Things to do in Bilbao
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Museo Guggenheim
Opened in September 1997, Bilbao's Museo Guggenheim lifted modern architecture and Bilbao into the 21st century – with sensation. It boosted the city's already inspired regeneration, stimulated further development and placed Bilbao firmly in the world art and tourism spotlight.
Some might say, probably quite rightly, that structure overwhelms function here and that the Guggenheim is more famous for its architecture than its content. But Canadian architect Frank Gehry's inspired use of flowing canopies, cliffs, promontories, ship shapes, towers and flying fins is irresistible.
Like all great architects, Gehry designed the Guggenheim with historical and geographical context…
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Casco Viejo
The compact Casco Viejo, Bilbao's atmospheric old quarter, is full of charming streets, boisterous bars and plenty of quirky and independent shops. At the heart of the Casco are Bilbao's original seven streets, Las Siete Calles, which date from the 1400s.
The 14th-century Gothic Catedral de Santiago has a splendid Renaissance portico and pretty little cloister. Further north, the 19th-century arcaded Plaza Nueva is a rewarding pintxo haunt. There's a lively Sunday-morning flea market here, which is full of secondhand book and record stalls, and pet 'shops' selling chirpy birds (some kept in old-fashioned wooden cages), fluffy mice and tiny baby terrapins. Elsewhere in the…
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Museo de Bellas Artes
A mere five minutes from Museo Guggenheim is Bilbao’s Museo de Bellas Artes. The museum houses a compelling collection that includes everything from Gothic sculptures to 20th-century pop art. There are three main subcollections: classical art, with works by Murillo, Zurbarán, El Greco, Goya and van Dyck; contemporary art, featuring works by Gauguin, Francis Bacon and Anthony Caro; and Basque art, with works of the great sculptors Jorge de Oteiza and Eduardo Chillida, and strong paintings by the likes of Ignacio Zuloago and Juan de Echevarria. A useful audio guide costs €1. The museum is wheelchair accessible.
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Café Iruña
Moorish style and a century of gossip are the defining characteristics of this grande old dame. It's the perfect place to indulge in a bit of people watching and, while you're at it, you might as well also indulge in a meal or, in the evening, some pinchos morunos (spicy kebabs with bread; €2.20).
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Open Air Gallery, Museo Guggenheim
One of the joys of the Guggenheim experience is to take a quiet wander around the outside of the building, appreciating the extraordinary imagination behind its design and catching the different colours reflected by the titanium tiles, limestone and glass. Lying between the glass buttresses of the central atrium and Ría de Bilbao is a simple pool of water that emits at intervals a mist 'sculpture' by Fuyiko Nakaya.
Nearby on the riverbank is a sculpture by Louise Bourgeois, a skeletal canopy representing a spider entitled Maman, said to represent a protective embrace.
In the open area to the west of the museum a fountain sculpture fires off jets of water into the air rand…
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Euskal Museoa
This museum is probably the most complete museum of Basque culture and history in all the Basque regions. The story kicks off back in the days of prehistory and from this murky period the displays bound rapidly through to the modern age. The main problem with the museum is that, unless you speak Spanish (or perhaps you studied Euskara at school?), it’s all a little meaningless as, amazingly, there are no English or French translations.
The museum is housed in a fine old building, at the centre of which is a peaceful cloister that was part of an original 17th-century Jesuit college. In the cloister is the Mikeldi Idol, a powerful pre-Christian, possibly Iron Age, symboli…
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Restaurante Guggenheim
El Goog's modernist, chic restaurant and cafe are under the direction of superchef Josean Martínez Alija. Needless to say, the nueva cocina vasca (Basque nouvelle cuisine) is breathtaking and the ever-changing menu includes such mouth waterers as Iberian pork meatballs with carrot juice and curry. Even the olives are vintage classics: all come from 1000-year-old olive trees! Reservations are essential in the evening, but at lunch it operates on a first-come, first-served basis from 1.30pm.
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Euskal Museoa, Museo Vasco
This museum is a complete and well-executed lesson in Basque history. The Basque story kicks off back in the days of prehistory and from this murky period the displays bound rapidly through to the modern age. The main problem with the museum is that unless you speak Spanish (or perhaps you studied Euskara at school?) it's all a little meaningless as, amazingly, there are no English or French translations!
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Larruzz Bilbao
Set on the banks of the Nervión, this incredibly popular restaurant (book ahead) has a polished business exterior, but a stone-cottage country interior. Its real speciality is paella, but it also serves various meaty Mediterranean dishes. The attached cafe can fill those unlucky enough not to get a table with various tasty pintxos. It currently seems to be trading under two names.
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Kafe Antzokia
This is the vibrant heart of contemporary Basque Bilbao, featuring international rock bands, blues and reggae, but also the cream of Basque rock-pop. Weekend concerts run from 10pm to 1am, followed by DJs until 5am. Cover charge for concerts can range from about €10 upwards. During the day it's a cafe, restaurant and cultural centre all rolled into one and has frequent exciting events on.
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Funicular de Artxanda
For a breathtaking vista of Bilbao take the three-minute ride up Artxanda hill on the Funicular. The base station in Plaza Funicular can be reached from the pleasant northside river walk that links the Paseo del Arenal to the Guggenheim. It can also be reached from the Uribitarte Eusko Tran stop by crossing the exuberant Zubizuri Footbridge, creation of architect Santiago Calatrava.
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Walking Tour
An enjoyable way of catching a close quarters' flavour of Bilbao is on a walking tour of the Casco Viejo and of the Ensanche-Abandoibarra district on the west side of the Riá de Bilbao. They are led by local guides who have excellent language skills, great knowledge of the city and infectious enthusiasm. The tours last 90 minutes. Ask at tourist offices for times.
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Museo Marítimo Ría de Bilbao
The space-age Museo Marítimo Ría de Bilbao, appropriately sited down on the waterfront, uses bright and well-thought-out displays to bring the watery depths of Bilbao and Basque maritime history to life. There's an outdoor section where children (and nautically inclined grown-ups) can clamber about a range of boats pretending to be pirates and sailors.
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El Arandia de Julen
An exemplar of modern Basque cuisine, Arandia has retained the best traditions in its creative dishes. There's a special Wednesday menú of traditional red beans with a lip-smacking mix of pork chorizo (red sausage), morcilla (black pudding) and more, plus a delicious hake course. Excellent Riojas add lustre.
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Casa Victor Montes
Part bar, part shop, part restaurant, total work of art, the Victor Montes is quite touristy but locals also appreciate its over-the-top decoration, its good food and the 1000 or so bottles of wine lined up behind the bar. If you're stopping by for a full meal, book in advance and savour the house special, bacalao (dried cod).
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Rio-Oja
An institution that shouldn't be missed. It specialises in light Basque seafood and heavy inland fare, but to most foreigners the sheep brains or squid floating in pools of its own ink are the makings of a culinary adventure story they'll be recounting for years. Don't worry, though: it really does taste much better than it sounds.
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El Perro Chico
Long established and still with its feet firmly in the kitchen in spite of visits from Frank Gehry, and a supporting cast of hungry celebs, this popular restaurant dishes up the very best in Basque cuisine, treating signature dishes, such as hake in béchamel sauce, with due awe and emotion. Reservations are essential.
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Café Boulevard
A Bilbao institution since 1871, disaster struck around a year ago when it closed down. Now it's back in business with exactly the same dusty art-deco interior and old-fashioned service that we'd come to know and love. Bring a work of highbrow literature, sip a strong black coffee and enjoy the classiest cafe in town.
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Ristorante Passerela
Forget about sloppy pizzas, because this immensely popular hideaway is a real-deal Italian restaurant. As in Rome, you order a plate of pasta first and then one of meat or fish served on its own. Most of the pasta and all of the bread is freshly made. It's ideal for a filling lunch, but turn up early or book ahead.
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Abaroa
This intimate and brightly furnished restaurant is a big name with locals. It specialises in hearty countryside fare, but with a twist of today. The result is that black pudding and a bowl of beans have never been so well presented or tasted so good. There is a second, equally good branch on Plaza del Museo.
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Mina Restaurante
Offering unexpected sophistication and fine dining in an otherwise fairly grimy neighbourhood, this riverside, and appropriately fish-based, restaurant has recently been making waves in the Bilbao culinary world, with some critics citing it as the future numero uno of Basque cooking.
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Restaurante Vegetariano
Full of beans, this little place is one of the Basque Country's all-too-rare vegetarian restaurants. It has crispy fresh salads, imaginative quiches and lots of bean-based meals. There's an excellent noticeboard covering everything and anything alternative taking place in the city.
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Arkeologi Museo
A slick new museum that, through the use of numerous flashing lights, beeping things and a fair few spearheads and old pots, reinforces the point that the inhabitants of this corner of Spain have lived here for a very long time indeed. Labelling is in Spanish and Basque only.
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Xukeia
One of the more character-infused places in the old town, it has something of the look of a small-town French bistro overlaid with raucous Spanish soul. The drool-inducing pintxos have won awards and at only €1 to €1.50 a go are cheaper than elsewhere.
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San Sebastian and Biarritz
10 hours (Departs Bilbao, Spain)
by Viator
Admire the beauty of San Sebastian on a walking tour of the Old Quarter, before enjoying the food at the typical fishing village of Hondarribia. Delight yoursel…Not LP reviewed
from USD$100.20
