A dynamic city that interests architecture lovers and art enthusiasts as much as gourmets, Bilbao has carved out a place for itself between mountain and sea. World famous for its remarkable Guggenheim Museum, the largest city in the Spanish Basque Country also has a charming historic center, where you can enjoy your pintxo bars. From Bilbao there is no shortage of day trips. This Basque definitely has everything to please.

The remarkable renaissance of Bilbao

Bilbao isthe largest city in the Spanish Basque Country, where it is also called Bilbo. Today the capital of the province of Biscay, it was officially founded in 1300 on the edge of a river called ría du Nervión or ría de Bilbao, which will flow into the nearby Atlantic Ocean. An important port nestles in its estuary. Its geographical location is special because it nestles between two small mountains, which has led it to extend in length over its history.

Today very important, its agglomeration was formed thanks to a great industrial boom caused by the exploitation of iron mines, the installation of steel and metallurgical sites, as well as a shipyard. When, in the 1980s, these activities declined with striking rapidity, Bilbao experienced a terrible economic crisis, the effects of which it has patiently corrected.

If the port still exists, tourism has become a major asset for the city, in addition to other activities (services, advanced technologies, etc.). It was not a foregone conclusion. Bilbao has long been renowned for its facades covered with black dirt and its hyper polluted red river.

This river has been cleaned up and a vast campaign to renovate urban spaces has been successfully undertaken. In addition to a spectacular general restoration, the rehabilitation of old buildings and the construction of new ones, whose modernity is in tune with what is done in major European cities, have been added. The star of this renaissance is obviously the Guggenheim Museum, now famous all over the world.

Bilbao, an arty destination

Emblematic of the revival that the city has known and still knows, the Museo Guggenheim Bilbao opened in 1997 on the banks of the Nervión ria, on a former industrial site.

The building itself is a work of art designed by the great Canadian architect Frank Gehry. He used materials such as stone, glass and titanium to create shapes that intertwine harmoniously both inside and outside of this profane temple covering 24,000 m² (we also owe him the Louis-Vuitton Foundation in Paris, among others).

As part of the network of institutions of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation, it is dedicated to modern art from the 1950s to today. His collections include paintings, sculptures or installations by Rothko, Beuys, Klein, de Kooning, Motherwell, Rauschenberg, Twombly, Rosenquist, Warhol, Kiefer, Basquiat, Schnabel, Tàpies, Serra (“The Matter of Time”, huge set of walls forming corridors).

Outside, we see several monumental works : the iconic “Puppy”, a representation of a dog made up of flowers, and a bouquet of steel tulips, both signed Jeff Koons; “Maman”, a spider by Louise Bourgeois; “Tall Tree & The Eye”, cluster of steel spheres by Anish Kapoor.

In addition, there is a fog sculpture by Fujiko Nakaya which emanates intermittently from a peaceful pool and the customization of the road bridge which spans one end of the building. It is a red structure by Daniel Buren, which also has black and white stripes, of course.

A few steps away, there is the Museum of Fine Arts which contains ancient and modern works by Cranach the Elder, El Greco, Zurbarán, Goya, Cassatt, Gauguin, Bacon, Barceló. Here, as at the Guggenheim, exhibitions temporary is also presented.

There are still other thematic museums to discover in town: Basque culture, sacred art, archeology, bullfighting, history of the Athletic Club, famous local football team.

The center of Bilbao, between the Belle Époque and the 21st century

From Guggenheim, you enter directly into the center of Bilbao and vice versa. With a capital atmosphere, this city is very lively, especially on Don Diego López de Haro avenue.

On either side of the Gran Via, one falls off in front of beautiful series of buildings dating from the late 19 th century and early 20 th. You can see many rows of buildings with bow windows, as well as eclectic style buildings, some Art Nouveau or Art Deco pearls… You have for example the Chávarri palace, the Diputación palace, the Campos Elíseos theater, the Arriaga theater, La Concordia station, the University of Deusto.

The Azkuna Zentroa is not to be missed, despite its austere appearance seen from the outside. Cultural and leisure facilities are in fact installed in buildings constructed inside this former warehouse refurbished by Philippe Starck. They are supported by pillars, each sporting a different style.

Along the river, the 21 th century says resolutely. Near its contemporary Guggenheim, we can see the Palace of Congresses and Music Euskalduna (architects Federico Soriano and Dolores Palacios) and the Iberdrola tower (architect César Pelli) covered with glass and 165 meters high.

These are two additional symbols of the architectural renewal of Bilbao, to which we must not fail to add the metro , whose entrances, corridors and platforms were designed by the architect Norman Foster (also author of the Gherkin tower, alias 30 St Mary Ax in London, from the Millau viaduct).

Casco Viejo, the birthplace of Bilbao
Located by the river, the old town of Bilbao, called Casco Viejo, has retained its medieval layout. It is also nicknamed “las Siete Calles” because it consists mainly of seven historic streets which form a pedestrian maze full of charm.

A number of shops, bars and restaurants liven up these narrow streets punctuated by small squares and connected together by alleys. Also included is a Gothic church of modest dimensions, but which is nonetheless a c athédrale. It is dedicated to Saint James, which reminds us that Bilbao is located on one of the routes that lead pilgrims to Compostela.

On the river side, the district is bordered by the large covered market of La Ribera, where you can find all the products that the Basque Country can offer. Notice to gourmets!

The Casco Viejo is also the perfect starting point for a stroll along the river, bordered by a landscaped promenade that takes you through the Arriaga theater, La Concordia station, the Town Hall, the elegant white Zubizuri footbridge, the Guggenheim and the remains of the shipyard. From here you can reach Don Diego López de Haro avenue and begin your exploration of the city center.

Bilbao, from the river to the sea
The city of Bilbao does not overlook the sea directly, but it is not very far. On the banks of the river that leads there existed a shipyard, which was dismantled in the 1980s.

The Museo Marítimo Ría de Bilbao tells, among other things, this industrial epic that ended dramatically for the workers. In front of the museum stands a symbolic red crane, at the foot of which hold holds where some old ships are maintained.

A little further appears Zorrotzaurre. This funny name is that of a peninsula, also industrial, which is being rehabilitated according to the plans of the architect Zaha Hadid. In the future, it will be an island covered with green spaces, housing and new activities. In the meantime, disused workshops have been entrusted to structures working in the fields of arts and creative leisure.

Even further, the silhouette of the Puente de Vizcaya, a phenomenal transporter bridge built at the end of the 19 th century and still in use, is outlined in the sky. 45 meters high, its mechanism allows cars and pedestrians to cross the river aboard a gondola, between the municipalities of Portugalete and Getxo.

If you wish, an elevator takes you to the top of this monument listed as World Heritage by Unesco, from where you can see the facilities of the port of Bilbao, which extends into a vast estuary.

This must-see site is accessible by metro, as are various beaches popular with residents of the metropolitan area.

Gourmet Bilbao: the Pintxos Empire

If the Basque Country stands out from the rest of Spain in various ways, it is in tune with the other regions in terms of its taste for small bars conducive to friendly meetings (including members of circles called cuadrillas) and family.

In Bilbao, as in other Basque cities, these bars invite you to taste pintxos. At first glance resembling tapas, pintxos are bites designed as such or reduced dishes.

Displayed on bar counters, you will find some based on meats, fish, crustaceans or vegetables, cooked in various ways, nature … You can therefore try this or that as you wish and according to your appetite, knowing that these establishments often make it a point of honor to use original recipes.

That said, Basque gastronomy is not just about pintxos, as refined as they can be. Bilbao also has restaurants that have nothing to envy to good addresses in France or elsewhere. Culinary art is an important value in the region, which has a full range of quality local products.

At the table or in the pintxos bars, Rioja wines (which benefit from a DOC, equivalent to the French AOC) are very popular, especially those from Rioja Alavesa, near Bilbao.

Getaways around Bilbao

Long, the agglomeration of Bilbao is bordered by chains of small mountains. The peaks of the Pagasarri and Artxanda mountains offer striking views of the city and the landscapes located on the other side of these green heights which are crossed by hiking trails.

The top of Mount Artxanda (251 m) is accessible by funicular, making it a popular destination for locals and visitors to Bilbao.

Several trips out of town are possible. In the north-east, you have a route which first takes you to Guernica, or Gernika in Basque, a city which was destroyed in 1937 by German Nazi and Italian fascist airplanes in the service of Franco’s anti-republican forces. We keep alive the memory of this tragedy which inspired one of the most famous paintings by Picasso. It is also a city that symbolizes the independent spirit of the Basques through the Casa de Juntas and the Tree of Guernica.

We are here in the Urdaibai biosphere reserve, wetlands overlooking the sea. Next to the coastline, Mundaka and its famous left wave among surfers, Bermeo and San Juan de Gaztelugatxe, which reveal cliffs and spectacular rocks.

Going further east, you can go to the famous seaside resort of Donostia / San Sebastian.

In the south-east, you take the direction of the beautiful old towns of Durango and Elorrio, which are at the gates of the Urkiola natural park where you can walk or hike in superb mountain landscapes (meadows, forests).

Further south, you reach Vitoria-Gasteiz, another city with a remarkable heritage. Capital of the Basque Country, this city is directly connected to Bilbao by a motorway.

Finally, to the west, Balmaseda and its old medieval town await you, as well as the caves of Pozalagua whose concretions are numerous, in particular so-called eccentric stalactites, which have adopted very surprising forms.

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