Best Things to Do in Bilbao, Spain for Food, Art & Architecture Lovers!

How Much Time Do You Need in Bilbao?

If it’s your first time to Bilbao, I would dedicate three full days here to take everything in. Yes, you can pack things into a tighter time frame, but this is a great place to just slow down and enjoy the day-to-day. Plan out daily pintxos crawls, take strolls along the river, visit museums, and build in a little siesta time to your itineraries.

Bilbao is also the perfect spot to base yourself for jumping around to other Basque cities. You could easily plan a week here checking out the city itself and incorporating a few day tours (which I’ll cover below in this post too!).

For ideas on how to spend three days in Bilbao, check out my 3-Day Bilbao Itinerary!

Where to Stay in Bilbao

Bilbao has some really great hotel properties located throughout the city. This city is also very walkable and well-connected via public transportation. It really doesn’t make a huge difference on where you stay! That being said, I do have some recommendations geared towards the interests I cover in this post.

Best Hotel for Foodies

• Hotel Tayko (where we stayed) is a four-star boutique hotel located right on the edge of the Casco Viejo neighborhood, giving visitors easy access to all the Old Town pintxo bars and restaurants! There is also a 1 Michelin Star restaurant in the hotel by Martin Berasategui called Ola, and La Ribera Market is just a few minutes’ walk away.

Pro Tips: Sign up to be a Tayko Hotels member and book direct for discounted booking rates. You also get a welcome glass of cava on check-in! I also highly recommend reserving a river-view room.

Book Hotel Tayko on Hotels.com, Booking.com or Direct

Best Hotels for Art & Architecture Lovers

• The Artist Grand Hotel of Art is a five-star hotel located just across the street from the Guggenheim Museum. Not only does its location get you quick access to the museum, some rooms also come with stunning Guggenheim views! Hotel rooms are decorated with contemporary art and hotel itself was designed with the help of artist Javier Mariscal.

Book The Artist on Hotels.com, Booking.com or Direct

• A great alternative would be Hotel Miro, designed by fashion designer Antonio Miro. This hotel is located just a few doors down from The Artist and also has rooms with partial Guggenheim views! It’s modern and chic and a little more budget-friendly than The Artist.

Book Hotel Miro on Hotels.com, Booking.com or Direct

Best Things to Do in Bilbao

Whether its taking leisurely walks along the Nervion River admiring the beauty of the city, eating all the best food Bilbao has to offer, or spending your time sauntering through museums, here’s a list of what I think are the best things to do in Bilbao!

1. Visit the Guggenheim

The Guggenheim Museuem is the number one attraction for art lovers in Bilbao. Designed by Frank Gehry and completed in 1997, the museum itself is a visual masterpiece and was at the heart of the city’s turn-of-the-century transformation from industrial to vibrant and artsy. Even if you aren’t a big art fan, it’s still very much worth a visit!

My personal favorite works are actually outside the museum, including The Puppy by Jeff Koons – the world’s largest flower sculpture shaped like a West Highland terrier. I was also in awe at Maman – a giant metal spider sculpture by Louise Bourgeois that looms over visitors walking by.

These two installations really contribute to the iconic look of the museum and are not to be missed (I mean, you really can’t miss them as they are simply massive)!

And even though many of the works of art inside the museum make me raise an eyebrow or two (that’s modern art for you), there are definitely some neat things worth experiencing.

I particularly enjoyed The Matter of Time by Richard Serra – a giant steel sculpture installation. Visually, it just looks cool whether observing from above or below. Walking through the different pieces actually made me feel dizzy as they twist and turn and change in thickness and angles. I love that its interactive and its encouraged to walk through each piece!

There were a few other artists I found interesting within the museum, but overall, the main attraction is still the architecture of the museum itself (at least in my opinion!).

Book your Guggenheim tickets via their website or Viator if you’re interested in including a guided tour with your ticket.

2. Go on a Food Tour

Bilbao is an incredible gastronomic destination and food should definitely be at the forefront of your visit!

One of my absolute favorite things we did when visiting Bilbao was a food tour with Best of Basque! Bilbao may often be overshadowed by its more popular foodie neighbor San Sebastian, but this city has an amazing food scene worth a visit on its own.

If you’re unfamiliar with Basque cuisine or simply want to feel relaxed without the pressure of figuring out what to order at the often chaotic pintxos bars, a food tour is the best way to ease into everything.

It’s also a great value. We visited five different restaurants/bars and had food and drinks at each stop! We were stuffed and needed a siesta after our tour.

Book the same tour we took via Viator. You won’t be disappointed!

3. Take a Cooking Class

If you feel inspired to learn how to cook Basque food and prepare your very own pintxos, there are a few cooking classes you can join around the city:

• Gastronomia Bilbao offers classes to learn how to cook Basque cuisine, pintxos, and other Spanish regional specialties like paella (with an open bar)! These classes are also available to be booked on Viator.
• If you want something more intimate, take a private cooking class with Best of Basque (the company we did our food tour with).

4. Artxanda Funicular & Park Viewpoint

For the best views overlooking the city, take a ride up to the Arxtanda park and viewpoint on the funicular. The views overlooking the city are simply stunning!

This activity is probably best reserved for a fair weather day. If you’re familiar at all with Basque weather, it can tend to be a little on the dreary side (this is what keeps everything so beautiful and green though!). Keep an eye on the weather reports and choose the best window to go up. We got lucky with great weather towards the end of May.

Rides on the funicular cost €5 for a round trip and it takes just a few minutes to get from the bottom to the top. It’s super easy to purchase a ticket at the ticketing machines right before hopping on.

Once at the viewpoint, you’ll see some art installations such as the bright red Bilbao/Bilbo sign and a giant thumbprint art sculpture. Art is everywhere in this city!

The best reason to visit this area is for the views. You’ll see the stunning city, along with landmarks like the Guggenheim Museum and the San Mames Stadium (off to the right) nestled in between the lovely lush, green and hilly landscape. Such a beauty.

5. Go on a Pinxtos Crawl in Plaza Nueva

Plaza Nueva in the Casco Viejo neighborhood is the perfect place to do a DIY pintxos crawl. There are so many restaurants and bars lined up around the whole square waiting for you to stop in!

Pintxos are creative small bites of food typically served on a stick, on a piece of bread, or small bowl/plate. They make it so easy to try many different dishes all in one crawl!

Some of my favorite stops in Plaza Nueva include:

• Gure Toki: try their unique Idiazabal cheese soup, Gildas, and hot scallop pintxo
• Sorginzulo: get the pastry-wrapped txistorra sausage paired with a cider
• Cafe Bar Bilbao: order the bacalao al pil pil pintxo and some of their fantastic Gildas!
• El Globo: indulge in their creamy txangurro (spider crab) and beef & cheddar gratinados
• La Olla: taste gourmet bites like their seared scallop and creative False Egg pintxo

6. Bridge Spotting

Bilbao is a city filled with bridges! And I would expect nothing less as the Nervion River winds through the city. While not all of the bridges are visually grand, each has either historical significance or fits in with the artsy vibes of the city.

My personal favorite is the La Salve Bridge near the Guggenheim. Its architecture blends right in with the scene of the museum!

A few other favorites of mine are pedestrian bridges – the Zubizuri Bridge and the Zubia Bridge, near La Ribera Market.

Some other bridges of note include the San Anton Bridge (also near the La Ribera Market) – a historic medieval bridge that dates back to the 13th century and is even featured on the Bilbao Athletic Club’s coat of arms!

And if you have time, head 20 minutes out to Getxo for the Vizcaya (Bizkaia) Bridge – the world’s oldest transporter bridge.

7. Art & Architecture Walks

The city of Bilbao is a visual stunner, especially when walking along the Nervion River. There’s so much beautiful architecture to see, brightly colored buildings, and art installations thoughtfully placed throughout the city.

A few of my personal favorites include:

St. Nicholas & Church of San Anton

I’m not religious but church architecture always seems to stun visually! My personal faves were the St. Nicholas Church in the Casco Viejo neighborhood (where we met up for our awesome food tour) and the Church of San Anton, just beyond the La Ribera Market and at the San Anton Bridge.

Jorge Oteiza sculpture in front of City Hall

And if you’re into sculpture art, check out the Jorge Oteiza steel sculpture in front of the Bilbao City Hall. We happened upon this by accident on one of our walks along the river!

bilbao Town Hall Building

The Bilbao City Hall building itself is also a beautiful piece of architecture built in the Baroque style. I regret that we did not go inside as I hear there is some pretty neat Arab influence in some of its design too.

A few other random spots

I loved the splash of color from these apartments across the river from the La Ribera Market! Pretty much anything along the river is going to look visually appealing though. It makes riverside walks extra special.

And Chavarri (Txabarri) Palace in the city center was also a must-see for me, even though I could only snap a quick pic.

Bottom line – just wander around the city and you’ll find lovely architecture all around!

8. Eat at a Michelin Starred Restaurant

Bilbao is home to numerous Michelin-starred restaurants, as is Basque Country as a whole. I was this close to booking Ola at Hotel Tayko by Martin Berasategui but I opted to try and fit in more pintxos bars instead. In hindsight, I wish I would have pulled the trigger for the experience!

A few additional Michelin-starred restaurants located in Bilbao are Nerua at the Guggenheim Museum, Mina, and Zarate. Some of these have different tasting menu options, including a full menu and an abbreviated menu with less courses at a more affordable price.

9. Eat at La Ribera Market

Everywhere I travel, if there’s a food market, I’m there! I love to hop around to different vendors and try a variety of foods all in one place. Mercado de La Ribera is the largest covered food market in all of Europe and is very much worth a visit!

The market spans three floors filled with vendors selling meats, seafood, vegetables, cheese, charcuterie, olives, etc. – you name it, it’s there. It also has its own gastro plaza with different counters serving pintxos, drinks, and Basque desserts. Take a walk around the market first and then hit up the gastro plaza for lunch!

On our visit to the market, we tried different croquettas, Gildas, scallops, and txakoli wine. I also could not resist a stop at the bakery case to try Bilbao’s specialty Carolina and a big piece of Basque pantxineta! Basque desserts are absolutely delicious.

There is seating both indoors and an outdoor patio overlooking the river and colorful apartments across the way.

10. Azkuna Zentroa

For both art and architecture lovers, check out the Azkuna Center – a multipurpose center with some pretty cool art and architecture. It was originally built as a commercial warehouse for wine, oil, and pickling but closed in the 1970s. It was revived and reopened in 2010 as an arts and culture center and is another symbol of the city’s transition from industrial to modern.

One of the neatest draws (at least for me) are the 43 columns that support the center’s interior structures. Each has their own design in different art styles like modern, art deco, renaissance, and medieval, just to name a few.

I was actually around the corner from the center eating burgers at HDH Bilbao and didn’t even realize we were so close! Sadly, we never made it on our trip but I’m definitely adding this to my list for next visit.

11. Tour San Mames Stadium (or Watch a Match)

Any football (soccer) fans out there? Bilbao is home to the Bilbao Athletic Club – a professional football club in Spain’s La Liga. This stadium is an architectural wonder itself with an LED system that can turn the stadium into any color they want. I didn’t get to see it at night, but pictures look really neat!

If you want to catch a match, the season runs from August to May and I can only imagine the energy in this massive stadium during a live game.

Even if seeing a match isn’t on your list, San Mames has a museum dedicated to showcasing the history of the club. I’m not even a big football fan and I thought the museum was so well done! It was interesting to learn about the history and check out all the different memorabilia on display.

If you’re thinking of taking a tour, I highly recommend going on a day where there’s no match so you can get access to all of the areas in the stadium.

While I enjoyed the museum, my favorite parts of the tour were actually getting to go out onto the field, walking through the locker room, and getting to see the pressroom! I think it’s super neat they let you walk through all of these areas on off-match days.

Tickets can be booked via the Athletic Club website (they offer both self-guided tours with an audio guide and fully-guided tours), or via Get Your Guide (where I purchased them). You can also walk up and purchase tickets onsite in person.

12. Bilboats River Tours

If you want to see the city from the perspective of the Nervion River, hop on a Bilboats tour! Climb aboard and float past the city’s beautiful architecture, including the Guggenheim.

They even have options for a boat tour + tasting menu at Dique 1 restaurant of Basque specialties! You can also take the tour that goes all the way out to the Vizcaya Bridge in Getxo (available in summer only).

Day Trips from Bilbao

If you have more than three days in Bilbao, I highly recommend taking some day trips to nearby areas. Bilbao is a great base for exploring different areas of Basque Country as it’s well-connected with trains, buses, and tour companies.

Here are some good day trip ideas that I would personally like to take when I’m next in the city:

• Visit Getxo & the Viscaya Bridge on a half day tour from Bilbao
• As a wine lover, the first thing I’m doing when next in the area is booking a Rioja or Rioja Alavesa winery tour like this one that includes a small group winery tour with lunch, or this one with a visit to two wineries and the town of Laguardia.
• A visit to San Juan Gaztelugatxe for its stunning scenery – perfect for Game of Thrones fans as it was featured in the series. This tour includes a visit to other coastal towns and this tour is run by The Best of Basque who did our food tour and includes a pintxo lunch!
• San Sebastian is also an option for a day trip if you’re tight on time. It’s about 1 hour and 15 minutes away by bus or car, but I highly advise spending at least a few nights in San Sebastian itself.

Other Bilbao Travel Tips

• Getting to Bilbao: The Bilbao airport is fairly well connected with the rest of Europe (we flew in from Paris). Grabbing a taxi is very easy to get to the city center from the airport! It’s also easily connected to other Basque cities by bus and train (although the trains can be pretty slow due to all the stops they make).
• Learn some Spanish: I found English to be less spoken here. Learn a few words and phrases that will be helpful for ordering and paying at restaurants. Basque is not widely spoken in the city, but a simple Eskerrik asko (thank you) and agur (goodbye) goes a long way too!
• Basque weather: What keeps Basque country so green? Rain! Be prepared for some drizzles and embrace the weather. Pack a light rain jacket or small umbrella with you.
• Siesta time: As with other Spanish destinations, siesta is common and shops and restaurants will close from typically 3:00 or 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m., so be sure to plan your activities accordingly.

Bilbao is definitely one of my new favorite European cities, and I can’t wait to return to explore even more of the city and surrounding area!

Read Next:

• 3-Day Bilbao Itinerary: Discover the City’s Best Pintxos, Museums & Architecture
• Savoring Bilbao: A Foodie’s Guide on Where to Eat in Bilbao, Spain
• Bilbao Food Tour Review – The Best Intro to Bilbao & the Basque Food Scene
• What to Eat in Spain’s Basque Country: Must-Try Basque Foods, Dishes & Drinks!
• Searching for the Best Gilda Pintxos in Basque Country
• 5 Must-Try Desserts in Spain’s Basque Country