City Review: Bilbao, Spain

As we continued our road trip, it was finally time to cross back into Spain after spending a week in Andorra and France. Of course, I loved getting to visit Andorra for the first time, and spend time in France in some places I’d never been before. But I was also somewhat relieved to be heading back to Spain — familiar territory, and most of all, a familiar language.

So after dealing with weather that the GPS in our rental car deemed to be a “hurricane,” we made it to Bilbao, Spain, late one evening. (After stopping at a gas station an hour outside of town for Matt to join a Zoom meeting. Such is the life of digital nomads.)

It was actually my second time visiting Bilbao, but since I was traveling alone the last time, I’m always happy to go back somewhere with a companion in tow, to experience it in a different way. So. Here’s what you need to know about visiting Bilbao, Spain.

About Bilbao

Bilbao is in Northern Spain, in a region called “País Vasco.” In English, the translation is “Basque Country,” which you may have heard of before. And despite the political border between France and Spain, Basque Country is a region that spans both sides of the border, with a long history that pre-dates either modern country.

País Vasco is also one of Spain’s 17 autonomous communities, which are similar to states in the U.S. And while Bilbao is not the capital city, it’s by far the largest city in País Vasco and Northern Spain. In fact, Bilbao is the 10th most populous city in all of Spain.

Another important thing to know about Bilbao and País Vasco in general is that the region has its own language. In Basque, it’s called “Euskara.” One of the most fascinating things about Euskara is that it’s considered a “language isolate.” In the world of linguistics, that means it doesn’t have any discernible relationship to any other other living languages. Euskara is the only known language isolate in all of Europe.

But don’t worry if you don’t know any Euskara. Just like in other places that have multiple official languages, most signs will be in both Euskara and Spanish. And most people speak Spanish in everyday life.

Okay, besides that small introduction to Basque Country and language… what else would I say about Bilbao?

It’s a very walkable city with public transportation that’s easy to figure out. It rains a lot. (It’s now rained on me both times I’ve visited Bilbao.) The Nervión River runs through the city, which means there are tons of cool bridges to walk across. It’s home to the world-famous Guggenheim Museum Bilbao. The food is amazing and different from what you’ll find elsewhere in Spain. And there’s plenty to do and see. More on that soon!

How Many Days Do You Need in Bilbao?

Three days is probably enough time to get a really good feel for Bilbao without being too rushed. In two days, you can see all of the most important sights and eat plenty of delicious Basque food. With the third day, I’d recommend one of two options: either spend a day at the Guggenheim, or take a day trip to San Sebastián, perhaps the most famous city (and tourist destination) in all of País Vasco.

Things To Do in Bilbao

Of course, you can’t talk about Bilbao without mentioning the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao! The giant, metallic Guggenheim sits on the edge of the Nervión River. Even without buying a ticket and going inside, you can check out some of the Guggenheim’s most recognizable sculptures — bronze spider Mamen, tower of silver spheres Tall Tree and the Eye, and the floral Puppy. If you want to go inside, you can buy them in advance or inside the building.

The Casco Viejo is another thing in Bilbao that you can’t miss. Its literal translation is the “old quarter,” and for me, there’s always something so exhilarating about wandering between the narrowest streets in the city, checking out the shops and restaurants nearby and never knowing what you’ll find around the next corner. You may stumble across the Catedral de Santiago, which is hidden well by the maze of streets. And as you wander, don’t forget to look up at the eclectic façades adorning the apartments above.

Not far from the Casco Viejo is Plaza Nueva, an open plaza that’s basically brand new when you compare it to a lot of other plazas in Spain… it was only built in the mid-1800s. It’s a good place for people watching, enjoying nice weather (if you’re lucky enough to have it), or check out the restaurants surrounding the plaza.

Of course, when you’re in Bilbao, you have to EAT. Basque Country is famous for having a high concentration of Michelin-star restaurants, and while many of them are in San Sebastián, Bilbao has several, too. But there’s also nothing that says you’re not eating well if you’re not at a Michelin-star restaurant! In Bilbao, you’ll find plenty of pintxos, which are like a Basque version of tapas. And trust me when I say you’ll want to try Basque cheesecake, too. Keep reading for my recommendations on places to eat — whether you’re looking for pintxos, fine dining, or cheesecake.

And the more you walk around Bilbao, the more you’ll find things to do. Whether it’s walking across one of the city’s many aesthetically interesting bridges, doing some shopping on Gran Vía, or checking out Mercado La Ribera, Bilbao will keep you busy.

Find more things to do in Bilbao.

How Expensive is Bilbao?

After having been in France for nearly a week, a return to Spain — and Spain’s prices — was very welcome.

If you’ve never been to Spain before, you might be surprised by how cheap it really is compared to many other countries in Europe. Even the major cities like Madrid or Barcelona, which are “expensive” for Spain, are very inexpensive compared to places like the UK and Ireland, Denmark, Switzerland, etc.

And Bilbao, of course, is less expensive even than Barcelona, where we’d started this trip. So pretty much everything — from food, to wine, to transportation — was so unbelievably cheap. Taking the tram 3-4 stops to get to a specific restaurant was like €0.50 for two people.

The most expensive glass of wine at one of the restaurants we went to was €2. At many places in Bilbao, two people could eat really well for less than €40 total, and that could even include drinks and dessert.

Where We Ate

Now on to what I’m sure you’ve been waiting for! Bilbao probably had the best restaurants overall of anywhere we went on this trip. And my list here has plenty of different types of restaurants, so hopefully you can find something you’re interested in trying.

Gure Toki: Gure Toki was near our hotel in the Casco Viejo, and when we arrived hungry in Bilbao the first night, we decided to check it out. Gure Toki is a “Michelin-recommended” restaurant, which means it’s not Michelin-starred, but it’s still pretty good. This is a great place to try a wide variety of pintxos, from classics to more unique combinations. Celebrating our first night back in Spain, we kept going up to the bar to order more pintxos and had a few glasses of wine each. We were stunned when we got the check and all of it had cost only €30. I love you, Spain.

Gure Toki
Plaza Nueva, 12
48005 Bilbao, Biscay, Spain

Aizan: So, we did *try* to find a Michelin-star restaurant for at least one dinner, but it turns out that even in January, you still need to have made a reservation weeks in advance. Oops. But in reading reviews for restaurants around town, Aizan was the closets we could get to a Michelin-star meal and a Michelin-star experience… but without the Michelin-star price! Sounds like a win, right?

At Aizan, we ordered a set tasting menu for €56 per person. I’m looking at a picture of the menu I took that night, and here’s what that €56 included:

• A variety of breads
• A whole bottle of wine (1/2 per person)
• Some little pre-dinner appetizers
• Tuna tartare with egg yolk, beetroot, wasabi and guacamole
• Mushrooms, egg at low temperature and foie royal
• Hake at low temperature with pil pil sauce and sea mussels emulsion
• Grilled Iberian pork tail with trigueros, garlic parmentier and txoriceros pesto
• French toast and rice pudding ice cream with cinnamon
• Coffee

(Some of that might sound odd in English, but this was their English version of the menu and truthfully I don’t know culinary vocab well enough to know what it all means, regardless of language, lol.)

Anyway… that was a true fine dining experience! I’d never done something like that before. The service was amazing — though we did have the restaurant almost entirely to ourselves. Perks of going on a Wednesday, I guess.

I highly recommend this place! There were also other a few other options for set menus, between €66 and €89. Remember that tax is already included, and you’re not expected to tip! We did end up tipping about €10 and it totally made our servers’ day because I don’t think they get tipped very often. We were just happy to get that quality of food, service, and experience for that price.

Aizan (Located inside Hotel Melia Bilbao)
Leizaola Lehendakariaren Kalea, 29
48001 Bilboa, Biscay, Spain

Kali Orexi: This is a Greek restaurant with tasty food. And I had to mention it for two main reasons. First, the owners are super sweet and friendly. The restaurant is decorated with post-it notes from guests who have visited from all over the world, giving the restaurant a fun vibe. But the other reason you can’t miss it… is that it’s stupid cheap. Seriously! You could get a glass of wine for €1.20. We each ordered a few glasses of wine, an appetizer, a main course, and a dessert for less than €35. That’s insane in the best way.

Kali Orexi
Fernández del Campo K., 31
48010 Bilboa, Biscay, Spain

Toma y Daka: This place, right on Plaza Nueva, looked too fancy and expensive so we didn’t stop in until the last day when we decided we NEEDED to get some of Bilbao’s famous tarta de queso vasco — Basque cheesecake — before we left town. All I can say is… no regrets.

Toma y Daka
Plaza Nueva, 1
48005 Bilbao, Biscay, Spain

Where We Stayed

Like pretty much all of the places we stayed during this trip, we used a combination of money and points from our Chase Sapphire Preferred credit cards to book our hotel in Bilbao, which made it cheaper. We stayed at the Sercotel Arenal Bilbao right near the Casco Viejo, which was an amazing location! We also had a corner room, with a little balcony that looked out over the street, Parque Arenal, and San Nikolas Eliza church.

It was the perfect starting point for wandering the Casco Viejo, walking along the Nervión River, or catching the tram to other parts of Bilbao at Abando station, just on the other side of the “Areatzako zubia” bridge.

Final Thoughts

Bilbao is a charming city that gives you the best of Spain even while steadfastly holding on to its own Basque culture. And I’m certain anyone would enjoy it… with or without the rain!

 

Have you ever been to Bilbao? Or are you thinking about visiting? Let me know in the comments!

-Cathy

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Originally Published on April 15, 2023.