Bilbao Travel Guide

 
by nomad7890
 
  •   Bilbao
    by nomad7890
  •   Bilbao
    by nomad7890
  • town hall
      town hall
    by pbulmer
  •   Bilbao
    by madizon8
  •   Bilbao
    by madizon8
 

Pro

suvanki profile photo

  Stylish city, Arty, Skillfully regenerated! 


Con

timtregenza profile photo

  Weather not as good as other parts of Spain 


In a nutshell

ViajesdelMundo profile photo

  A Comfortable Basque City with Spectacular MUSEUM 

 

Explore Bilbao

Things to Do  

Guggenheim Museum & Puppy

Guggenheim Museum & Puppy, Bilbao

 95 Reviews  “Because it had elevator towers and stair towers in it, I started building a metaphoric visionary city, à la Fritz Lang. The catwalks and things became like freeways in the sky.” — Frank O. Gehry, on his inspiration for his design The floor plan for “el Guggen” (what the locals call the museum) is... 

Old Town + Cathedral - Casco Viejo & El Arenal

Old Town + Cathedral - Casco Viejo & El Arenal, Bilbao

 53 Reviews  Built in 1799 and rebuilt in 1986, the Arriaga is THE theatre in Bilbao, the place where the main plays and events take place, there you can see theatre, ballet, and many other shows. They have guided tours you can ask for at phone 944 79 20 36 or at the Tourist Info. For schedules look at the link... 

Near Bilbao...around Vizcaya / Bizkaia

Near Bilbao...around Vizcaya / Bizkaia, Bilbao

 16 Reviews  It´s located in Gatika, a rural village between Mungia and Urduliz. You can go to Urduliz by metro and then take a bus to Mungia. Ask the bus driver for more information. It´s a castle in the middle of a forest near a river. You can go inside for about 5-6€. Once or twice a year they orgaize... 

Zubizuri (White bridge)

Zubizuri (White bridge), Bilbao

 8 Reviews  This new pedestrian bridge over the Nervion river in Bilbao is part of an enterprising plan to reinvigorate the city, specially the river banks around the Guggenheim Museum. There is a nice view of the museum from the bridge, BTW! 

Museums

Museums, Bilbao

 13 Reviews  A great little museum that you can enjoy in a few hours and not be over arted. There are some great pieces, El Greco, Murillo, Goya. While I visited they had a special exhibition of Artemisia Gentelishi's Holofernes and her father's Orasio's Lotts Daughters 

Hotels  

Sheraton Bilbao Hotel

 4 Reviews and 166 Opinions  This hotel is one of my favourite parts of this vacation. The rooms were amazing, like most... 

Gran Hotel Domine Bilbao

 1 Review and 395 Opinions  When you enter the lobby of the Gran Hotel Domine Bilbao, you feel that somehow a part of the energy... 

Restaurants  

ZORTZIKO RESTAURANT: DO NOT MISS THIS RESTAURANT IN THE HEART OF BILBAO

ZORTZIKO RESTAURANT: DO NOT MISS THIS RESTAURANT IN THE HEART OF BILBAO, Bilbao

 fraiseroo Says:  Wonderful restaurant in city centre. Zortziko is just few minutes walking from Guggenheim museum where we spend the afternoon. We checked that this restaurant has a Michelin star so we decided go to the restaurant to relax and enjoy of a great food.The food was outstanding... 

Iruña Cafe

Iruña Cafe, Bilbao

 SirRichard Says:  Opened in 1903, this cafe is a classical when in Bilbao. I use to go there for a coffee, and enjoy watching the decorated walls (arabesque style, with views of the Alhambra and Andalucia) and the classy atmosphere.Is a nice place to meet at night and start the night... 

Transportation  

Airport

Airport, Bilbao

 18 Reviews   I flew from Bilbao to Seville by Vuelling. I'd booked my flight online prior to departing the UK. A bus to the airport leaves regularly from San Mames Bus station (every 20 minutes). Service 3247. Purchase your ticket from the ticket office. The journey takes less than 20 minutes. I was looking... 

Underground - Metro

Underground - Metro, Bilbao

 20 Reviews  Bilbao has a simple modern (inaugurated November 11th 1995) Metro designed by the leading architect Norman Foster. There are only two lines, running either side of the river before converging in a Y-shape as they enter the city centre. Trains run up to every 6 minutes during most of the day and... 

by Tram

by Tram, Bilbao

 5 Reviews  Impressed by the public transport network in Bilbao. Used the bus and underground a couple of times but the tram was our preferred way of getting around. Prices are not expensive and you see a whole lot more. 

Shopping  

El Corte Inglés: Everything under one roof!

El Corte Inglés: Everything under one roof!, Bilbao

 mikey_e Says:  A shopping trip to El Corte Inglés is part of every typical trip to Spain. There is not much difference between El Corte Inglés and any department store in any other developed country (except things like prices and quality of service), but it is one of those typical Spanish... 

SHOPPING CENTER: ZUBIARTE

SHOPPING CENTER: ZUBIARTE, Bilbao

 RudoElCojonudo Says:  It´s a shopping center located just in Deusto bridge, between Deusto neightbourhood and Doña Casilda park.Here you will find:* Cinemas* Fast Food: Mc Donalds, Burger King, Pan´s & Company, etc.* Gift Shops.* Sunglasses.* A lot of clothing shops.* Sportwear shops.... and you... 

Local Customs  

Aste Nagusia (Local festivities)

Aste Nagusia (Local festivities), Bilbao

 SirRichard Says:  The Aste Nagusia (literally "Big Week") of Bilbao takes place the 3rd week of august and there are many events and shows that week in the city, including bullfightings. People go out at night for dinner, a drink, walking along the lively streets and there are temporary bars... 

Off The Beaten Path  

Near Bilbao

Near Bilbao, Bilbao

 18 Reviews  Another old funicular railway and a very picturesque one can be found in a town on the left bank of the Nervion, between Bilbao and the sea. It starts in the town of Trapagaran which can be reached both by Bizkaibus and RENFE (commuter train). If you use the latter, get off at the station from... 

Day Trip to San Sebastian

Day Trip to San Sebastian, Bilbao

 AnnS Says:  If you fancy a break from the city, catch a bus from Bilbao's Termibus Bus Station to San Sebastian on the Basque coast. The journey takes about 90 minutes. Be careful to sit in your allocated seat on the bus. I didn't realise the tickets were numbered and caused a commotion... 

Sports & Outdoors  

Herri Kirolak (Sports of the People)

Herri Kirolak (Sports of the People), Bilbao

 RudoElCojonudo Says:  The Basque Country has his own sports. Some of them are also played in other places of the world. I´m going to quote them, and then I´ll explain them individually.* Harrijasotzaileak: Stone lifters.* Haizkolariak: Woodcutters.* Cesta Punta a.k.a Jai Alai: ''Fronton'' play... 

Eztropadak

Eztropadak, Bilbao

 RudoElCojonudo Says:  It is a ship race. This sport was born when basque people used to fish wales,cods or sardines. It was important to arrive to the place before than the other fishermen if you wanted to fish more and better fishes.-There are several ship kinds: * Trainerak: 12 rowers and the... 

Favorites  

Museums

Museums, Bilbao

 7 Reviews  You have to see the Guggenheim: and keep on seeing it, at different times of the day, on different days. It always looks different. As a work of art it's a masterpiece. As an art-gallery, it fails. Here, form does not follow function. On the outside it overshadows both the (not small, or... 

Basque Country

Basque Country, Bilbao

 2 Reviews  If you take a little tour along the basque coast north of Bilbao, you should stop at Matxitxako Cape, a lighthouse between Bakio and Bermeo. You must take a little road that goes to the cape from the main road Bakio-Bermeo. After 8 kilometres of nice woods and coast landscapes you arrive to this... 

Cultural background

Cultural background, Bilbao

 4 Reviews  I think a good way to find out about a culture is to listen to their music whether tradtional or modern. While in Bilbao and Basque Country I discovered an artist by the name of Fermin Muguruza. His music is sung in Basque and is political in nature but fun to listen to. Once i arrived back at home... 

 
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The Place

Plan a Bilbao vacation with reviews, tips and photos posted by real travelers and Bilbao locals

Experience Bilbao
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The People

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Advice from the Locals
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 Bilbo, besterik gabe... - I don´t live in Bilbao, I live in Plentzia, a little town which is 25 kms from Bilbao, but I have studied there for 6 years and I have been working there for 6 months, so I now the city quite well. It... 

155 members live in Bilbao

 

Questions and Answers

ptrim profile photo

Q:  I will be attending a conference with some colleagues and we have a limited budget after registration and transport are paid. I've... 

suvanki profile photo

A: Hi Patti! Have you looked at Booking.com, Venere.com or Hostelbookers? Also, VTers Hotel and accommodation pages for some suggestions. The above web sites offer reviews... 

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Top Bilbao Writers

1

Bilbao, Capital of the World

timtregenza profile photo

 It is hard to describe Bilbao. Spanish, but not Spain, Euskadi, but not Basque. True to its geography, it has always looked north, to the UK and Ireland and the industrial and trading... 

2

Bilbo, besterik gabe...

RudoElCojonudo profile photo

 I don´t live in Bilbao, I live in Plentzia, a little town which is 25 kms from Bilbao, but I have studied there for 6 years and I have been working there for 6 months, so I now the city quite well. It... 

3

Come and explore Bilbao with Suvanki

suvanki profile photo

  Bilbao had been on my list of places to see for quite a while. Summer 2009, I found a chance to take advantage of cheap flights to follow part of Bruce Springsteens Spain leg of his European tour -I... 

4

Guggenheim Museum and much more...

SirRichard profile photo

 Bilbao was till the 90s a grey big industrial town, economical heart of the Basque Country, in north Spain. But since the opening of a new Guggenheim Museum by the river, the city has reborn from its... 

5

The Camino Norte (1st section) – Irun to Santander

into-thin-air profile photo

 This page is about the1st section of “The Camino Norte” – Irun to Santander (and although we walked through Bilbao not really about Bilbao – but I had to put the page somewhere ;-) ) Planning the... 

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