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Bilbao
Municipality in Basque Country, Spain

Bilbao

Bilbao is a city in northern Spain, the largest city in the province of Biscay and in the autonomous community of the Basque Country.

Plan a trip to Bilbao→From Zaragoza

With a population of 347,342 as of 2024, it is the 11th most populous city in Spain, and the most populous in northern Spain. The Bilbao metropolitan area has 1,037,847 inhabitants, making it the most populous metropolitan area in northern Spain. The comarca of Greater Bilbao is the fifth-largest urban area in Spain. Bilbao is also the main urban area in what is defined as the Greater Basque region.

Get in

Getting to Bilbao

All buses to other provinces leave from the TermiBus terminal aka Bilbao Intermodal. There are regular connections from Santander (75 minutes), San Sebastian (60 minutes), Vitoria-Gasteiz (60 minutes) and Madrid (arriving at Avenida de América bus station, 4–5 hours) among others. There are many ticket machines in a line behind the escalators so you may be able to avoid the long queue (line) at the ticket window.

  1. 01
    Bilbao Airport

    Bilbao is served by a few European airlines and low-cost carriers, with Vueling and Volotea being the primary tenants.

  2. 02
    Bilbao-Abando
  3. 03
    Bilbao-Concordia

    Terminus for narrow gauge services operated by Renfe.

  4. 04
    Zazpikaleak Casco Viejo

    3, San Nicolás Square (In Casco Viejo district).

See

Worth seeing

  1. 01
    Guggenheim Museum

    Abandoibarra etorbidea, 2 (Tram: Guggenheim).

  2. 02
    Puppy

    Not a museum, but it is directly in the front of the Guggenheim Museum, created by Jeff Koons.

  3. 03
    Museo de Bellas Artes
  4. 04
    Basque Museum

    Established in 1921 to focus on the prehistory, archaeology, ethnography and history of Euskadi (Basque homeland).

  5. 05
    Itsasmuseum

    It's in what used to be the Euskalduna shipyard, this maritime museum is next to the current Euskalduna Performing Arts Centre.

  6. 06
    Museo Taurino

    Martín Agüero, 1, Plaza de Toros de Vista Alegre, (Near Plaza Zabalburu).

Do

Things to do

In the summer see an open air concert at the Kiosko del Arenal El Arenal Parque (across from Plaza Arriaga). The stage was built in 1923, and renovated in 1985. Beginning the first Saturday after August 15 and lasting for 9 days is Aste Nagusia / Semana Grande, the city's fiesta (holiday).

Eat

Where to eat

The local custom is to call what are known in Spanish as tapas by the Basque name, pintxos, probably much more elaborated than their Spanish cousins due to the Basque love of gastronomy. Friday and Saturday nights are most popular time for eating pintxos - as it is for going to bars. Aritz, Calle Zugastinobia 4.

  1. 01
    Malatesta
  2. 02
    La Camelia

    Villarías Kalea 3 (Abando L1 L2 ),.

How locals move

Getting around Bilbao the local way

  • Get inwikipedia:Renfe_Feve wikipedia:Renfe_Feve Brittany Ferries run a direct car ferry between Bilbao and Portsmouth, England.
  • Get inIt is best to book early, since the ferry is often booked out in summer.
  • Get inFerries land at Zierbena, at about 15 km from the centre of Bilbao.
  • Get aroundYou can use the tram, bus or funicular to move around Bilbao.

From Wikivoyage: Bilbao, CC BY-SA. Not yet checked by us. Last edited 2026-09.

Text adapted from Wikipedia and Wikivoyage, CC BY-SA 4.0. Photograph: kallerna (CC BY-SA 4.0), Wikimedia Commons.