Bilbao itinerary: 1 to 4 days
Plans for one to four days in Bilbao, day by day: the Zubizuri bridge, the Guggenheim Museum and the Fine Arts Museum first, then the cathedral, Plaza Nueva and the Arriaga Theatre in the old town, and the hills around the city and San Mamés stadium as you add days. Every stop has a typical visit length.
How long do you have?
Map: 3 days
Bilbao in 1 day
Day 1
Zubizuri
Curved white footbridge by Santiago Calatrava across the Nervión, linking Campo Volantín with the Guggenheim side of the river.
Guggenheim Museum Bilbao
Frank Gehry's titanium-clad museum of modern and contemporary art, with Richard Serra's steel sculptures and Jeff Koons's Puppy outside.
Iberdrola Tower
Bilbao's tallest building, a 165 m office tower by César Pelli near the Guggenheim; seen from outside, not open to visitors.
Bilbao Fine Arts Museum
Major art museum with Spanish, Basque and European works from medieval to modern, beside Doña Casilda park.
Bilbao in 2 days
Day 1
Euskalduna Conference Centre and Concert Hall
Ship-shaped concert hall and congress centre on the old shipyard site, home of the Bilbao opera season and symphony orchestra.
Bilbao Fine Arts Museum
Major art museum with Spanish, Basque and European works from medieval to modern, beside Doña Casilda park.
Guggenheim Museum Bilbao
Frank Gehry's titanium-clad museum of modern and contemporary art, with Richard Serra's steel sculptures and Jeff Koons's Puppy outside.
Day 2
Bilbao Cathedral
Gothic Cathedral of Santiago in the heart of the Casco Viejo, with a cloister and a pilgrim's-route history.
Plaza Nueva
Arcaded neoclassical square in the old town, lined with some of Bilbao's best-known pintxos bars.
Teatro Arriaga
Neo-baroque opera house from 1890 on the riverbank at the edge of the old town, named after composer Juan Crisóstomo Arriaga.
Mercado de la Ribera
A large riverside food market in an Art Deco building, with stalls for fresh produce and a pintxos bar upstairs.
Biscay Foral Delegation Palace
Ornate eclectic palace on Gran Vía, seat of the Biscay provincial government; guided visits are available on some weekdays.
Zubizuri
Curved white footbridge by Santiago Calatrava across the Nervión, linking Campo Volantín with the Guggenheim side of the river.
Iberdrola Tower
Bilbao's tallest building, a 165 m office tower by César Pelli near the Guggenheim; seen from outside, not open to visitors.
Bilbao in 3 days
Day 1
Euskalduna Conference Centre and Concert Hall
Ship-shaped concert hall and congress centre on the old shipyard site, home of the Bilbao opera season and symphony orchestra.
Bilbao Fine Arts Museum
Major art museum with Spanish, Basque and European works from medieval to modern, beside Doña Casilda park.
Guggenheim Museum Bilbao
Frank Gehry's titanium-clad museum of modern and contemporary art, with Richard Serra's steel sculptures and Jeff Koons's Puppy outside.
Day 2
Bilbao Cathedral
Gothic Cathedral of Santiago in the heart of the Casco Viejo, with a cloister and a pilgrim's-route history.
Plaza Nueva
Arcaded neoclassical square in the old town, lined with some of Bilbao's best-known pintxos bars.
Teatro Arriaga
Neo-baroque opera house from 1890 on the riverbank at the edge of the old town, named after composer Juan Crisóstomo Arriaga.
Mercado de la Ribera
A large riverside food market in an Art Deco building, with stalls for fresh produce and a pintxos bar upstairs.
Biscay Foral Delegation Palace
Ornate eclectic palace on Gran Vía, seat of the Biscay provincial government; guided visits are available on some weekdays.
Zubizuri
Curved white footbridge by Santiago Calatrava across the Nervión, linking Campo Volantín with the Guggenheim side of the river.
Iberdrola Tower
Bilbao's tallest building, a 165 m office tower by César Pelli near the Guggenheim; seen from outside, not open to visitors.
Day 3
Vizcaya Bridge
The world's oldest transporter bridge, a UNESCO site at the mouth of the Nervión; ride the hanging gondola or walk the top walkway.
Artxanda Funicular
Funicular railway climbing from the city centre to Mount Artxanda in three minutes, for the best overview of Bilbao.
Bilbao in 4 days
Day 1
Euskalduna Conference Centre and Concert Hall
Ship-shaped concert hall and congress centre on the old shipyard site, home of the Bilbao opera season and symphony orchestra.
Bilbao Fine Arts Museum
Major art museum with Spanish, Basque and European works from medieval to modern, beside Doña Casilda park.
Guggenheim Museum Bilbao
Frank Gehry's titanium-clad museum of modern and contemporary art, with Richard Serra's steel sculptures and Jeff Koons's Puppy outside.
Day 2
Bilbao Cathedral
Gothic Cathedral of Santiago in the heart of the Casco Viejo, with a cloister and a pilgrim's-route history.
Plaza Nueva
Arcaded neoclassical square in the old town, lined with some of Bilbao's best-known pintxos bars.
Teatro Arriaga
Neo-baroque opera house from 1890 on the riverbank at the edge of the old town, named after composer Juan Crisóstomo Arriaga.
Mercado de la Ribera
A large riverside food market in an Art Deco building, with stalls for fresh produce and a pintxos bar upstairs.
Biscay Foral Delegation Palace
Ornate eclectic palace on Gran Vía, seat of the Biscay provincial government; guided visits are available on some weekdays.
Zubizuri
Curved white footbridge by Santiago Calatrava across the Nervión, linking Campo Volantín with the Guggenheim side of the river.
Iberdrola Tower
Bilbao's tallest building, a 165 m office tower by César Pelli near the Guggenheim; seen from outside, not open to visitors.
Day 3
Vizcaya Bridge
The world's oldest transporter bridge, a UNESCO site at the mouth of the Nervión; ride the hanging gondola or walk the top walkway.
Artxanda Funicular
Funicular railway climbing from the city centre to Mount Artxanda in three minutes, for the best overview of Bilbao.
Day 4
San Mamés Stadium
Home ground of Athletic Club, rebuilt in 2013, with a club museum and stadium tours.
Watch: Bilbao in 3 days
A one-minute look at the plan: every stop, day by day, with the map.
When to go to Bilbao
June to September brings the warmest and driest weather, though the Basque coast sees rain all year. Spring and autumn are mild and quieter, while winter is cool and wet. Aste Nagusia, the city's main festival week, takes place in August, with concerts, fireworks and crowds in the old town.
Plan the rest of your trip
- Where to stay: hotels in Bilbao on Booking.com or Trip.com
- Skip-the-line tickets: museums and sights in Bilbao on Tiqets
- Tours and day trips: things to do in Bilbao on GetYourGuide or on Viator
- From the airport: a private transfer in Bilbao with Kiwitaxi
- Data on arrival: an eSIM for Spain from Airalo
- Last day: leave your bags in Bilbao with Radical Storage and keep sightseeing
Some of these are affiliate links: we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.
Tips for Bilbao
- The Guggenheim is closed on Mondays outside summer; booking a timed ticket online avoids the queue.
- The Fine Arts Museum is closed on Tuesdays, and has free entry in the last two hours of the day.
- A Barik card covers metro, Bilbobus, tram and the Artxanda Funicular; the city centre and riverside are easily walkable.
- Pintxos bars in the Casco Viejo are busiest from about 19:30; Plaza Nueva has a Sunday-morning flea market.
- Rain is common all year, so pack a light waterproof; hikes on Ganekogorta need good weather and boots.
Make it your own
Open the guide in Andiamo Places to see every stop on a map with walking directions, move places between days, check opening hours for your dates, and add your own finds. After the trip, your photos become a journal and, if you like, a printed photo book.
Guides are made with the help of AI and public sources such as Wikipedia, and may contain errors. Opening hours and prices change, so check before you go. Spotted a wrong photo, a pin in the wrong place, a missing stop or a better one? Write to andiamotravelapp@gmail.com: the e-mail opens with this guide filled in.
Photo credits
- Artxanda Funicular: Ardfern, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Bilbao Cathedral: Zarateman, CC0
- Bilbao Fine Arts Museum: Zarateman, CC0
- Biscay Foral Delegation Palace: PA, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Euskalduna Conference Centre and Concert Hall: Jean-Pierre Dalbera, CC BY 2.0
- Guggenheim Museum Bilbao: PA, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Iberdrola Tower: Zarateman, CC0
- Mercado de la Ribera: PA, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Plaza Nueva: No machine-readable author provided. Martin253~commonswiki assumed (based on copyright claims)., Public domain
- San Mamés Stadium: horrapics, CC BY 2.0
- Teatro Arriaga: Pedro J Pacheco, CC BY-SA 3.0 es
- Vizcaya Bridge: Javier Mediavilla Ezquibela Esta imagen tiene una licencia libre (que puedes ver abajo), pero si la usas fuera de los proyectos de Wikimedia, me gustaría que me, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Zubizuri: Didier Descouens, CC BY-SA 3.0
Opening hours change; check before you go. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors.
