Bilbao: Just the Guggenheim or More?
Written by Andy Hayes
Last autumn I went to Bilbao with a lingering question in my mind: is there anything apart from the Guggenheim in this European city? Well I’m thankful to report that Bilbao is a well balanced city with plenty to see and do, as Paul Kilduff mentioned in his guest post last year. There are many Bilbao attractions beyond the Guggenheim, here were a few of my favourites:
Photo by dalbera
- Walking along the river. Day and night. It’s quite still so you get to see all these wonderful reflections. If you stay in the old city centre, it’s about a 20 minute walk to the museum along the river. I recommend doing this. There’s plenty Bilbao sightseeing in town, and you can get some fresh air and enjoy those river views.
- Pintxos, Pintxos, Pintxos! Man, the food here is amazing. I arrived hungry and left more than satiated. So so yummy. There are plenty of pintxos (tapas) bars in the historic city centre, so you won’t have to look hard. Ask your hotel for their favourite – there’s several real winners.
- Daytrip to the Port. Go and check out the Vizcaya Bridge, which is a beautiful architectural wonder. You can take a ride across in the gondola, but the real fun is to take the lift to the top and check out the views from the top deck.
We absolutely loved Bilbao when we visited for two days this past summer – it was deinitely a highlight of our 3 weeks in northern Spain. And it wasn’t just the Guggenheim, either. We thought the old town was wonderful, and we enjoyed getting lost in the narrows streets. The tapas were a treat, the public transportation was a dream. It was just a fun, real city to visit, and we look forward to returning soon!