Bilbao map illustration with drawings of some places in the capital.

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Bilbao

We may have all been born to visit Bilbao and enjoy one thing we share with its inhabitants: the glorification of walking. The Biscayan capital offers a wide range of options for this. They combine the urban, that charming rural touch of the mountain, an estuary that leads visitors to the sea and, of course, the reward of the Bay of Biscay, at the end of everything, always waiting.

We are not even going to mention its other qualities, such as its rich folklore, its museums, or its gastronomy. And we are not going to do it because it is not polite to talk with our mouths full of delicacies.

Google Map of Bilbao

Illustration of two tourists on the map of Bilbao.

Eating and drinking

Muelle Marzana

On the banks of the estuary, on the Marzana wharf, we find Álvaro Garrido and Lara Martín’s restaurant. Its cuisine is so fresh that the menu varies depending on the produce on sale at the nearby Ribera market.

Garrido stretches the possibilities of these products, alters them with his creativity and experience and gives them a new life, starting from the solid foundations of Basque cuisine.

https://www.restaurantemina.es/

Photograph of the entrance to the Mina restaurant.

Licenciado Poza, 55

The Mugi is one of the classics of the no less classic neighborhood of Indautxu.

Elegant decor, impeccable service, an excellent selection of hot and cold pintxos and dishes with all the flavor of Bilbao. We are big fans of the octopus, but once you get going you’ll never stop.

https://www.instagram.com/el_mugi_bilbao/

Marzana, 16

There are places that are predestined to be enjoyed at sunset. The terrace of Taberna Marzana is one of them. Views of the estuary, a beautiful lounge with large windows, a good selection of beers and the perfect terrace to enjoy a few drinks or cocktails.

Illustration of two people at the entrance of Café Iruñaa

Colón de Larreátegui, 13

The Café Iruña is one of the city's institutions, a meeting place for various generations of Bilbao residents.

Beyond the pintxos and raciones, the restaurant offers a careful and varied prix fixe menu in an environment with an eclectic and extremely exotic decor. A nice mix of styles.

https://cafeiruna.com/

Photography of the tapas and the bar of Café Iruña

Heros, 11

The Abandoibarra has become a wonderful place to enjoy a walk and discover everything it has to offer. Here, Monocromo stands out as a gastrounderground vermouth bar.

We quickly understood the vermouth thing. As for the rest, we had to try, for example, the tomato ceviche with smoked sardine and the prawn carpaccio with yellow chili emulsion, coconut, cilantro, and lime. And we are already getting the idea.

https://monocromobilbao.com/

Juan Ajuriaguerra, 14

Abandoibarra is home to Isma Valle’s project, a happy meeting of Spanish and Oriental cuisine ensconced in a space that combines stone walls with elegant wood and avant-garde furniture. Here, elegance is almost tangible.

https://www.basukirestaurante.com/es/home/ Illustration of a plate of food

Cuesta de la Churra, 4

Don't you think that there is cuisine that should be in a museum? No joke. Nerua is the restaurant of chef Josean Alija and is set inside the Guggenheim Museum.

An open and approachable cuisine that is both innovative and so focused on each season that the menu changes three times a year. The icing on the cake is the Michelin star that this project well deserves.

https://www.neruaguggenheimbilbao.com/

Camino de San Roque, 89

An idyllic setting in the middle of Mount Artxanda. In addition to the indoor dining room, it boasts a meadow with a wonderful terrace in the purest picnic style.

Txuleta, anchovies, peppers, and other glories of Basque cuisine. The extensive wine list rounds off a gastronomic offer that has been a triumph for decades.

https://www.facebook.com/TxakoliSimon/

Ribera, S/N

The Ribera market is the product of the times.

The products it offers have hybridized and it has gone from being a typical food market to a place that also offers gastronomic enjoyment with different choices of food and drink.

https://mercadodelaribera.biz/ Tapas illustration of the Mercado de la Ribera

Illustration of two people at the entrance of the Gure Toki bar

Plaza Nueva, 12

This is like choosing your favorite child, because in the Plaza Nueva in the historic center of Botxo, the hard part is choosing a place to eat.

With the Gure Toki there is no possible failure. All the essence of the city is offered in small and delicious portions, in tasty pintxos and spirit-healing wines.

We tried its seafood, but you should let yourself go.

http://www.guretoki.com/

Photograph of the interior of the Gure Toki bar

Illustration of two people sitting at a table on the Domine's terrace.

Alameda Mazarredo, 61

Every time we walk through a city, every time we wander its streets, we like to have a place to stop and catch our breath.

The rooftop terrace of the Gran Hotel Domine is one of our favorites for a restorative cocktail.

Just as restorative are its impressive views of the Guggenheim.

https://www.hoteldominebilbao.com/

Photography of pastries from the patisserie Martina de Zuricalday

Illustration of a person in the patisserie Martina de Zuricalday

Plaza San José, 3 | Doctor Areilza, 38 | Rodríguez Arias, 48 | Ercilla, 43

Bilbao is an ideal destination for visitors with a sweet tooth.

This pastry shop, with several locations throughout the city, reaches excellence with some of the local specialties such as rice cakes or butter buns.

Coming here requires some self-control because there are many more sweet treats to choose from.

https://www.martinazuricalday.com/

Wandering around

Illustration of a person walking through the Doña Casilda park

The most central park in the city is a melting pot of experiences and memories of several Bilbao generations.

Big enough to walk around, leafy enough to commune with the trees and traditional enough to become imbued with the Bilbao of always.

Photograph of a pair of brown Pikolinos women's ankle boots in the Doña Casilda park with a monument
in the background

Photograph of a pair of black Pikolinos women's ankle boots in the Doña Casilda park

Illustration of the buildings of the old town of Bilbao.

Photograph of some brown Pikolinos women's ankle boots in the street of the old town

Or the Siete Calles. Or simply the Old Part. The intricate central neighborhood of the city offers a labyrinthine tour through some of the most classic taverns, restaurants, and shops in Bilbao.

If you want to hit a pintxo route, you need to buy a txapela or wish to talk about the next Athletic match, this is the place.

Illustration of two people walking in the bush

There are very few places in Bilbao from which the mountains cannot be seen.

That's very good. But it is much better to climb them, to walk them, to feel them, and to enjoy some of the best views of the city.

We suggest the ones from the Pikotamendi. And you know you can trust us.

Photograph of a pair of brown Pikolinos women's ankle boots in the mountains

Avenida Zuberoa

We must admit that we are taking a risk and suggesting something that is outside the tourist circuits.

Two steps from the Vistalegre bullring there is a street that looks like it’s straight out of London. Zuberoa, as it is called, is a street flanked by colorful English-style houses.

For expert urban explorers

Illustration of a woman taking photos in the street of the colored houses

Photograph of a man's booty with colored houses in the background

Experiences

Illustration of two people taking photos at the Guggenheim museum

Canóniga, 18 - Oviedo

After 25 years, the Guggenheim has become the symbol of the transformation of the city and a world icon of contemporary art.

An interesting permanent collection, carefully curated temporary exhibitions, and even a Michelin-star restaurant make up the offer of the most famous silhouette of Bilbao today.

https://www.guggenheim-bilbao.eus/

Photograph of a pair of navy blue Pikolinos men's sneakers with the Guggenheim museum in the background

Ercilla, 34

Illustration of the Pikolinos store in Bilbao

Photograph of various models of ankle boots from the Pikolinos store in Bilbao

Photograph of some brown men's Pikolinos dress shoes in the street with a bridge in the background

Photograph of some brown men's Pikolinos dress shoes on the street

You know that one could spend years discussing where Bilbao ends, but we like to see the sea every time we pass through here.

The beautiful meeting between the estuary and the Bay of Biscay offers magical corners such as the Puerto Viejo de Getxo, which is also a perfect place to start a walk along the ocean.

https://www.bilbaoturismo.net/BilbaoTurismo/es/puerto-viejo-getxo

Puente de Vizcaya Zubia, Getxo

The Bizkaia Bridge, also known as the Portugalete suspension bridge, is located in the town of the same name, almost at the mouth of the Nervión river.

It is a spectacular steel structure completed in 1893 and the only place in the Basque Country that has been named a World Heritage Site.

It bears witness to a whole era.

https://puente-colgante.com/

Plaza Arriquíbar, 4

The Azkuna Center is the city's cultural center par excellence. Located at one end of the Indautxu neighborhood, this old corn exchange, renovated by Philippe Starck, offers a cultural program, a library, a media library, cinemas, a gym, a swimming pool and even an ideas laboratory.

https://www.azkunazentroa.eus/es/

Photograph of the interior of Azkuna Zentroa, a cultural center.

Illustration of a trophy from the Athletic Club Museum

Rafael Moreno Pitxitxi, S/N

The Athletic team has turned a football stadium into a complete experience that includes, of course, football, gastronomy, and a proposal based on emotion and history.

The museum’s approach to the Biscayan club is based on respect for values and the past. From there, it weaves a story of the present in which its men's and women's teams and the fantastic facilities of San Mamés all find a space.

https://sanmames.athletic-club.eus/museo/

Museo Plaza, 2

Another ingredient of the wide cultural offer of the city is found at the edge of the Parque de Doña Casilda.

The Museum of Fine Arts houses a new and impressive artistic milestone: Agustín Ibarrola's Gernika, an immense painting by the Basque artist inspired by Pablo Picasso's universal piece.

https://www.basukirestaurante.com/es/home/

Sleeping

Photograph of a pair of brown Pikolinos men's ankle boots on the bed in a room at the Carlton Hotel

Plaza Federico Moyúa, 2

Bilbao has undergone an amazing transformation in the last 20 years.

However, the city continues to maintain its old flavor in places such as the Hotel Carlton, a five-star hotel that combines local tradition with an indisputable British influence.

https://www.hotelcarlton.es/