Bilbao

Bilbao, Spain

The Basque city of Bilbao is a spellbinding capital of art, design and gastronomy. With one of the world’s finest buildings – the Guggenheim – at its heart, Bilbao dazzles with style and energy, boasts a unique identity and speaks Europe’s oldest and most enigmatic language - Euskara.

Population:

345,000

Currency:

Euro (EUR), €1=100 cents

Emergency Numbers:

Police: 092
Fire brigade: 080
Emergencies: 112

Opening Hours:

Most shops are open from 09.00–13.30 and 16.00-20.00 Monday to Friday.
Banks are open 08.30–14.00, Monday to Friday and 09.00–13.00 on Saturday.

Newspapers:

El Correo (regional)
Deia (regional)
El País (national)

The City

Bilbao is the largest city in the Basque Country, as well as the capital of the province of Biscay or Bizkaia. Once a heavily industrialised city, Bilbao has taken itself through an extraordinary transformation. The banks of the Nervión river are home to numerous businesses and factories, which during the Industrial Revolution brought heightened prosperity to the region.

The Nervión divides the city in two: the old city and the new. To the east are the narrow streets of the Old Town, or Casco Viejo, centred around the Siete Calles, or Zazpi Kaleak, district. Chock-full of ‘pintxo’ bars, traditional restaurants and Basque cider houses or 'sagardotegis', Casco Viejo is home to historic sights such as St James' Cathedral or the vast Mercado de la Ribera food market.

Standing in stark contrast to the old part of town is the other half of the city, on the opposite side of the river. A section of this more modern half belongs to the late 19th century bourgeois expansion of Bilbao. Here you will find the Guggenheim Museum and other iconic buildings like the cutting edge Palacio Euskalduna on the banks of the river.

The Guggenheim, a building created by architect Frank Gehry, provides a surreal and very particular beauty to Bilbao. Although it is an impressive landmark not to be missed, overlooking the rest of the city would be almost criminal.

Do & See

Bilbao has a great many interesting sites to visit, both historical and modern. Enjoy some contemporary art at the Guggenheim or go for a more traditional approach at the Museum of Fine Arts. Get lost amongst the streets of the lively Old Town, go on a pintxo bar or take a trip to the beautiful old fishing port of Algorta or the seaside town of Plentzia.

Dining

Bilbao is the home of Basque cuisine--considered as the most inventive cuisine in both Spain and France. The city is famous for a lot of dishes and for its delicious tapas-like appetizers called pintxos. Seafood forms the heart of Basque cooking, thanks to its strong 'arrantzale' fishing tradition. Bacalao dishes, based on cod, are very popular as is hake.

Despite this, Bilbao offers many other types of traditional food too, making it equally delicious for those who tend to favour meat-based dishes or even for vegetarians. Many visitors to Bilbao have returned again and again just for the food alone.

Cafes

Bilbao has an enviable coffee culture, people take every chance they get to sit down, hang out, and catch up. After a long day of sightseeing, do as the locals do and enjoy a cup of coffee or tea at one of the many cafes this city has to offer.