Bilbao
A river city remade around a titanium museum, with its old quarter folded into a bend of the estuary, a three-star kitchen in the hills at Larrabetzu, and a Calatrava terminal nine kilometres north.
- Arrival
- Bilbao Airport · BIO
- To the city
- Nine kilometres north of the centre
- Private jets
- Three general aviation handlers; 2,600 m runway
- Best time
- June to September
The city
The estuary, the titanium and the old quarter.
Bilbao follows its estuary. The Casco Viejo, the old quarter, sits in a bend of the water upstream; downstream, on the Avenida de Abandoibarra, Gehry's Guggenheim spreads its titanium along the bank, with Puppy standing at the entrance. The Alameda Mazarredo runs from the museum to the Museo de Bellas Artes, and two of the hotels below stand on it.
Food is the second reason to come. Eneko Atxa's Azurmendi holds three MICHELIN stars in the hills at Larrabetzu, and five starred tables lie within the city, one of them inside the museum itself. Summer is the dry spell on this coast: from June to September the afternoons reach 22 to 25 °C, and the rest of the year is wet.
Arriving
Calatrava's terminal on the hill at Loiu.
Bilbao Airport is at Loiu, nine kilometres north of the city, with a passenger terminal designed by Santiago Calatrava and opened in 2000. Its main runway is 2,600 metres long.
- Barcelona 1 h 00
- Lisbon 1 h 15
- Mykonos 3 h 30
- Lagos 5 h 40
- Dubai 7 h 30 long-range jet
When to go
June to September.
An Atlantic city with rain in every month. June to September has highs of 22 to 25 °C and the driest weeks of the year, July the best of them. From October to April the rain often passes 100 millimetres a month and the highs fall to the low teens.
- 11° J 122 13°
- 13° F 102 12°
- 14° M 94 12°
- 16° A 122 13°
- 19° M 89 15°
- 22° J 64 18°
- 25° J 51 21°
- 24° A 81 22°
- 24° S 71 20°
- 20° O 107 18°
- 15° N 142 16°
- 12° D 130 14°
What to see and do
Days in and around Bilbao.
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Landmark
Guggenheim Museum Bilbao
Gehry's titanium-clad building on the riverbank, with Puppy at the door and Nerua's starred dining room inside.
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Landmark
Casco Viejo
The old quarter on the estuary, the place to begin an evening of pintxos.
-
Landmark
Museo de Bellas Artes
The city's fine-art collection, on the park at the far end of the Alameda Mazarredo from the Guggenheim.
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Opera & music
ABAO Bilbao Opera
Founded in 1953, the city's opera association stages its main season at the Euskalduna concert hall on the estuary, celebrating its 75th season in 2026 to 2027.
Official site -
Culture
Bizkaia Bridge
Opened in 1893 between Portugalete and Getxo, this UNESCO listed transporter bridge carries a gondola across the river, and lifts lead to a walkway on its 164 m span.
Official site -
Nature
San Juan de Gaztelugatxe
Some 241 steps climb this protected islet on the Biscay coast to a hermitage rebuilt in 1983; free online booking applies on busy days.
Official site -
Food & wine
Txakolingunea
Bakio's txakoli museum explains how the Basque white wine of the Bizkaiko Txakolina designation is made, with an optional guided tour ending in a tasting.
Official site -
Golf
Real Sociedad de Golf de Neguri
Established in 1911, the club plays an 18 hole Javier Arana layout of 1960 on the La Galea cliffs at Getxo, open to visitors with a handicap on weekdays.
Official site -
Racing & sport
San Mamés Stadium and Athletic Club Museum
Guided tours of Athletic Club's home ground take visitors into the first team dressing room, out onto the pitch and onto the lions' bench.
Official site
Where to stay
Facing the museum, on the estuary, above the bay.
Shown for information. We have no arrangement with any of these hotels.
- The Artist Grand Hotel of Art Bilbao's only MICHELIN Key, thirty metres from the museum, with interiors by Javier Mariscal and Fernando Salas and a 26-metre stone column rising through the atrium.
- Hotel Marques de Riscal, a Luxury Collection Hotel A winery hotel in the Álava wine country, with one MICHELIN Key in the 2026 selection.
- Tayko Bilbao A 1924 building on the estuary, reworked in steel, glass and concrete, with 61 rooms and Martín Berasategui's starred restaurant Ola.
- Miró Hotel Bilbao Fifty rooms behind a green aluminium and glass front, owned by the fashion designer Antonio Miró, halfway between the two art museums.
- Palacio Arriluce A seaside palace on a headland over the Bay of Biscay, where the old chapel is now the cocktail bar.
Where to dine
Three stars in the hills, five tables in town.
From the MICHELIN Guide 2026, shown for information. We have no arrangement with any of these restaurants.
- Azurmendi Three Michelin stars Creative €€€€ Legina Auzoa, Larrabetzu
- Nerua Guggenheim Bilbao One Michelin star Creative €€€€ Guggenheim Museum, Abandoibarra
- Ola Martín Berasategui One Michelin star Modern €€€€ Tayko Bilbao, Casco Viejo
- Mina One Michelin star Creative €€€€ Ercilla, Indautxu
- Islares One Michelin star Creative €€€€ Mazarredo, opposite the Guggenheim
- Zarate One Michelin star Fish and seafood €€€ Alameda San Mamés
- Eneko One Michelin star Creative €€€ Larrabetzu
- Andra Mari One Michelin star Traditional €€€ Galdakao
- Boroa One Michelin star Traditional €€€ Amorebieta-Etxano
Elsewhere in Spain
More reasons to come.
-
Madrid
The Prado, late dinners, and the capital's long nights.
- Barcelona Gaudí, the old town and the city beaches.
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Marbella
The old town, the Golden Mile and Puerto Banús, under La Concha.
- Ibiza Coves and the old town by day, the island's clubs by night.
- Palma de Mallorca A cathedral city on its bay, with the coves of Mallorca all around.
- Seville Moorish palaces, orange trees and flamenco in the capital of Andalusia.
- Málaga Picasso's birthplace, and the airport of the whole Costa del Sol.
- Valencia The City of Arts and Sciences, the old silk exchange, and paella at its source.
- San Sebastián La Concha bay, and one of the great food cities of Europe.
Flying to Bilbao?
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