Bilbao, Spain

Bilbao, Spain

Museo Guggenheim in Bilbao, Spain (cc)

Bilbao Travel Guide

Introduction

Bilbao, Bilbo in Basque, is famous the world over for its stunning titanium Museo Guggenheim, an instantly-recognizable iconic masterpiece, at once seductive and fascinating with its bulging curves and layered, sweeping lines. It is the centerpiece of Bilbao, and the highlight of any visit to the city. Bilbao itself is relatively young by Spanish standards, established in only 1300 AD. Still, it is a major shipping port, a financial hub, and a city that is reinventing itself as a center of high culture, drawing well-heeled patrons of the arts, architecture aficionados, and curious international tourists and Spaniards by the bus load.

Location

Bilbao is situated on the Rio Nervión in the Basque Country in northern Spain. It sits in a shallow basin framed by hills, some 14 kilometers (8.7 miles) south of the Bay of Biscay.

How to Get There

Sightseeing

Neighborhoods

How to Get Around

Where to Stay

Where to Eat

Where to Party

Essential Information

Nearby Destinations

How to Get There

Bilbao is easily accessible from a majority of the big cities in Spain, well linked by motorways, rail and air to most, particularly Barcelona, Zaragoza and Madrid.

Sightseeing

Bilbao's principal attractions, other than the Museo Guggenheim, include the Museo de Bellas Artes, where the collections run the gamut, from early medieval art to 17th-century Flemish paintings and works of 18th-century Spanish masters; and Museo Arqueologico, Etnologico y Historico, entirely dedicated to the history of the Basque culture. Besides which, the city's old quarter, Casco Viejo, is an absolutely charming place, dominated by the 14th-century Gothic Catedral de Santiago and packed with pintxo bars and cafés. There is also a popular Sunday market here, on Plaza Nuevo on the periphery of the old town.

Main Neighborhoods

How to Get Around

Where to Party

Bilbao's nightlife is largely centered on Siete Calles, smack in the heart of the Old Town (Casco Viejo), an area rife with pintxo and cocktail bars and peppered with a good selection of clubs, restaurants and eateries. This, in fact, is the place to kick it in town.

Where to Eat

Where to Stay

Know Before You Go