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Bilbao · Mixed

Titanium, flowers and iron: Bilbao highlights

In 1997 a titanium museum changed the image of a city of shipyards and blast furnaces, and the world began talking about the “Guggenheim effect”. This route follows the reclaimed banks of the river and the 19th-century Ensanche, where iron money raised palaces and banks. Everything can be seen from the street: the museums are worth a visit inside, but the route works without entering any of them.

  • 6 stops
  • 2.5 km
  • 2 h
  • Free
Start with GPS Read about this stop 1
Louise Bourgeois’s spider Maman beneath La Salve Bridge and its red arches

The route

Stop by stop

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

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Start with GPS

Guide mode

Walk it with GPS.

Open guide mode on your phone: you’ll see your position and the distance to each stop, and we’ll let you know when you arrive. Then read or listen.

Start with GPS

  1. Turn on your location

  2. Walk to the spot

  3. Check the photo and listen

What you’ll discover

Titanium, flowers and iron: Bilbao highlights

The Guggenheim effect

How Frank Gehry’s building, Puppy and Maman turned an industrial river into a promenade.

Bridges with a story

The Zubizuri and its slippery deck, and La Salve, the bridge where sailors first saw Begoña.

The iron-built centre

The Gran Vía, the industrialists’ palaces, Foster’s metro entrances and a wine warehouse turned cultural centre.

Keep exploring

More routes in Bilbao

Back to Bilbao
HistoryFrom town charter to iron port Mysteries & legendsThe Amatxu, the idol and the dog fountain

Itineraries

How many days do you have in Bilbao?

We’ve planned it day by day for you: which routes to walk and in what order, what else to see and where to eat.

1

Bilbao in 1 day

All three routes in one full day: the highlights, the history and the legends at dusk.

See the itinerary 2

Bilbao in 2 days

A gentler pace: the three routes over two days, plus extra sights and where to eat.

See the itinerary 3

Bilbao in 3 days

The city in depth: one route a day, extra museums and neighbourhoods, and a day for good food.

See the itinerary