Deusto is an excellent escape if you’re looking to get out of Bilbao city centre for an hour or two, but you don’t want to go too far.
How to get to Deusto
Metro: Deusto (Deustu in Basque) lies within Zone 1 of Bilbao’s metro system and has two access points (Avenida Lehendakari Aguirre and Iruña Kalea).
Bus: Several lines on both Bilbobus (red inner city buses) and Bizkaibus (green provincial buses) stop at different points in Deusto. The neighbourhood’s main bus stop is in front of the Plaza San Pedro.
For more advice about navigating Bilbao’s public transport system, take a look at our specialist guide.
What is Deusto?
A separate town until being annexed by the city of Bilbao in 1924, Deusto is one of the city’s largest and most vibrant boroughs. Technically a ‘district’ of Bilbao, Deusto as a whole actually encompasses several neighbourhoods including Arangoiti, Ibarrekolanda, San Ignacio-Elorrieta, Zorrozaure and San Pedro de Deusto-La Ribera. But in this guide, we’re going to focus on the last place in that list.
The neighbourhood lies on the River Nervión’s right bank, opposite the San Mames stadium and in the shadow on Mount Artxanda, and its residents are famed for their independent spirit.
While the riverside was a more commercial zone, Deusto slopes were used for growing wine grapes and tomatoes. As Bilbao expanded, migrant workers from all over the Basque Country and the Spanish state moved to the relatively empty space, turning Deusto into a busy residential area.
Most of the main neighbourhood is sandwiched between the Deusto Bridge and Carmelo Bernoala Kalea, with Avenida Lehendakari Aguirre, Avenida Madariaga, Blas de Otero Kalea and Botica Vieja/Morgan Kalea dissecting the borough horizontally.
Deusto is laid out on a simple grid system. There are fantastic bars, top-class restaurants and much more to keep you entertained for a few hours.
Below are some suggestions for places to visit in Deusto:
Best burgers in Bilbao
Deusto is home to two awarding-winning gourmet burger joints.
Buho Rojo (formerly called Malditas) can be found on Blas de Otero Kalea, where they are dishing up some of the tastiest burgers in The Basque Country.
Their signature burger, the ‘Mediterrasian Cheesebacon’, was judged to be Spain’s best gourmet burger in 2022, while the ‘Valentia’ was a finalist that same year and ‘Venom’ was voted the third best burger in Euskadi at the 2023 Spanish Gourmet Burger Awards.
Check out Buho Rojo’s menu here.
Itxas Bide is a small, English-style bar, serving some of the finest burgers in Bilbao. The current management took over the popular establishment in 2018 and have successfully turned it into a gourmet burger spot without betraying the bar’s historical essence.
In addition to burgers, Itxas Bide has a great selection of pintxos and a fantastic range of beers provided by Bilbao-based brewery La Salve.
This is petit space is extremely popular among locals. Make sure to book ahead of time if you want to dine in, especially on a weekend.
Take a look at Itxas Bide’s website for more information.
Other food and drink places in Deusto
There are plenty of other great spots to get brilliant food and drink in Deusto, with most of the neighbourhood’s most popular bars and restaurants located on Blas de Otero Kalea and Avenida Madariaga.
Here are a couple of other places worth checking out in Deusto:
One of Bilbao’s hidden gems, Pasteleria California is a small patisserie/cake shop on Avenida Madariaga. Their King’s Day ‘Roscon’ (a kind of special donut-shaped cake eaten on January 6th) is iconic in Bilbao. You should also try some of their ‘Tomates de Deusto’, little chocolates shaped and coloured like tomatoes in a nod to Deusto’s history.
Deusto is home to one of Bilbao’s few Irish bars, the Irish Stones. The perfect pub if you’d like to watch the football with a decent pint of Guinness. They also do some very tasty rabas!
There are a few other standout spots if you fancy a delicious pintxo and a beer in Deusto. On Avenida de Madariaga check out Deustoarrak, Taberna de Deusto and Ikatz Taberna.
Many Deustoarras claim that Bar Doa Berria, on Blas de Otero, serves the best tortilla de patata in the neighbourhood.
More things to do in Deusto
Take a walk along the river
The Deusto promenade, which also features a play park for children, offers an incredible vantage point to see some of Bilbao’s best sights, including San Mames stadium, Palacio Euskalduna, Torre Iberdrola, the Guggenheim Museum and the Soñar mural.
If you follow the road all the way down, you’ll go past the stunning University of Deusto on your way to Casco Viejo.
Sport in Deusto
If you can’t get tickets to watch Athletic Club play at San Mames, and are interested in seeing a lower-league side, SD Deusto could be the perfect option.
Tickets are cheap and their home ground, Etxezuri (‘White house’ in Basque), has a great atmosphere and some incredible views of Bilbao and the surrounding hills.
The Tiger building
You know you’re in Deusto when you see its emblematic ‘Tigre’. Standing guard over Deusto from atop a building on the corner of Botica Vieja and Rafael Ibarra Kalea, this huge concrete sculpture, the work of Basque artist Joaquín Lucarini was placed there in 1943, three years after the building was constructed.
The University of Deusto
One of Bilbao’s most impressive structures, the main campus was inaugurated in 1886. Designed by renowned Spanish architect Francisco de Cubas, the University of Deusto was the largest building in Bilbao at the time of its construction.
Read more about the history of the University of Deusto here.
