893 still carries cars and people across the river mouth; walk the top deck for the view.
PortugaleteEngineeringUNESCO
Orientation
Neighbourhoods
How the city is actually divided, and what each part is for.
Casco Viejo
The old town of the Seven Streets
Market, cathedral and the densest concentration of pintxo bars in the city.
Abando & the Ensanche
The grand 19th-century new town
Wide avenues, shops and some of the city's best bars and restaurants, between the station and the Guggenheim.
Stay
Where to stay
Areas rather than hotels — pick the right one and the rest follows.
Abando or the Casco Viejo
ExpensiveHotels near the river
Everything is walkable along the river; the metro, designed by Norman Foster, covers the rest.
MetroWalkable
Practical
Know before you go
- Getting in
- Bilbao airport is 20 minutes from the centre by bus; ferries arrive from Portsmouth and Rosslare at nearby Santurtzi.
- Getting around
- Walk, or use the metro and tram; local Euskotren trains run to the coast.
- Pintxos etiquette
- Pintxos are paid for, not free with a drink; take one or two per bar and move on.
- Languages
- Basque (Euskara) and Spanish are both official; signs are in both.
- Taste locally
- Pintxos, bacalao al pil-pil, txakoli, Idiazabal cheese and Basque cheesecake.
Plan this trip — useful links
Context
History in 5 minutes
Enough to make what you are looking at legible.
- 1300
Bilbao is founded as a port town on the Nervión.
- 1893
The Vizcaya transporter bridge opens at the river mouth.
- 1997
The Guggenheim Museum opens, and the city's regeneration begins.
Further out
Nearby escapes
Worth a day if you have one to spare.
San Sebastián
Pintxos and the Concha beach
San Sebastián has its own guide.
1 hr 15 min by busBeachFood
Mundaka & Urdaibai
Surf town and biosphere reserve
A famous left-hand wave at the mouth of the Urdaibai estuary, a UNESCO biosphere reserve of marshes and birds.
50 min by trainNatureSurf