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Bilbao

Spain travel guide

What to see in Bilbao

The Guggenheim, the Casco Viejo and its pintxos, the estuary and a city that has reinvented itself without losing its character.

Updated 19 October 2026 · How we make our guides

Photo: kallerna · CC BY-SA 4.0

Bilbao highlights

The places you can’t miss. In the app we sort them by day and close to each other.

  1. Guggenheim Bilbao

    Gehry and Puppy facing the estuary.

  2. Casco Viejo

    The Seven Streets and La Ribera market.

  3. La Salve Bridge

    Views of the museum and the estuary.

  4. Artxanda Funicular

    A panoramic view of Bilbao.

  5. Vizcaya Bridge

    A hanging gondola that has crossed the estuary every eight minutes since 1893; you can go up to the walkway on top, 45 metres high.

  6. Azkuna Zentroa

    A converted wine warehouse: 43 different columns by Starck in the lobby and a swimming pool with a glass floor.

  7. Bilbao Cathedral (Santiago)

    Small and Gothic, with a peaceful cloister. It was a stop on the Camino through Bilbao before the town even existed.

  8. Arriaga Theatre

    Neo-Baroque from 1890, next to the Arenal. Worth seeing at night or from a seat up in the gods.

  9. Church of San Antón

    It appears on Bilbao’s coat of arms: a Gothic doorway right by the bridge and the estuary, next to the market.

  10. La Concordia Station

    A modernista iron and ceramic façade facing the estuary. It’s still a working narrow-gauge station.

  11. San Mamés

    Athletic Club’s stadium has a museum and guided tours. At night the façade changes colour.

Where to stay in Bilbao

The handiest areas for getting around and going out.

  • Recommended areas

    Indautxu · Casco Viejo · Abando

Day trips from Bilbao

We take you straight to the best-rated tour on GetYourGuide, with its reviews and dates.

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When to travel to Bilbao

Any time of year is good to travel to Bilbao: our data shows no months with weather, closure or crowd warnings.

  1. Jan no warnings
  2. Feb no warnings
  3. Mar no warnings
  4. Apr no warnings
  5. May no warnings
  6. Jun no warnings
  7. Jul no warnings
  8. Aug no warnings
  9. Sep no warnings
  10. Oct no warnings
  11. Nov no warnings
  12. Dec no warnings

Typical food of Bilbao

The dish you have to try there and how to make it at home, to whet your appetite before the trip (or to go back to Bilbao from your kitchen).

Bacalao a la vizcaína
Photo: Tamorlan · CC BY-SA 3.0

Bacalao a la vizcaína

Bilbao’s classic: desalted salt cod in a sauce of choricero peppers, onion and garlic. Vizcaína sauce is red from the choricero peppers, not from tomato.

  • Serves 4
  • 1 h 30 min

Ingredients

  • 4 desalted salt cod loins
  • 8 dried choricero peppers (or 4 tablespoons of their pulp from a jar)
  • 3 red onions
  • 3 garlic cloves
  • 1 slice of bread
  • Olive oil
  • Fish stock or water

How to make it at home

  1. If you’re using dried peppers, soak them in hot water for 1 hour and scrape out the flesh with a spoon.
  2. Very slowly soften the chopped onion and garlic in oil for about 40 minutes, until very soft and sweet.
  3. Add the choricero pulp and the fried bread, pour in a little stock and simmer for 10 minutes. Blend and strain the sauce.
  4. Confit the cod loins in warm oil for about 5 minutes, skin side up.
  5. Put the cod in an earthenware dish, cover it with the sauce and let it simmer gently for 5 minutes.

The trick: The secret is the onion: the more slowly it softens, the sweeter and silkier the sauce.

Where and what to eat

To eat like a local: the neighbourhood taberna. The dishes you can’t miss are in the Spain guide.

  • Gure Toki

    Plaza Nueva, Casco Viejo · €

    Well-crafted pintxos under the arcades. The quail one and the squid roll are the favourites.

  • Bar El Globo

    Abando · €

    A short, very well-stocked bar. The mushroom and prawn txalupa is what everyone orders.

  • Los Fueros

    Casco Viejo · €€

    A tastefully restored tavern from 1878: tomato with tuna belly and seasonal stews. Booking is a good idea.

  • La Viña del Ensanche

    Abando · €€€

    Hand-carved Ibérico ham and first-rate tinned seafood, on high stools, with lots of wines by the glass.

Frequently asked questions about Bilbao

What to see in Bilbao?

Guggenheim Bilbao, Casco Viejo, La Salve Bridge, Artxanda Funicular, Vizcaya Bridge and Azkuna Zentroa.

What to see in Bilbao in 3 days?

Don’t miss Guggenheim Bilbao, Casco Viejo, La Salve Bridge, Artxanda Funicular, Vizcaya Bridge and Azkuna Zentroa. To split it into days and areas without crossing the city back and forth, the Bagintravel app plans your trip in a minute.

Where to stay in Bilbao?

The handiest areas to stay are Indautxu, Casco Viejo and Abando.

What’s the best time to travel to Bilbao?

Any time of year is good to travel to Bilbao: our data shows no months with weather, closure or crowd warnings.

What day trips can you take from Bilbao?

San Juan de Gaztelugatxe, Guggenheim Museum and Urdaibai and Gernika.

What is the typical food of Bilbao?

Bacalao a la vizcaína. Bilbao’s classic: desalted salt cod in a sauce of choricero peppers, onion and garlic. Vizcaína sauce is red from the choricero peppers, not from tomato.

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Guide reviewed 19 October 2026. Places, areas and seasons: the same data the Bagintravel app uses. Sources and method.