Self-Guided Walking Tour of Bilbao (with Maps!)

Bilbao Spain E1714477930770

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Bilbao, the largest city in Spain’s Basque Country, offers a compelling blend of rich history and modern innovation. While the Guggenheim Museum showcases its contemporary flair, the city’s heart beats in the historic Casco Viejo (Old Town), where centuries-old architecture and vibrant local culture converge. Exploring Bilbao on foot allows visitors to immerse themselves in its unique atmosphere, from the bustling markets to the serene riverbanks.

Whether you’re walking through medieval streets or marvelling at modern landmarks, Bilbao delivers a unique cultural journey that is both historic and cutting-edge.

How to Get to Bilbao

By Train: Bilbao is served by trains from major cities such as Madrid, San Sebastián, and Burgos. The Abando Indalecio Prieto station is centrally located and just a short walk from the Old Town.

By Car: Easily accessible via the AP-8 and A-8 highways, Bilbao offers central parking at Parking Arenal and Parking Plaza Nueva.

Where to Stay in Bilbao

Stay close to the Old Town or near the river for easy access to major attractions. For luxury, Gran Hotel Domine Bilbao provides views of the Guggenheim. For a stylish mid-range option, NYX Hotel Bilbao sits at the edge of Casco Viejo. Budget-conscious travellers can opt for Basque Boutique—a quirky and comfortable base in the Old Town.

A Brief History of Bilbao

Founded in the early 14th century, Bilbao quickly became a significant commercial hub due to its strategic location along the Nervión River. The city’s Old Town, known as Casco Viejo or Las Siete Calles (The Seven Streets), reflects its medieval origins with narrow alleys and historic buildings. Over the centuries, Bilbao evolved, embracing industrialisation in the 19th century and later transforming into a cultural and architectural beacon in the late 20th century.

Today, Bilbao stands as a testament to successful urban regeneration, seamlessly blending its storied past with contemporary advancements.

Guided or Self-Guided Tour of Bilbao?

While Bilbao’s compact layout makes it ideal for self-guided exploration, joining a guided tour can provide deeper insights into its rich history and culture. The Bilbao Historical Area Small Group Walking Tour offers an intimate experience, leading visitors through the city’s most iconic locations. Participants will explore the Old Town, discover the La Ribera market, and uncover the secrets of this vibrant city. With knowledgeable guides and a small group setting, this tour ensures a personalised and enriching experience.

Your Walking Tour of Bilbao

This blog highlights Bilbao’s key attractions, but depending on your interests and pace, you might choose to delve deeper into specific areas or indulge in the city’s renowned culinary scene.

1. Guggenheim Museum and the Arts District

Puppy Cat Sculpture Bilbao Art District

Where better to start a tour of Bilbao than looking at the imposing Guggenheim Museum, located at the heart of the Arts District. One of the most popular destinations on Bilbao, it is also one of the most convenient to access! It is located on the banks of the river, all shiny with its titanium and glass. The magnificent museum will take you all the way from the Middle Ages to the modern day.

The area also hosts Bilbao Museum of Fine Arts, The giant Puppy and the slightly scary giant spider like creature Mamon.


| Hours: 24 Hours | Price: Free | Website
Read more about Bilbao Art District

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2. River Nervion

Bilbao Zubizuri Bridge

Walk along the river on the same side as the Museum. Until you come to the foot Bridge that looks like a sail.


This is the image called to mind by the Zubizuri (in the Basque language “zuri” translates to white and ‘zubi’ to bridge), and also known as the ‘Calatrava bridge’ in reference to the famous Spanish architect who designed it. This arching white structure connects the two banks of the estuary at the level of the Paseo de Uribitarte and the Campo Volantín.

Inaugurated in 1997, at the same time the Guggenheim Museum opened, both instantly became the symbol of the ‘new’ Bilbao.


Location: Zubizuri 48001 Bilbo Bizkaia Spain | Hours: 24 Hours | Price: Free
Read more about River Nervion & Zubizuri Bridge

Click here to read our blog about Best Things to do in Bilbao

3. Take a bird’s-eye view of Bilbao

Funicular De Artxanda
CC BY-SA 2.0 / Marco Almbauer

We now head up the green hill just northeast of the city’s Castaños district. Cross over the Puente Zubizuri, make a left on Paseo Campo de Volantin and take the next right on C/ Múgica y Butrón. Plaza Funicular is two blocks straight ahead.


The train, which covers 770m  in three minutes, runs every 15 minutes until 10 pm on weekdays and 11 pm on weekends. You can just as easily walk up the hill from the plaza, though that three-minute rail jaunt will be more like 20 minutes on foot.


Location: Funicular de Artxanda Ko Funikularra, Funikularreko Plaza, S/N, 48007 Bilbao, Vizcaya, Spain | Hours: Every 15min 7.15am-10pm Mon-Thu, to 11pm Fri & Sat, 8.15am-10pm Sun Jun-Sep, 7.15am-10pm Oct-May | Price: adult/child one-way €2/0.31 | Website
Read more about Artxanda´s Funicular

4. Grand ayuntamiento

Bilbao   Ayuntamiento
CC BY-SA 4.0 / Zarateman

After your ride up the mountain, head back to the riverbanks and carryon walking until you see the imposing grand ayuntamiento (town hall).


Established in 1892, this Baroque-style building occupies the site of a former convent. Architect Joaquín Rucoba designed this local institution which sits just steps away from the Nervión river and the Puente del Ayuntamiento. To visit the City Hall, make sure to schedule a tour in advance.


Location: Ayuntamiento de Bilbao - Bilboko Udaletxea, Ernesto Erkoreka Plaza, Bilbao, Spain
Read more about Bilbao Ayuntamiento

5. Plaza Nueva

Plaza Nueva Bilbao
CC BY-SA 2.0 / Fred Romero

Head back through the Areatzako parkea along the El Paseo del Arenal before heading towards the Plaza Nueva.


Apart from its architectural value (it is a good example of Roman neoclassical purity) the Plaza Nueva has the character of an urban reference point. This is helped by the colonnade and arches, where the restaurants and bars keeps the atmosphere lively all day. It was inaugurated in 1851, after a complex construction process that lasted sixty-five years. Since then, it has never lost its leading role, something which you see particularly on Sundays, when there is a market for public and for collectors.


Location: Plaza Barria 6, Bilbao, 14 48005 Spain | Hours: Mon-Fri 7am-11pm, Sat 8.30am-10.30pm, Sun 8.30am-3pm
Read more about Plaza Nueva de Bilbao

6. Visit the Seven Streets of the Old Quarter

Bilbao   Casco Viejo
CC BY-SA 1.0 / Zarateman

When the city of Bilbao was founded over 700 years ago, its inhabitants made their living from market gardens and fishing, and the river was beginning to emerge as the best means of communication with the outside world. There were at that time two different centres of population; on the one hand, the left bank or Bilbao la Vieja, which was a mining area where iron was worked in the foundries, and secondly, the right bank, called the Old Quarter (“Casco Viejo”), which engaged in commerce and port activities.

The heart of the Old Quarter was surrounded by walls and consisted of three parallel streets. Later it became necessary to take down the walls and build four streets perpendicular to the river, which along with the first three, make up what is known today as the Seven Streets. Since 1979, this area has been a pedestrian precinct, effectively becoming a shopping centre of 240,000 square metres, with hundreds of commercial establishments, bars and restaurants.

The 1983 floods were the greatest catastrophe to hit the city of Bilbao in living memory and devastated and destroyed the Old Quarter. Despite the devastation, the Casco Viejo or Old Town managed to re-emerge and become one of the leading tourist and commercial areas of the city.


Location: Casco Viejo Bilbao Biscay Spain
Read more about Bilbao Casco Viejo

7. Catedral de Bilbao

Iglesia Catedral De Santiago Bilbao
CC BY-SA 3.0 / Mikemod

While in the Old Quarter, you might visit the Catedral de Santiago, Plaza Santiago, which was built in the 14th century and then restored in the 16th century after a fi re. The cathedral’s facade was rebuilt in the 19th century. It is open daily 11am to 1pm and 4 to 6:30pm.


Location: Bilboko Donejakue katedrala Done Jakue Plazatxoa, 1 48005 Bilbo Bizkaia Spain | Hours: 10am-9pm Jul & Aug, to 8pm Sep-Jun | Price: adult/child €5/free | Website
Read more about Catedral de Bilbao

8. Mercado de la Ribera

Erriberako Merkatua Bilbo
CC BY-SA 4.0 / Galder Segurola

To the south of the Old Quarter on the riverbank lies the Art Nouveau Mercado de la Ribera.


Ribera Market, located beside the river estuary in Bilbao, is a reference in terms of shopping for the whole of Biscay. One of its many merits is to have been recognized in 1990 as the most complete municipal food market by the Guinness Book of Records, at that time being the largest in terms of traders and stalls and the biggest covered market as regards space in the whole of Europe, with a surface area of 10,000 square metres.

Refurbishment work began in 2009 aimed at renewing its structure, stalls and services in order to remain a reference for shoppers in the 21st century. Not in vain, life and business have never stopped in this space where more than 60 merchants manage to provide customers with the finest produce at the best price: meat, fruit, shellfish, cheeses, cooked meats, frozen food, mushrooms and fungi…


Location: Mercado De La Ribera 48005 Bilbao BI Spain | Hours: 8am-2.30pm Mon & Sat, 8am-2.30pm & 5-8pm Tue-Fri | Website
Read more about Mercado de la Ribera

9. Teatro Arriaga

Arriaga Antzokia Bilbao
CC BY-SA 2.0 / Fred Romero

Head back through the Old Quarter to Plaza del Arriaga and Teatro Arriaga.


The Arriaga Theatre is a very beautiful building. Inspired in the Paris Opera, it was the work of the municipal architect Joaquín Rucoba and was opened in 1890. In 1902 it was named in honour of the Bilbao musician Juan Crisóstomo Arriaga, known as the Spanish Mozart because of his talent (at 13 he composed his first opera and shortly before the age of 20 he died of tuberculosis). Today, the Arriaga continuously hosts the city’s programmes of music and theatre. Like other buildings in the Old Quarter of Bilbao, it was badly damaged in the floods of 1983.


Location: Arriaga Plaza, 1, 48005 Bilbao, Bizkaia, Basque Country, Spain | Website
Read more about Teatro Arriaga

10. Gran Vía

Bilbao   Gran Via 2
Public Domain / Etxeorratz

Cross the bridge and head back towards the Guggenheim.


Stroll through the most iconic lane in Bilbao and, as sunlight streams in through the trees and highlights the quaint and colourful buildings at the side, watch the how the olden day culture of the city has merged with modernity. Fancy shops, eateries, big banks and pharmacies accompany 19th century buildings at the Gran Via de Don Diego Lopez de Haro, a road filled with history as well as contemporary comforts.


Location: Federico Moyua enparantza Federico Moyúa Plaza, 5 48009 Bilbo Bizkaia Spain
Read more about Gran Vía

 

 

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