Two full days is enough for the core of Bilbao. The centre is compact and walkable, so the Guggenheim and the riverfront, the Casco Viejo old town, Plaza Nueva and a proper pintxos crawl, plus the funicular up Artxanda and a museum or two, fit comfortably without a rush. The one thing worth booking is a timed ticket for the Guggenheim, which closes on Mondays outside high summer, so check the day before you go. Base yourself in the Casco Viejo so the pintxos bars and the old-town sights are on your doorstep and the Guggenheim is a river walk away. Day one takes the Guggenheim, the riverfront and Azkuna Zentroa, then the old town, Plaza Nueva and an evening pintxos crawl; day two rides the Artxanda funicular for the view, browses the Ribera market, takes in the Bellas Artes fine-arts museum and finishes on more pintxos. Whatever the month, pack a rain jacket, because it rains in Bilbao all year round. For a coast day trip or the Vizcaya Bridge, take the three-day version.
Duration
2 days
Base
Casco Viejo (Old Town)
Mid budget
200 EUR
Best months
May · Jun · Sep
Picks sorted with our recommended base, Casco Viejo (Old Town), first. Book early: the good-value rooms go weeks ahead.
Couples€€Old town design hotel · Casco Viejo (Old Town)
A design hotel carved out of a restored heritage building in the Casco Viejo, near the cathedral and the Ribera market. Exposed old stone and beams meet contemporary rooms, with the pintxos bars a step from the door.
from ~130 EUR/night
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Special occasions€€€Design hotel facing the Guggenheim · Abando and the Ensanche
A playful design hotel by Javier Mariscal set directly opposite the Guggenheim, its atrium built around a tall column of stacked pebbles. The rooftop terrace and many of the front rooms look straight across at Gehry's titanium museum.
from ~220 EUR/night
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First visit€€Grand belle-epoque hotel · Abando and the Ensanche
The historic 1926 grand hotel on the circular Plaza Moyua, crowned by a stained-glass domed lobby and once home to visiting artists and heads of state. It sits central to everything, a flat walk from both the Guggenheim and the old town.
from ~150 EUR/night
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Budget€Riverside design hostel · Bilbao la Vieja (San Francisco)
A bright, design-led hostel in the arty Bilbao la Vieja district by the river, mixing dorms with private rooms. The location puts the cheap ethnic restaurants and music bars of San Francisco on the doorstep and the old town over the bridge.
from ~24 EUR/night
Check pricesReal hotel photos · prices are indicative from-rates, not live quotes · booking links support the site at no extra cost
Day 1
Morning
Start at the Guggenheim with a pre-booked timed ticket, walking round Koons's flower-covered Puppy and Bourgeois's giant Maman spider before going in. Remember it closes on Mondays outside July and August, and the outdoor sculptures are free to see from the terraces.
TipGehry's titanium-clad museum is the reason most people come, wrapped in Jeff Koons's flower-covered Puppy at the entrance and Louise Bourgeois's giant Maman spider by the river. Book a timed ticket online to skip the queue, and note it closes on Mondays outside July and August; the outdoor sculptures, including Puppy and the fog and fire installations, are free to see from the terraces even if you skip the galleries.
Walk the Nervion promenade back toward the old town, crossing Calatrava's white Zubizuri footbridge with its curved glass deck. It is free and open all day; mind the glass underfoot if it has been raining.
TipSantiago Calatrava's white Zubizuri, the tilted footbridge with a curved glass deck, links the two banks of the Nervion and sits on the walk between the old town and the Guggenheim. It is free and always open; stroll the promenade along the river to string together the bridge, the museum and the modern towers, and mind the glass walkway underfoot as it can be slippery in the rain, which is often.
Afternoon
Stop at Azkuna Zentroa, the old wine warehouse redesigned by Philippe Starck, and wander the free ground-floor atrium with its 43 uniquely carved columns and the glass base of the rooftop pool overhead.
TipThis former wine warehouse was gutted and reborn as a culture centre by Philippe Starck, who filled the entrance atrium with 43 columns each carved in a different style and topped the building with a glass-bottomed rooftop pool. The ground-floor atrium, cafe and exhibition spaces are free to wander during opening hours; the rooftop pool is for gym members, but you can see its glass base lit up from the atrium below.
Cross into the Casco Viejo and walk the medieval Seven Streets, taking in the Santiago cathedral and the arcaded lanes while the bars are still quiet. It is free and always open, and the late-afternoon light is best for photos before the crowds build.
TipThe Casco Viejo is the medieval old town built around the original Seven Streets, the Siete Calles, with the Santiago cathedral, arcaded squares and pintxos lanes packed into a compact grid. It is free and always open, best walked in the late afternoon before the bars fill; come by metro to the Casco Viejo stop, and expect the lanes to be loud and shoulder-to-shoulder on weekend nights.
Evening
Base your evening on the arcaded Plaza Nueva, ringed with pintxos bars under the colonnades. Try the classic gilda skewer, and note the bars just off the square are cheaper than those right on it.
TipPlaza Nueva is the grand arcaded neoclassical square in the old town, ringed with pintxos bars under its colonnades and busy every evening. It is free and always open; come on a Sunday morning for the flea market of coins, stamps, books and plants, and try the arcade bars for classic Bilbao pintxos like the gilda skewer, cheaper just off the square than on it.
Do the txikiteo, the Basque bar crawl, moving from bar to bar for one pintxo and a small glass of txakoli at each rather than sitting down. Start around 8pm, take what is on the counter in the busiest bars, and pay as you go.
TipThe Basque bar crawl, the txikiteo or poteo, means moving from bar to bar for one pintxo and a small drink at each rather than sitting for a meal. Order a couple of the pintxos laid out on the counter, pay as you go, and pair them with a small glass of txakoli or red; go from about 8pm, and in the busiest bars take what is on the bar rather than waiting for a hot pintxo to order.
Day 2
Morning
Ride the little Artxanda funicular, running since 1915, up to the hilltop park for the best panorama over the whole city and the river. The bottom station is a short walk north of the Zubizuri; the ride takes about three minutes and a return is a few euros.
TipThe little funicular has climbed Mount Artxanda since 1915 and lifts you to a hilltop park with the best panorama over the whole city and the river bowl. The bottom station is a short walk north of the Zubizuri bridge, the ride takes about three minutes, and a return ticket is a few euros; go up an hour before sunset for the light, and there are restaurants at the top if you want to linger.
Come back down to the Mercado de la Ribera, the huge riverside covered market, for an early lunch of pintxos and wine on the upper floor. It closes Sundays and early on Saturday afternoons, and the market-hall bars are cheaper than the tourist squares.
TipThis big riverside covered market, one of the largest in Europe, sells fish, meat and produce downstairs and has a run of pintxos and wine stalls on the upper floor. It closes on Sundays and shuts early on Saturday afternoons, so go for an early lunch on a weekday or Saturday morning; the market-hall bars upstairs are cheaper and less touristy than the main old-town squares.
Afternoon
Spend the afternoon at the Museo de Bellas Artes, quieter than the Guggenheim, taking in El Greco, Goya and strong Basque painting. It closes on Tuesdays and is free in the last couple of afternoon hours, so time your visit for that window.
TipThe fine-arts museum holds a serious collection running from El Greco and Goya through to strong Basque painting, and it is far quieter than the Guggenheim a few minutes away. It closes on Tuesdays, and entry is free in the last couple of hours of the afternoon on most days, so time your visit for that window and pair it with the Doña Casilda park next door.
If it turns wet, duck into the Euskal Museoa in the old town for an hour on Basque culture and seafaring history, with the ancient Mikeldi idol in its cloister. It closes Mondays, entry is cheap, and it is a good rainy-day backstop.
TipThe Basque Museum, set in an old Jesuit college in the heart of the old town, walks you through Basque culture, seafaring, sheep-herding and history, with an ancient stone idol, the Mikeldi, in its cloister. It closes on Mondays, entry is cheap and free on some days, and an hour covers it; it is a good dry-weather backstop when the rain sets in during a pintxos morning.
Evening
Sit down for a proper Basque dinner tonight, ordering the day's bacalao al pil-pil or marmitako with a glass of poured-from-a-height txakoli. Book ahead for the acclaimed places, as the best tables fill days in advance.
TipBasque cooking is one of the reasons to come: salt-cod bacalao al pil-pil, the tuna-and-potato stew marmitako, sharp Idiazabal sheep's cheese and the lightly sparkling local white, txakoli, poured from a height. Order txakoli by the glass in any old-town bar, ask for the day's bacalao at a sit-down restaurant, and book ahead for the acclaimed places, as the best tables fill days in advance.
Round off with a last wander through the lit lanes of the Casco Viejo and a final pintxo where the locals are standing. Weekend nights get loud here, so pick your bar for the crowd you want.
For 2 days, base yourself in Casco Viejo (Old Town). The medieval heart of Bilbao is the Casco Viejo, the tight grid of the Seven Streets, the Siete Calles, around the arcaded Plaza Nueva and the Santiago cathedral. It is dense with pintxos bars, small shops and old churches, all walkable and atmospheric, and it turns lively at weekends when the crowds pour in for the bar crawl. Base here on a first, short trip when you want the eating and the sights on your doorstep and do not mind some noise. Compare all neighborhoods in the full where-to-stay guide.
Got longer?
Bilbao in 3 days →
Two full days is enough for the core of Bilbao. The centre is compact and walkable, so the Guggenheim and the riverfront, the Casco Viejo old town, Plaza Nueva and a proper pintxos crawl, plus the funicular up Artxanda and a museum or two, fit comfortably without a rush. The one thing worth booking is a timed ticket for the Guggenheim, which closes on Mondays outside high summer, so check the day before you go.
Base yourself in Casco Viejo (Old Town) for this itinerary. The medieval heart of Bilbao is the Casco Viejo, the tight grid of the Seven Streets, the Siete Calles, around the arcaded Plaza Nueva and the Santiago cathedral. It is dense with pintxos bars, small shops and old churches, all walkable and atmospheric, and it turns lively at weekends when the crowds pour in for the bar crawl. Base here on a first, short trip when you want the eating and the sights on your doorstep and do not mind some noise.
The plan works year round, but May, June, September give you the best weather-to-crowds ratio.