Our whirlwind visit to Bilbao halfway through January has definitely whet the appetite, we´d return in a heartbeat. While we´d wished for a slightly warmer and drier experience, we had been prepared for the cold and damp. We got it.
A short taxi ride from the airport to the Radisson Collection Hotel on the Gran Via took us into the heart of the very walkable city. On the first evening, after buying a wool cap for the other half, he was feeling the dampness, we crossed one of the River Nervion´s bridges into the old part – casco viejo – of the city.
Bilbao´s Old Quarter
This old part of Bilbao, once the commerical centre, is packed with beautiful buildings and architectural delights from different centuries. It´s far more picturesque than the new part of the city with its seven streets – siete calles – adorned by the city´s oldest churches and monuments.
Getting Around Bilbao
We had 48 hour travel passes for the buses, trams and metro and we took advantage of them all. As country dwellers we have to take the car everywhere so we thoroughly enjoyed hopping on and off buses and trams – the metro too – although there´s not a lot to spot sightseeing from the underground.
Funicular de Artxanda
Included in the travel pass was the Funicular Artxanda which has been running for over 100 years and rises up to a viewpoint overlooking the river. Not quite so scenic with low cloud but a good trundle up to see across Bilbao, there is some good walking on better days and a welcome spot (indoors) for coffee.
Vizcaya Bridge – Bizkaia Bridge
Vizcaya Bridge was the world´s first hanging bridge to carry people and transport on a suspended gondola 45 metres high and spanning 160 metres across the River Nervion. We used our travel pass to travel west of Bilbao and cross the twisted steel rope and iron-work bridge, which first opened in 1893 as the world´s first bridge to use a mechanical, hanging transporter and has has worked almost without interruption since it was built.
See the white ´carriage´ suspended by cables, it takes both cars and foot passengers across. The bridge is on the estuary at Portugalete, we took the metro there and bus back. Portugalete is a charming little town, leave time to explore it.
The Flower Puppy & Guggenheim
One of the icons of the city and being a garden lover the `Puppy´ statue created with plants was a must see, standing outside the Guggenheim it´s enormous and quite overshadows the museum entrance. It had a little colour from the wintering flowering plants. Soon it will be replanting time for its spring coat of colour with approxiametely 38,000 plants used, not a speedy business.
Far more impressive from the other side where Mamen the huge spider and the ´fog art´ can be seen. Not entirely sure what to expect from the Guggenheim museum we were there two and a half hours. Our guide was incredible and time went by as information, facts and anecdotes were non stop. It would have been a much quicker visit without him. We went back after lunch, as we´d run out of time, to walk through the `The Matter of Time´ weathered steel sculpture. Keep your wristband and you can reenter the museum for free on the same day.
Zarate Restaurant
Lunch, a tasting menu, at the 1* Michelin Restaurant Zarate also took the best part of two and a half hours and a bottle of local Txakolina white wine. Delectable morsel after another kept coming, each so tasty and different it was impossible to choose which we liked best.
Eleven courses later, plus an extra one added we were in need of the walk back to the Guggenheim, public transport shunned, we needed that walk.
Pintxos Bars
Deciding where to eat with so much choice wasn´t easy but everything we ordered was very good, a pintxos here and there, we travelled around a few bars. I loved the fact you could choose to go into a bar with the door and serving hatch windows wide open so there was no need to remove coats and layers as it was almost as cold inside as out, a great idea when space is at a minimum and not having to combat the vast differences in temperatures. My other surprise, I hadn´t given it a thought beforehand, was practically everyone drank wine (for internal heating) rather than very chilled beer like at home in Andalucia, which was definately not wanted in Bibao.
Azkuna Zentroa Cultural Centre
Once a Bilbao´s wine exchange this huge warehouse was later revamped. The Azkuna Zentroa is a beautiful building converted into an arts and cultural space where exhibitions and films are often on show. Look at the 43 columns, each its own bit of art and above your head is the glass bottomed swimming pool. An eccentric visit.
Having crammed in quite a lot, done our paces and eaten well Bilbao stole our hearts and although we happily returned to our warmer, blue skies, we´d love to go back at our own pace.
Our travel passes, flights, hotel, Gourmet menu, Guggenheim guide and airport transfers were all included in a giveway I won on Instagram.
See the Radisson Collection Bilbao on Booking.
Buy a Bilbao Travel Pass online or at Tourist Offices around the city.
Check out Zarate Restaurant.
See the 36 Hours in Granada post or The Best of Cordoba in 36 Hours.
Like the Fog Art? See another photo on Andalucia Explorer – Guggenheim Museum and Mamen Spider at Fog Art time.