Why go to bilbao

Check out this guide to the coolest neighbourhoods in Bilbao to help you decide. It can often be cloudy and rainy here. Despite this, the city has many attractions to keep you entertained in wet weather , including an abundance of museums. Besides, all that rain ensures that the surrounding countryside and mountainous landscapes stay beautifully lush and green.

Bilbao is surrounded by the Basque Mountains and sits on an estuary that leads to the Atlantic Ocean. You can go hiking around Artxanda hill in the morning, followed by a surf session at Sopelana Beach in the afternoon. Here, you have the best of the city, the countryside and the coast. Amazingly, Bilbao is also under a four-hour drive to the Pyrenees, which boast world-class ski resorts during the winter months.

Bilbao is a good place to visit as a couple, but it can also be a fantastic city to visit with friends, given its variety of bars and lively nightlife , or as a family, with plenty of kid-friendly attractions. Basque is the oldest European language and is completely unrelated to any other language on the planet currently spoken today. Earn yourself some bonus points with the locals by learning some of these Basque phrases before you go, or read our article on everything you need to know about the Basque language.

On that note, you should inform yourself about Basque culture , too, and find out why this area is unique. Not only does it have its own language, but also its own folk music and dances, sports , traditional costumes and festivals. These include things such as squid cooked in its own ink, hake cheeks and bacalao pil-pil cod fried in garlic and olive oil among other traditional dishes.

We and our partners use cookies to better understand your needs, improve performance and provide you with personalised content and advertisements. For this visit I stayed in two hotels across the road from the Guggenheim. Gran Hotel Domine is directly across from the Guggenheim while its sister hotel the Miro is a couple blocks further down the road.

The Gran Hotel Domine's major renovations in included the rooms, about a third with views of the Guggenheim, the chic lobby Bar 61 and the bistro cafe and restaurant. Prime location aside, the best feature of Gran Hotel Domine is the roof terrace where breakfast is served, offering excellent views of the Guggenheim. With 50 rooms, the Miro has a more personal feel than larger hotels and is a model of minimalist chic designed by Antonio Miro , well-known for his successful concept stores that mix homeware and clothing.

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Things to Do. Mark Nayler. Building, Museum. Copy link. Map View. Book Now. A self-guided audio tour is included in the price of admission, or you can book yourself on an expert-led visit to learn more about the building and the artworks. More info. Open In Google Maps. Visit Website. Give us feedback.