Thanks to its sensational cuisine, great wine, art museums and the nearby nature, Bilbao is fast becoming the go-to location for a quick getaway. Here’s an insider’s guide on how to spend a day in the Basque city.
What should I know about Bilbao before I visit?
In addition to the tips below, we’ve written an extensive guide for first-time visitors to Bilbao, with in-depth tips about what to expect when you visit the city.
Transport
Bilbao is a small city and you can quite easily walk from one side to the other (for example from Casco Viejo to San Mames) in under an hour.
However, if you don’t want to be on your feet all day, Bilbao has excellent public transport. In addition to the metro system and frequent buses, you can get a tram or even rent bicycles.
We recommend purchasing a ‘Barik’ card (Bilbao’s version of an Oyster card). They can be bought and topped up at special machines at all metro stations and can be used on all forms of public transport in the city.
Check out our guide on public transport in Bilbao.
Weather
The weather in Bilbao is extremely temperamental and, no matter the season, it can go from being 12C and raining to 25C with perfect sunshine, or vice versa, within a day. The expression here is that you should dress like an onion and always be prepared to take layers off.
It’s a very rainy place almost all year around and – in the summer and autumn especially – the downpours can be sudden and quite spectacular, and you wouldn’t want to get caught in it unprepared! To put it into perspective, the average yearly rainfall in Bilbao (1195mm) is about double that of London (615mm).
Don’t get caught out in the rain, here are some tips for dealing with Bilbao’s notoriously wet weather.
LOCAL TIP – Check the weather forecast every morning and look at what local people are wearing. If you wake up to lovely sunshine but you see Bilbainos carrying umbrellas, it will most likely rain that day.
Accommodation
We’ve written detailed guides recommending a range of different hotels and hostels in Bilbao. So, whether you’re looking for high-end luxury, a decent hostel or a solid mid-range hotel, we’ve got you covered.
Booking.com getaway deals
Booking.com are offering 15% off on stays across a range of Bilbao hotels when booked before the end of September 2026
Click the button below to take a look at which hotels are offering Getaway Deals!
Morning
Our advice is to start off your day in Casco Viejo (Bilbao’s picturesque old town). Go to Plaza Nueva and sit down on a terrace and enjoy a nice slice of ‘tortilla de patata’ (Spanish omelette) with a ‘cafe con leche’ (latte).
Once you’re done, take a stroll around Casco Viejo’s ‘Zazpikaleak’ (Seven Streets), do a bit of shopping and take in sights such as the Teatro Arriaga, the Catedral de Santiago, San Anton Bridge and La Ribera Market – Europe’s most spacious covered market, one half is a produce market while the other is a food hall and there’s also popular bar underneath.
LOCAL TIP – On Sundays there is a delightful flower and flea market in Arenal, just outside of Casco Viejo.
Afternoon
Leave Casco Viejo and stop by Azkuna Zentroa (known by its old name ‘Alhondiga’ among locals). An old winehouse that fell into disrepair, it was converted into a civic centre in the ’90s.
It houses a couple of bars, a cafe, a library, a gym and swimming pool (which you can see above you from the ground floor), a small shop and a cinema. Its famous spiral pillars represent different a multitude of civilisations and cultures from different eras of human history. In addition to all that, Alhondiga also hosts regular art exhibitions.
If you fancy something more scenic, you can walk past the Ayuntamiento and head towards the Artxanda Funicular. This funicular train will take you up into the hills on the east side of the city. It’s a three-minute journey up and at the top there is a small park with incredible views of Bilbao and its surroundings. Tickets cost €4.30 for a round trip, but are significantly cheaper if you have a Barik card.
Time for lunch. Eat like a local and enjoy a ‘menu del dia’, a reasonably priced three-course meal with a drink included. In most restaurants this will set you back between €15 to €25, although there are more expensive options too.
No stay in Bilbao would be complete without visiting the world-renowned Guggenheim Museum. Frank Gehry’s masterpiece of modern architecture, arguably the major catalyst for Bilbao’s post-industrial regeneration, features the work of an array of artistic geniuses including Jeff Koons, Eduardo Chillida, Jean-Michael Basquiat, Richard Serra and Andy Warhol, among many others.
If you prefer more classical art, or just haven’t had enough art after the Guggenheim, make your way to Bilbao’s Fine Arts Museum. Their collection includes pieces from iconic Basque artists like Ignacio Zuloaga, Aurelio Arteta, Jorge Oteiza and Dario de Regoyos as well as other acclaimed painters like Francis Bacon, Paul Gauguin and Francisco de Goya.
Art isn’t your thing? How about sport? No visit to Bilbao is truly complete without seeing Athletic Club‘s magnificent San Mames Stadium.
One of the world’s most unique football teams and beloved by all Bilbainos, Athletic are one of just three sides to have never been relegated from Spain’s top division, LaLiga.
The stadium has an excellent museum which takes visitors through the club’s 126-year-long history and includes a tour of the ground.
If you’re lucky, your brief stay might coincide with a matchday at The Cathedral. Take a look at our guide to getting a ticket if you want to attend a match.
Evening/Night
Do as Bilbainos do and bar hop while stuffing your face with pintxos (the Basque Country’s version of tapas). Calle Ledesma is the ideal spot for this. Start at the top and amble down the long street, stopping off in different bars for pintxos washed down with a kaña (a half pint of beer) or a txakoli (Basque white wine).
Bilbao has a variety of nightlife options depending on your tastes and the day of the week. We say head back to Casco Viejo for a few more kañas. Bustling spots include Plaza Nueva, El Triangulo and Calle Somera.
LOCAL TIP – On Thursdays a lot of bars have ‘pintxopote’ offers, where they sell beers and pintxos at a reduced price – a sort of Basque ‘Happy Hour’.
Mobile data and WIFI in Bilbao
Bilbao has a free WIFI service with over 200 hotspots dotted around the city. However, it’s not always very reliable. If you’re in desperate need of data or signal, go to a bar or cafe, order a small drink and use their WIFI. Most public buildings, like tourism offices, will have free WIFI.
If you’re an EU citizen, you should be able to use your existing mobile data plan thanks to the EU’s data roaming laws. Check with your provider for their data usage or ‘fair usage’ limits just in case. UK tourists should ensure their plan includes ‘free EU roaming’.
If you’re visiting from outside the European Union, you should purchase a pre-paid sim card or e-sim. The main service provider in the Basque Country is Euskaltel, while other popular companies include Lowi, Yoigo, Movistar, Vodafone and Orange. If you get a sim in one of their stores, take your passport with you to complete the transaction.
We advise buying an e-sim before travelling or upon arrival at the airport. For example, Airalo is a reputed e-sim company that provides a plethora of packages and plans.
*Before purchasing anything, e-sim or physical sim, make sure it’s compatible with your phone model.
Consult Airalo’s list of supported devices if you have any doubts.
