Our road trip continued from San Sebastian to Bilbao. We only stayed one night, but hit as much as we could in one day.
WHAT TO DO:
Our primary reason for stopping in Bilbao was to visit the Guggenheim. It did not disappoint! Quinn would say otherwise. He is apparently NOT a fan of modern art. The museum offered timed tickets purchased beforehand. I was impressed with their safety measures, including temperature checks for all 3 of us before entering. In addition to the indoor exhibit highlights of Rothko, Warhol, and Serra, there are a number of really fun pieces outside. The most notable are Koons’s tulips and puppy made of flowers.
If you want more art, visit Museo Bellas Artes for more Chillida, de Goya, and El Greco, just to name a few.
Walk along the estuary of Bilbao. You can’t get lost if you follow the water, and it was really peaceful at night. While you are along the water, you could stop into La Ribera. It looked like a really cool place to hang out and grab a bite. It is the biggest indoor covered market in Europe, in case that was on your bucket list to see…
Get lost walking the small, winding streets of old town, Casco Viejo. There are lots of little bars and restaurants, and a pretty busy nightlife scene. The more modern parts of the city also had some unique architecture.
Wish we had gone here: Azkuna Zentroa for arts and culture.
WHERE TO EAT:
Cinnamon Coffee was a great spot for caffeine and smoothie bowls.
Surfin Tacos hit the spot for a late (for us) dinner in Casco Viejo. If we were maybe 15 years younger, this area would be a fun place to be late night!
Other places we wanted to try, but didn’t have time: El Perro Chico, Bohemian Lane Pastelería Vegana, Kantine, Bihotz Cafe and Foodoo, which looked Sweetgreen-eqsue for a healthy lunch.
As for what to eat, pintxos are a Basque speciality. Just don’t call them tapas! I’m told Bilbao also has a amazing seafood. Too bad I can’t stand fish.
TIPS:
The city is very walkable, so we parked the car upon arrival and walked everywhere. After experiencing the parking garage fiasco in San Sebastian, we were much more prepared to navigate a public garage this time. All but one area we walked through felt very safe. Just like any other place, try not to stand out as a tourist and look lost staring at your phone in a dark alley. Common sense.
As noted in my previous posts, make reservations for food and attractions when possible. This may be an August in Europe kind of problem, or due to the pandemic. Either way, don’t be disappointed and have your chosen museum or restaurant book up before you get a ticket/reservation!
WHERE TO STAY:
For convenience sake, we stayed across the street from the Guggenheim. There may be more hip places to stay, but this was easy access to the museum and parking. Old Town would have required navigating narrow streets, many of which were pedestrian only. That takes me back to a previous trip to Spain where we got our rental car stuck in a pedestrian only narrow street!
Hotel Miro was fine, but nothing special. I see they are currently offering free admission to the Guggenheim for hotel guests, so that’s a perk if you are coming for the museum.
MAP
I’m *still* trying to find the time to fix my mapping function, but here it is. Just zoom into Bilbao for those pins. Stay tuned for Madrid and Valladolid recaps and check out San Sebastian and traveling with a baby in Spain here. For even more recaps of previous trips to Spain, read about our adventures in Córdoba, Los Alcores, and Sevilla, Spain.