Gathering the gems worth your time…
Destination guide
Bilbao
Spain
Bilbao, with a population of about 350,000 (2018, and over a million in the metro area), is the largest city in Spain's Basque Country. Bilbao is perhaps the best place in the world to experience the ancient culture and language of the Basque people, which has stubbornly held its own over thousands of years and is now…
Introduction quoted from Wikivoyage, CC BY-SA
Sources gathered & checked 2 days ago
At a glance
- Best time to go
- February–October and December
- Getting around
- Public transport · On foot · Cycling
- Vetted picks
- 25 places — 1 backed by 3+ independent sources
- Real coverage
- 7 vetted creator sources
AI insights
Computed from the Wikivoyage listings, transport section and YouTube view counts on this page
The most-viewed guide here is "¿Qué ver en BILBAO en 2 días? (País Vasco, España) 4K" by La Bitácora de Carlos y Eli (116K views) — a solid first watch.
La Bitácora de Carlos y Eli is a creator from here, not a visiting channel — worth watching for what the guidebooks skip.
Getting around: public transport, on foot, cycling and 1 more — the section below has the details straight from Wikivoyage.
6 of the places below list a real price from their own source — worth a scan before you budget the trip.
How these 25 picks are sourced
10 of 25 are named by a second, independent source — Lonely Planet, Michelin Guide and Laura Bronner, and 2 others — and each card names its own. The remaining 15 rest on the reference article alone: we list them because Wikivoyage or Wikipedia documents them, not because anyone else vouched for them. We also watched 7 creator videos, 1 of them from local channels rather than visiting ones. 17 of the 25 descriptions are quoted word for word from Wikivoyage under CC BY-SA rather than written by us, as is the introduction above — each of those cards says so. What we add is the checking, the corroboration above, and the choice of which places are worth your time at all.What we can't promise is that it's still true. Venues close, hours and prices change, and we don't re-check them — a place here closed for good and sat on this page for a year before anyone noticed. The insights are AI-written from these sources and can be wrong too. Confirm anything you'd be sorry to be wrong about before you set out. Terms.
Watch first
Ranked by views and how well each landed with the people who watched it, judged against the other coverage of this place — plus a local creator where we found one.
¿Qué ver en BILBAO en 2 días? (País Vasco, España) 4K
La Bitácora de Carlos y Eli · 116K viewsLocales
🧳️ TOP 10 Que Ver en Bilbao ✈️ Guía Turística Que Hacer en Bilbao
Pasaporte Viajero · 187K viewses
Que ver y hacer en BILBAO en 2 días (2026) | Guía de Bilbao (País Vasco - España)
EspañaXDescubrir · 90K viewses
✳️ what to do in BILBAO | travel guide 🇪🇸 #193
ROAD TRIP Spain and Portugal · 32K views
Bilbao Travel Guide 🇪🇸 Top Things to Do in Bilbao, Basque Country
Laura Bronner · 29K views
QUÉ VER en BILBAO, España 4K - Imprescindibles en un día
Queverenelmundo · 18K viewses
Can't Miss Things To Do in Bilbao, Spain | Travel Guide
Afar · 11K views
Best time to go
Best window: February–October and December
Kind weather all year — there is no month to avoid.
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
IdealGoodOkayOff-season
Rated from ten years of daily temperature and rainfall recorded at this destination, via Open-Meteo's ERA5 reanalysis. Hover a month for its real numbers.
Getting around
Public transport
There is good citywide public transport through the bus network (Bilbobus) and the single-line tram. You can also use the metro to get around, although you will miss all views and it might not be the most convenient if your trip is only inside Bilbao.
On foot
It takes about 30 minutes to walk along the river between the Guggenheim Museum and the Casco Viejo.
Cycling
Bilbaobizi is a bike-sharing system with an app.
By car
Bilbao is difficult to drive in. Hilly one-way streets, and frequent construction projects, make it a nightmare for drivers in parts of the city.
Transport notes from Wikivoyage, CC BY-SA 4.0.
What to see
Places are listed from Wikivoyage and our own sourced research. Worth it means a second, independent source names the place too; “3 sources agree” means three or more do — and each card names them, so you can check. Single source means the opposite, said plainly: the reference article lists it and nothing else we checked does.
Basque Museum
4 sources agreeAlso recommended by Laura Bronner and 3 others
Plaza Unamuno, 4· Cheap
Established in 1921 to focus on the prehistory, archaeology, ethnography and history of Euskadi (Basque homeland).
Description quoted from Wikivoyage, CC BY-SA
Vetted sources
Guggenheim Museum
Worth itAlso recommended by Michelin Guide and 1 other
Tram: Guggenheim· Cheap
Frank Gehry's spectacular twisting titanium-clad modern art museum is perhaps the most celebrated building of the 1990s, even starting what would be called the 'Bilbao-effect': The idea in urban planning that a star-quality building…
Description quoted from Wikivoyage, CC BY-SA
Vetted sources
Guggenheim Museum Bilbao
Worth itAlso recommended by Lonely Planet and 1 other
Frank Gehry's titanium-clad museum that reshaped Bilbao's post-industrial waterfront.
Vetted sources
Museo Guggenheim Bilbao
Worth itAlso recommended by Lonely Planet and 1 other
Frank Gehry's titanium-clad building put Bilbao on the map, and inside you find major contemporary art alongside the architecture itself.
Vetted sources
Museo de Bellas Artes
Single sourceMetro: Moyuako· Free
The Museum of Fine Art's remarkable collection boasts more than 6,000 works dating from the 12th century to the present day, and includes paintings, sculptures, drawings, engravings and decorative objects.
Description quoted from Wikivoyage, CC BY-SA
Vetted sources
Itsasmuseum
Single sourceMuelle Ramón de la Sota, 1· Cheap
It's in what used to be the Euskalduna shipyard, this maritime museum is next to the current Euskalduna Performing Arts Centre.
Description quoted from Wikivoyage, CC BY-SA
Vetted sources
Puppy
Single sourceNot a museum, but it is directly in the front of the Guggenheim Museum, created by Jeff Koons.
Description quoted from Wikivoyage, CC BY-SA
Vetted sources
Museo Taurino (Bullfighting Museum)
Single source· Cheap
Martín Agüero, 1, Plaza de Toros de Vista Alegre, (Near Plaza Zabalburu). Next to a bullring, the Museo Taurino highlights the role bullfighting has played in Euskadi.
Description quoted from Wikivoyage, CC BY-SA
Vetted sources
What to do
Mercado de la Ribera
Worth itAlso recommended by Lonely Planet
Europe's largest covered food market lets you graze fresh Basque produce and seafood under one roof.
Vetted sources
Puente Colgante (Vizcaya Bridge)
Worth itAlso recommended by Lonely Planet
You walk the elevated catwalk of the world's oldest transporter bridge, suspended above the Ría del Nervión.
Vetted sources
What to eat
Asador Etxebarri
Worth itAlso recommended by World's 50 Best Restaurants and 1 other
Bittor Arguinzoniz's live-fire grill restaurant in nearby Atxondo, ranked No. 2 on the World's 50 Best Restaurants 2025 list.
Vetted sources
Nerua Guggenheim Bilbao
Worth itAlso recommended by Michelin Guide
Josean Alija's one-Michelin-star restaurant inside the Guggenheim, built on Basque farm and coastal produce.
Vetted sources
Plaza Nueva pintxos crawl
Worth itAlso recommended by Lonely Planet
You wander in and out of neoclassical-arcaded bars in the casco viejo, assessing the pintxos displayed on every counter.
Vetted sources
Bar El Globo
Worth itAlso recommended by Lonely Planet
Famous for its txangurro gratinado, spider crab meat served hot as a single pintxo bite.
Vetted sources
Malatesta
Single sourceGoienkale/Somera 10, Bilbao
A place where you can have a drink, snack on pinchos and eat in the heart of Bilbao's Siete Calles.
Description quoted from Wikivoyage, CC BY-SA
Vetted sources
Restaurante Kasko
Single sourcec/Santa María, 16
This restaurant claims that their Pintxos are a miniaturization of Basque cooking culture.
Description quoted from Wikivoyage, CC BY-SA
Vetted sources
à table
Single sourceDos de Mayo 18
Cozy place in the old quarter of Bilbao. An authentic Basque-French restaurant offering a true flavour of that traditional cuisine. Good cellar. Reservation required. Service in English.
Description quoted from Wikivoyage, CC BY-SA
Vetted sources
Aritz
Single sourceCalle Zugastinobia 4
Was once one of the best Pintxos bars in Bilbao, quite out of the way (almost hidden really in a very small, one way street away from the main thoroughfares).
Description quoted from Wikivoyage, CC BY-SA
Vetted sources
Zortziko
Single sourcec/Alameda de Mazarredo 17
Traditional Basque dishes such as pigeon breast or marinated sea bass. Formal environment with late Victorian style furnishing, frequently booked days in advance. Ask about reservations to dine in the wine cellar.
Description quoted from Wikivoyage, CC BY-SA
Vetted sources
Matxinbenta
Single sourcec/Ledesma 26
Basque food, specialities include fresh tuna in piquant tomato sauce and piperada. Reservations required.
Description quoted from Wikivoyage, CC BY-SA
Vetted sources
Where to stay
Bilbao Hostel
Single sourceCtra Basurto-Kastrexana, 70
A youth hostel with 48 rooms (22 double rooms). A bit of a journey away from the centre, but connected by bus. Free parking on premises.
Description quoted from Wikivoyage, CC BY-SA
Vetted sources
Ganbara Hostel
Single sourcePrim 13
The only hostel in the Seven Streets area: the heart of the Old Town district of Bilbao.
Description quoted from Wikivoyage, CC BY-SA
Vetted sources
Bilbao Akelarre Hostel
Single sourceMorgan 4-6· Moderate
A private youth hostel a few minutes by walking from the Guggenheim Museum, in the historic district of Deusto University.
Description quoted from Wikivoyage, CC BY-SA
Vetted sources
Holiday Inn Express Bilbao
Single sourceZarandoa Kalea 5
Contemporary hotel close to Bilbao Airport and 10 km from the city centre.
Description quoted from Wikivoyage, CC BY-SA
Vetted sources
NH Palacio de Oriol
Single sourceAvda. Cristobal Murrieta, 27, 48980 Santurtzi
Overlooking the Abra Bay, the hotel occupies a palace built in 1902.
Description quoted from Wikivoyage, CC BY-SA
Vetted sources
Build your day
Pick the places you want in Bilbao, Spain and we will put them on a map in an order that does not cross the city twice.
Where to next
Nearby cities in Spain we’ve vetted too.
- San SebastiánPer capita, among the most Michelin-starred cities on earth, home to Arzak, Mugaritz and Akelarre plus Parte Vieja's pintxo bars.
- ZaragozaThe Basílica del Pilar rises over the Ebro in a city that blends Roman, Mudéjar and Baroque layers.
- SegoviaA Roman aqueduct still standing without mortar, plus a fairy-tale Alcázar said to have inspired Disney.
- MadridThe Prado and Reina Sofía hold Spain's greatest art alongside a tapas and vermouth culture that runs past midnight.
- SalamancaA golden sandstone university town founded in 1218, one of Europe's oldest.
Travel content from Wikivoyage, CC BY-SA 4.0. Encyclopedic context from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. Videos via the YouTube Data API.