Bilbao, Spain is such an under-appreciated city. Many people fly into Bilbao's airport just to rent a car to drive to San Sebastian. Granted, San Sebastian is heavenly (and we admitted also flew into Bilbao and drove straight to San Sebastian our first time in the region). But Bilbao is a lovely, lovely city. I had the opportunity to spend almost a week there when Bryan attended a conference in the city. The more I explored it, the more I fell in love with it.
Bryan says the city "punches above its weight", with a world class museum, access to some of the world's top restaurants, a vibrant pintxos casual food scene, and beautiful hikes. It's certainly worth a visit if you are in the area. Here are some of the top things I would recommend after spending a week there.
1. Visit The Guggenheim
This is probably the most famous attraction in Bilbao, and it's definitely worth seeing. The architecture is stunning, and the collections is good too. Dine at Nerua, the 1-Michelin star restaurant at the Guggenheim.
While we were there, there was a special "Yayoi Kusama: 1945 to Now" exhibit going on there. As a result, the entire place was decorated with her signature polka dots. To see more about what I saw at the Guggenheim, you can visit this post.
Go Pinxtos Hopping
Visiting multiple pintxos bars is a must-do when visiting the Basque region of Spain. Pintxos are small bites, often on a piece of bread (but not always). The term "pintxos" refers to a "spike" (usually a toothpick), that is "speared" through the food to hold it together.
In fact, the first thing we did after we arrived at our hotel was to visit a pintxos bar. We found one just around the corner that was delicious. In fact, most pintxos bars we visited were excellent. Bilbao people really know their food!
Pintxos places that we visited: El Globo (excellent variety!), and the following three in Plaza de Nueva: Charly (founded in 1973), Gure Toki, and Café Bar Bilbao. All were really good, and I wouldn't hesitate to go back. To read more about each of these places (and see photos of the tapas from each place), visit this post Pintxos Hopping in Bilbao, Spain.
Visit the Old Town (Casco Viejo) and Ribera Market
If you only have two days in Bilbao, you should visit the Guggenheim and spend a day exploring the old town (Casco Viejo). The old town is filled with beautiful little alleyways, bridges, and little neighborhoods you can explore. There's also Ribera Market, which is a fun place to see locals shop for fresh produce. We bought a lot of jamon iberico here, and found the prices at the market to be cheaper than going to the fancy department store El Corte Inglés. A popular place to eat great local Basque food right in the old town is at Los Fueros. We also enjoyed jamon + wine at Beher and excellent steak + jamon at Mio Basque Urban Food. Visit this post if you want to see more details about the Casco Viejo (including our meal at Los Fueros!).
Enjoy Fine Dining
Spain in general is SUCH a good value when it comes to fine dining in Europe (compared to, say, places like London or Paris). The food is just as good (if not better, IMHO), and it costs significantly less. During our visit, we dined at 3-Michelin star Azurmendi as well as several 1-Michelin star gems: Restaurante Mina, Extanobe Atelier, and Nerua (Guggenheim).
Half-day Trip to San Juan de Gaztelugatxe (Game of Thrones)
I was mesmerized by this stone islet located about a 45 minutes drive away from the old town of Bergamo. Depending on the day and season, you may need to book (free) tickets in advance in order to visit.
The hike is stunning, and the views are beautiful. At the top is a building dedicated to Saint John the Baptist. I highly recommend coming here if you have time! The hike only takes about an hour or so, or maybe 2 hours if you really want to take your time and take lots of photos! For more details, click on this post to learn more about our half-day trip to San Juan de Gaztelugatxe.
Day Trip to Rioja Wine Region
The Rioja region is well within driving distance of Bilbao (less than 2 hours), so it's another great excursion if you have a bit more time in the region. My friend Tracy Chang from PAGU (who did a cooking stint in the Basque region) highly recommended her friend Gabriella Ranelli from Tenedor Tours. We had a fabulous time. Gabriella has lived in Spain for 30 years and is very well connected with the food + wine circles. She's super knowledgeable, and took us to some great places. To read more about our tour with Gabriella, you can read these posts: Tour of Rioja Region Part 1; Tour of Rioja Region Part 2.
And that's a wrap! It was a fantastic trip and I highly recommend visiting the Basque region. For more fun reading about Spain, you can also check out these other cities:
Other Cities in Spain
San Sebastian
Girona
Barcelona
Madrid
Valencia
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Bilbao Posts from this Trip!
All Spain Posts
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