Bilbao packs a surprising number of attractions into a compact, walkable center. The city transformed from an industrial port to a cultural destination in the 25 years since the Guggenheim opened in 1997. The seven streets of the Casco Viejo, the riverside promenades, and the surrounding green hills give Bilbao variety that rivals larger Spanish cities.
Top Things to Do in Bilbao
Guggenheim Museum Bilbao
The Frank Gehry-designed Guggenheim Museum at Abandoibarra Etorbidea 2 is Bilbao’s defining landmark. The titanium curves of the building itself justify the visit before you step inside. The permanent collection features large-scale installations including Richard Serra’s The Matter of Time, eight weathering-steel sculptures you walk through. Temporary exhibitions rotate every 3-4 months. Open Tuesday through Sunday 10:00-19:00 (closed Mondays except July and August). Tickets cost 16 EUR adults, 9 EUR seniors and students, free for under-18s. Book online at least 2 days ahead in summer to skip the 30-45 minute ticket queue. The museum restaurant, Nerua, holds a Michelin star, but the Bistro offers good-value pintxos at the bar for 4-8 EUR each.
Casco Viejo (Old Town): Siete Calles
The Casco Viejo, Bilbao’s medieval core, centers on the Siete Calles (Seven Streets) district between the Nervion River and the Church of San Anton. This grid of narrow lanes, consisting of Somera, Artecalle, Tenderia, Belosticalle, Carniceria Vieja, Barrencalle, and Barrencalle Barrena from the 14th century, now holds over 200 pintxo bars, shops, and small plazas. The Santiago Cathedral at Plaza Santiago 1 dates from the 14th century and serves as a starting point for the northern Camino de Santiago route. Entry costs 6 EUR including the Gothic cloister. The Mercado de la Ribera at Calle Ribera 1, Europe’s largest covered market at 10,000 square meters, operates Monday through Saturday 08:00-15:00 with a ground-floor food court open until midnight on Fridays and Saturdays.
Museo de Bellas Artes (Fine Arts Museum)
The Bilbao Fine Arts Museum at Museo Plaza 2 houses over 10,000 works spanning the 12th century to the present. The collection emphasizes Basque artists (Chillida, Oteiza, Regoyos) alongside Spanish masters including El Greco, Goya, and Zurbaran. The building itself, a 1945 neoclassical structure with a modern glass-and-steel extension, sits in Doña Casilda Park. Open Wednesday through Monday 10:00-20:00 (closed Tuesdays). Admission costs 10 EUR, free on Wednesdays. The museum is a 10-minute walk from the Guggenheim through the park.
Vizcaya Bridge (Puente Colgante)
The Vizcaya Bridge connects Portugalete and Getxo across the Nervion estuary, 12km downstream from central Bilbao. This UNESCO World Heritage transporter bridge, built in 1893 by Alberto Palacio, was the world’s first bridge to carry passengers and vehicles in a suspended gondola. The gondola runs 24/7, crossing every 8 minutes during daytime. Foot passengers pay 0.50 EUR each way (free with a Barik transport card). The walkway at the top (50 meters high) costs 10 EUR including the elevator ride, with views across the Abra bay. Take Metro line L1 to Portugalete or Areeta stations, roughly 25 minutes from the city center.
San Mames Stadium and Athletic Club Museum
San Mames Stadium at Calle Rafael Moreno Pitxitxi is the home of Athletic Club Bilbao, one of only three clubs never relegated from Spain’s La Liga. The stadium holds 53,331 spectators and was rebuilt in 2013 on the same site as the original 1913 ground. Stadium tours run Tuesday through Sunday at 11:00, 13:00, 16:00, and 18:00, costing 14 EUR adults, 9 EUR children. The tour includes the dressing rooms, tunnel, pitchside, press room, and the Athletic Club museum. On match days (roughly every other weekend September through May), tickets range from 40-120 EUR depending on the opponent. Buy through the official website at least 2 weeks ahead for La Liga matches.
Funicular de Artxanda
The Artxanda funicular at Calle Castaños 12 climbs 200 meters in 3 minutes to the top of Mount Artxanda, delivering the best panoramic view of Bilbao. The red funicular cars run every 15 minutes from 07:15 to 22:00 (until 23:00 on Fridays and Saturdays). A one-way ticket costs 0.50 EUR with a Barik card or 1.00 EUR cash. At the top, the Parque de Artxanda has walking paths, a restaurant (Restaurante Artxanda), and a sports complex. The viewpoint directly behind the upper station frames the entire city from the Guggenheim to the surrounding mountains.
Pintxo Crawl Through Plaza Nueva and Calle Ledesma
Bilbao’s pintxo culture rivals San Sebastian’s for quality at lower prices. Plaza Nueva in the Casco Viejo concentrates about 15 bars in a single neoclassical square. Start at Gure Toki (Plaza Nueva 12) for their foie gras with apple compote (4.50 EUR), then move to Cafe Bar Bilbao (Plaza Nueva 6) for grilled txipirones (baby squid, 4.00 EUR). On Calle Ledesma in the Ensanche district, Bar El Globo (Calle Diputacion 8) serves their famous txangurro gratin (spider crab, 3.80 EUR) and the multicolored bombon de morcilla (blood sausage bonbon, 2.50 EUR). Most bars charge 2.50-5.00 EUR per pintxo. A crawl of 4-5 bars with drinks and food runs about 25-35 EUR per person. Bars open around 12:00-15:30 for lunch service and 19:30-23:00 for the evening round.
