Free walking tours in Bilbao and what to see

Must-sees

The Guggenheim Museum is where many trips begin. Frank Gehry’s titanium-clad building is best seen from the riverside walk and the La Salve bridge. In front stand Puppy, the flower-covered dog, and Maman, Louise Bourgeois’s giant spider. Following the river you reach Calatrava’s Zubizuri footbridge and the City Hall.

Across the water is the Old Town, with the Seven Streets, Santiago Cathedral, the Plaza Nueva and its pintxo bars, and the Ribera market. The Ensanche, with the Gran Vía and the Fine Arts Museum, shows the bourgeois city that grew with industry. To see Bilbao from above, take the Artxanda funicular at sunset.

Free tours and guided visits

Free tours are usually of two kinds. Some cover the Old Town and explain the origin of the Seven Streets and of trade on the river. Others tell the story of the city’s transformation, from its industrial past to the Guggenheim. There are also guided pintxo tours, which are paid. Among the day trips, the most popular go to San Juan de Gaztelugatxe, the Bizkaia Bridge in Portugalete, a World Heritage Site, Gernika and the Urdaibai reserve, or to San Sebastián for the day.

How long to spend

Two days are enough for the city. Use one for the Guggenheim and the riverside walk to the Ensanche and the Fine Arts Museum. The other for the Old Town, the Ribera and the trip up to Artxanda. With three or four days you can head for the coast: Gaztelugatxe, Getxo and Portugalete, or San Sebastián, just over an hour away by road.

Where to stay

The Old Town is the liveliest option, close to the pintxos and well served by metro and tram. It can be noisy at weekends, though. The Ensanche, around the Gran Vía and Abando, is quieter, has lots of choice and is a short walk from the Guggenheim. The Abandoibarra area, by the museum, is good if you want river views and modern surroundings.