The Guggenheim Museum Bilbao by the river, with La Salve Bridge and its red arches on the left
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Bilbao in 2 days

  • 2 days
  • 5.8 km on foot
  • 17 stops
  • Audio guide

With two days, Bilbao stops being a dash. Day one combines the river, the Basque Museum, the Artxanda viewpoint and legends at dusk; day two brings the town's history, a txuleta steak in the Ensanche, the Guggenheim from the inside and the Bizkaia Bridge in the late afternoon. It's the ideal weekend plan: you see what matters and still have time to sit down and linger.

Day 1From the river to Begoña hill

Set off early with "Titanium, flowers and iron: Bilbao highlights", from the Zubizuri to Azkuna Zentroa via Puppy and La Salve Bridge. Then head down to the Old Town for salt cod on Plaza Nueva. First cross the river and ride the Artxanda funicular to see the whole city; then come back to the Basque Museum, right next to where the evening route begins. At dusk, the lift on Calle Esperanza takes you up to Begoña for "The Amatxu, the idol and the dog fountain". Finish with pintxos and txikiteo on Plaza Nueva.

  1. Morning

    Titanium, flowers and iron: Bilbao highlights

    Mixed · 2.5 km · 2 h

    1. Zubizuri and the Isozaki TowersA white Calatrava bridge, a Japanese-designed stairway and a lawsuit over a cut railing.
    2. Guggenheim Museum and PuppyA dog made of 38,000 flowers guards the building that changed Bilbao.
    3. Maman and La Salve BridgeA nine-metre spider dedicated to a mother, and a bridge named after a sailors’ prayer.
    4. Fine Arts Museum and Doña Casilda ParkTen centuries of art beside the ducks of a park named after a maid who became Bilbao’s great benefactor.
    5. Plaza Elíptica and the Gran VíaThe heart of the Ensanche: an iron magnate’s palace and Norman Foster’s glass metro entrances.
    6. Azkuna Zentroa (Alhóndiga)A 1909 wine warehouse that Philippe Starck turned into a cultural centre held up by 43 different columns.

    Start the audio guide See the route

  2. Lunch

    Try Salt cod pil-pil or Biscay-style at Víctor Montes. Plaza Nueva, 8

  3. Afternoon

    Artxanda Funicular

    Running since 1915, it climbs Mount Artxanda in a few minutes to a viewpoint that takes in the river, the Guggenheim and the Old Town's rooftops. The lower station is a short walk from City Hall, just across the river.

    Directions

    Basque Museum

    Housed in the former Jesuit college on Miguel de Unamuno Square and freshly renovated, it tells the story of traditional Basque life: fishing, shepherding, farmhouses and trades. The Mikeldi idol from the legends route is inside. Check opening times.

    Directions

  4. Early evening

    The Amatxu, the idol and the dog fountain

    Mysteries & legends · 1.7 km · 1 h 35 min

    1. Basilica of BegoñaThe Amatxu who, legend says, chose her hill and refused to come down.
    2. Old Mallona CemeteryA lonely gateway halfway up the hill is all that remains of Bilbao’s first municipal cemetery.
    3. Miguel de Unamuno SquareA stone idol more than two thousand years old, with inscriptions no one has managed to read, next to Unamuno’s birthplace.
    4. Dog FountainThree bronze lions and a name nobody can fully explain.
    5. Church of San Nicolás and the ArenalThe church of the fishermen’s saint, facing the riverside where Marijaia appears and bids farewell every August.

    Start the audio guide See the route

  5. Dinner

    Try Pintxos and txikiteo on Plaza Nueva at Café Bar Bilbao. Plaza Nueva, 6

Day 2Iron, art and a flying bridge

Spend the morning on "From town charter to iron port": start at San Antón Bridge, cross the Ribera and the Seven Streets and finish at City Hall by the river. From there, a stroll takes you into the Ensanche for a txuleta at Casa Rufo. In the afternoon, the Guggenheim from the inside: go in with a pre-booked ticket and allow two hours. Then take the metro to Portugalete and cross the Bizkaia Bridge in its gondola as the sun goes down. There's no better way to end a weekend in Bilbao.

  1. Morning

    From town charter to iron port

    History · 1.6 km · 1 h 35 min

    1. San Antón Church and BridgeThe church and bridge Bilbao carries on its coat of arms: this is where it all began.
    2. Ribera MarketSeven centuries of buying and selling on the riverbank, in one of Europe’s largest covered markets.
    3. Santiago Cathedral and the Seven StreetsThe pilgrims’ church at the centre of the seven streets that, for centuries, were all of Bilbao.
    4. Plaza NuevaThe great arcaded square dreamt up by the Enlightenment, which took sixty-five years to become real.
    5. Arriaga Theatre and the ArenalAn 1890 theatre that survived a fire and the 1983 flood, facing the riverside that held out against the Carlist sieges.
    6. Bilbao City HallThe town hall built by a city grown rich on iron, beside the river that made it all possible.

    Start the audio guide See the route

  2. Lunch

    Try Grilled txuleta at Casa Rufo. Calle Hurtado de Amézaga, 5

  3. Afternoon

    Inside the Guggenheim Museum

    Gehry's building is just as striking inside: the atrium, the curving galleries and "The Matter of Time", Richard Serra's huge steel sculptures. Book ahead and check opening hours: it usually closes on Mondays outside the high season.

    Directions

    Bizkaia Bridge, Portugalete

    Opened in 1893, the Bizkaia Bridge was the world's first transporter bridge and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. A suspended gondola carries people across the river between Portugalete and Getxo; the metro gets you there from the centre in just over half an hour.

    Directions

The map

Bilbao in 2 days, on the map

Each route’s stops are numbered in order; the stars are the extra sights.

Mixed Mysteries & legends History Extra sight

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Before you go

Tips for Bilbao in 2 days

  • Watch out for Mondays: the Guggenheim usually closes that day outside summer, so if you arrive on a Monday, swap the days round and save the inside visit for the other one.
  • To get between the centre, Artxanda and Portugalete, pick up a Barik card: it works on the metro, tram, Bilbobus and funicular and saves you queuing at every ticket machine.
  • If you get a day of steady rain, swap the afternoons: the two museums and Azkuna Zentroa make good shelter, while the Artxanda viewpoint and the Bizkaia Bridge look far better under a clear sky.

Questions

Bilbao in 2 days: your questions

Is 2 days in Bilbao enough?

For the city itself, yes: you cover the river, the Old Town, one major museum inside, the Artxanda viewpoint and the Bizkaia Bridge. What's left out is the Biscay coast and San Sebastián, which deserve a third day if you can stretch your trip.

How far will I walk in 2 days?

The routes add up to about 5.8 km: 4.2 on day one (highlights plus legends) and 1.6 on day two. With the walks to the extras and the museums, expect 9 or 10 km on the first day; the second is gentler, with the metro out to Portugalete.

How do you cross the Bizkaia Bridge?

Two ways: in the gondola, which glides across just above the water in a couple of minutes, or along the top walkway, about 50 metres up, which is a separate visit. The gondola runs very frequently; for the walkway, check times and prices beforehand.

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