Bilbao is a city in Northern Spain, and the de facto capital of Basque Country. Its a very walkable city with an easy to use and affordable public transport system.
Where to Stay
If you’re on a tight budget, check Hostelworld for accommodation options. Hostels are also a great place to create social connections on your journey!
I stayed at Ganbara Hostel which is in the heart of the old quarter, making it easy to get to local attractions. The hostel has a relaxed environment with common areas upstairs and downstairs as well as cooking facilities for anyone to use.
Bilbao Transport
Head to the tourism office to check different options to use public transport. I was only staying for a few days, so I was recommended the barik card. It’s a card top up system, with the machines in the tourism office and at most main public transport stations. The barik card allows you to use any form of public transport (metro & buses), and the card is valid for 10 years.
Other options include buying day/week passes, using contactless payment methods on buses or just buying tickets from machines at stations.
Food & Drink
Plenty of cafes sit on the beautiful riverside which is easy to walk along and find a spot to eat.
There are a lot of eateries by the cathedral in the old quarter. I would have tostadas for breakfast around here at Terra Kafe where food is delivered by a robot! Most cafes have menu del dia options for lunch with pintxos also available in the afternoon.
There’s also a Cat Cafe! Book ahead online for this as they like to know when they’ll be giving an induction on interacting with the cats.
Sights & Activities
Bilbao Old Town – Casco Viejo
There’s gorgeous architecture throughout this part of the city. The main building to see here is the cathedral but I also came across the Bidebarrieta Library – a small library with a grand function room and pretty stained glass windows.
Markets
A flea market and flower market are held beside each other by the river on Sundays. They’re great to check out when wandering looking for a riverside cafe.
La Ribera Market is the world’s largest covered food market. There’s a foodcourt inside of it where you can try a range of pinxtos.
Parks
The parks in Bilbao are clean, scenic and have many a spot to enjoy the summer sun and read a book.
Etxebarria Parkea
This park has sprawling fields and flower lined walkways, there’s even a skate park on one side.
Parque Doña Casilda Iturrizar
This park was in a more central area closer to shopping areas. It has gorgeous water features, areas shaded by trees and flowering pergolas.
Museums
Guggenheim Museum
You can find hours and admission prices here. There are also guided tour options for the exterior and interior of the museum, however I prefer to wander through exhibits in my own time.
I loved how immersive the art in this museum was, most things were larger than life and you can walk right up to or even into the pieces. Plenty of sculptures also sit around the outside of the museum along the riverside, where a lot of street vendors sell souvenirs on the path.
My favourite piece was ‘Puppy‘, I mean, who doesn’t love a giant dog made of flowers? There are plenty of souvenirs based on this piece exclusive to Bilbao, and I bought keyrings.
Inside the Guggenheim, I also enjoyed seeing Infinity Mirrored Room by Yayaoi Kusama.
Museo de Bellas Artes (Museum of Fine Arts)
This museum is smaller and in a more central location in Parque Doña Casilda Iturrizar.
The art collection consists of a lot of interesting sculptures.
Keen to explore more of Europe?
Check out more of my blog posts from around Spain here.
From Bilbao, I then travelled to Barcelona – blog posts from this big city coming soon!
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