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Per person in euros: cheapest direct return flight for 2 to 4 nights. Select a month for flight times, hotels and things to do.

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Discover Bilbao

Plaza Nueva, Bilbao
Plaza Nueva
Bilbao Cathedral, Bilbao
Bilbao Cathedral

City guide

About Bilbao

Bilbao is the proud, innovative cultural capital of Bizkaia in Spain's Basque Country, dramatically situated along the Nervión River in a lush green mountain valley. Once a gritty center of heavy industry and shipbuilding, the city engineered one of the most celebrated urban turnarounds in modern history, ignited by the 1997 opening of Frank Gehry's titanium Guggenheim Museum.

Today, Bilbao seamlessly unites cutting-edge architectural landmarks with the deep historical roots of the Casco Viejo (the Seven Streets). Basque culinary passion takes center stage: locals migrate from tavern to tavern for miniature culinary artworks called pintxos across Plaza Nueva, followed by evening strolls along the pedestrianized river promenades.

Best time to go
May through October provides the most pleasant travel window: comfortable warmth between 20 and 26 degrees Celsius, generous sunshine, and lower rainfall than winter. Even during peak July and August, coastal breezes from the Bay of Biscay keep the city pleasantly temperate compared to the sweltering heat of southern Spain.
From the airport
Bilbao Airport (BIO) in Loiu is located twelve kilometers north of the city center. Bizkaibus route A3247 runs every 15 to 20 minutes directly from arrivals, connecting via Plaza Moyúa to the central Bilbao Intermodal bus station in 15 to 20 minutes. Licensed taxis cost around 25 to 30 euros.
Getting around
Bilbao is exceptionally walkable; pedestrian riverfront pathways link the Guggenheim Museum directly to the historic Casco Viejo. The futuristic Metro Bilbao network, masterminded by Sir Norman Foster with its iconic curved glass street canopies ('fosteritos'), connects town to coastal beaches in 25 minutes. A modern green tramway glides along the riverfront.

What to see in Bilbao

  • Guggenheim Museum BilbaoFrank Gehry's iconic titanium-clad architectural wonder on the riverbank, guarded by Jeff Koons's floral sculpture Puppy and Louise Bourgeois's monumental bronze spider Maman.
  • Casco Viejo and the Siete CallesThe pedestrian medieval quarter centered on seven historic cobblestone streets, the Gothic Santiago Cathedral, and the arcaded Plaza Nueva brimming with celebrated pintxos bars.
  • La Ribera Market (Mercado de la Ribera)Europe's largest covered market hall, set in an elegant riverside Art Deco building with stained-glass skylights, gourmet food stalls, and riverside dining terraces.
  • Artxanda FunicularA vintage 1915 funicular railway ascending in three minutes to the summit of Mount Artxanda, offering panoramic views over Bilbao and the surrounding mountain ridge.

Neighbourhoods

  • Casco ViejoThe historic pedestrian core packed with traditional Basque taverns, independent boutiques, historic churches, and animated open-air dining on Plaza Nueva.
  • Ensanche and AbandoibarraThe grand nineteenth-century bourgeois boulevard district surrounding the Gran Vía, transitioning into manicured riverside sculpture parks around the Guggenheim.
  • IndautxuA fashionable neighborhood centered on Plaza Indautxu, favored by locals for evening socializing, inventive gastro-bars, and stylish boutiques.

Food and drink

The Basque Country is internationally recognized as a global culinary powerhouse. Embark on a pintxos crawl (txikiteo): sample the classic gilda skewer (pickled guindilla pepper, green olive, and salted anchovy), spider crab txangurro, and bacalao al pil-pil (salt cod gently poached in garlic and olive oil emulsion). Wash it down with crisp, lightly effervescent Txakoli white wine poured with flourish from high above the glass.

Questions about Bilbao

How does the pintxos bar etiquette work in Bilbao?

Walk up to the bar counter, order a drink, point to your choice of hot or cold pintxos, drop used cocktail napkins into bins below the counter, pay the bartender, and move on to the next bar.

Can you reach the coast easily from Bilbao?

Yes, Metro Line 1 takes just 25 minutes to reach the coastal towns of Getxo and Plentzia, where you can see the UNESCO-listed Vizcaya Transporter Bridge (Puente de Vizcaya) and sandy beaches.

Month by month breakdown

Fotocredits (3)
  • Guggenheim Museum Bilbao door Naotake Murayama, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
  • Plaza Nueva door No machine-readable author provided. Martin253~commonswiki assumed (based on copyright claims)., Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
  • Bilbao Cathedral door José Luis Filpo Cabana, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons