By air
Bilbao (BIO), ~12 km
Europe · Spain
Bilbao, Spain
The Guggenheim and a Basque food town
Getting there
Best time to visit
May to September — warmer, drier
Don't miss
The Guggenheim Museum
The Casco Viejo
The Vizcaya Bridge
The Artxanda funicular
Things to do
The Guggenheim
The Old Town's pintxos
The Vizcaya Bridge
Where to eat
Sources: Photo: Naotake Murayama · CC BY 2.0
What to pack
A rain jacket
A quieter corner
San Juan de Gaztelugatxe's island chapel
Questions travellers ask
When does Bilbao get warmer and drier?
May to September. Bring a rain jacket anyway.
Is there more to Bilbao than the Guggenheim?
Yes: the Casco Viejo, the Vizcaya Bridge and the Artxanda funicular, as well as the Guggenheim Museum itself. For a special outing, visit San Juan de Gaztelugatxe's island chapel.
What's on the menu in Bilbao?
Pintxos in the Old Town and bacalao al pil pil. It's a Basque food town, so come hungry.
Does Bilbao have its own airport?
Yes, Bilbao (BIO), about 12 km out.
About Bilbao
- Riverside
Where it is
Bilbao is the largest city of the Basque Country in northern Spain and the capital of the province of Biscay, set in a green valley on the estuary of the Nervión river about 16 km from the Bay of Biscay.
History
Diego López V de Haro, lord of Biscay, founded Bilbao by charter in 1300, and its port grew rich exporting wool and iron. Iron mines, steelworks and shipyards turned it into an industrial powerhouse in the 19th century, and when heavy industry declined, the Guggenheim Museum, opened in 1997, led the city's reinvention.
People
Bilbaínos speak Spanish and Basque, both official. The August festival of Aste Nagusia ends with the burning of Marijaia, a giant doll, and local tables feature salt cod a la vizcaína, pintxos and txakoli, a light white wine drunk as an aperitif.
Known for
- The Guggenheim Museum Bilbao
- Pintxos in the Seven Streets of the Casco Viejo
- The Vizcaya transporter bridge
- Athletic Club and the San Mamés stadium
- Bacalao a la vizcaína
Did you know?
The Vizcaya Bridge at the mouth of the estuary, completed in 1893, is the world's oldest transporter bridge: a gondola hanging from it still ferries people and cars across, and it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
We haven't written a guide for this place yet — you can still plan a trip here.