Last Updated on February 24, 2023
As the biggest city of the Basque Country in northern Spain, Bilbao is surrounded by green hills and located next to the Atlantic Ocean. This city is unlike other Spanish cities and not just because of the different architecture, it’s home to the oldest language in Europe and has become a center for art and design over the past years.
Therefore we couldn’t wait to visit the city and it’s nearby beaches for two days.
Day 1 – Rainy Bilbao
Guggenheim Museum
Unfortunately we were not that lucky with the weather, because it was cold and rainy, but that didn’t stop us from exploring the city and we started our day with a walk to the famous Guggenheim Museum. It’s located next to the river and you’re able to see the building from far away due to its remarkable architecture. Behind the metallic looking facade designed by Frank Gehry you’ll find many galleries showing modern and contemporary art, as well as different temporary exhibitions.
Casco Viejo – Old Town of Bilbao
After our first stop at the Guggenheim Museum, we continued our walk crossing one of the many bridges to Casco Viejo, the Old Town of Bilbao. Its full of narrow winding streets, such as the 7 Calles, shops and bars. In the middle there is a cathedral, called Santiago de Bilbao, which was built in the 15th century.
Mercado de la Ribera
Close to Casco Viejo we found the La Ribera market which was inside a historical building next to river filled with different stalls offering local products and famous Pintxos. These are small pieces of bread with different toppings comparable with Spanish tapas.
Lookout
After a short break we went up the Mount Artxanda to get an amazing view of Bilbao. In order to get on top of the mountain, we took the old funicular cable railway. Once we arrived on top, we were blown away by the view despite the weather still not being that great.
In the evening the sky cleared up a bit and we were gifted with an absolutely beautiful sunset.
Day 2 – Atlantic Ocean
Trip to the Sopelana Beach
On our second day in Bilbao we actually wanted to do a trip to a famous Game of Thrones location, but unfortunately it was under construction and closed for that reason. Instead, we decided to take the metro to Larrabasterra which only took 30 minutes.
From there you can reach the Sopelana beach within a couple minutes walking. The cliffs there are a common place for paragliders and we were watching them flying over the ocean.
Even though it seemed more like a small village, we found a little surf club for lunch and enjoyed some burgers. After regaining some energies, we took a walk along the cliffs and ended up at another metro station to head back to Bilbao.
Casco Viejo – Old Town of Bilbao
Arriving in Bilbao we found ourselves again in Casco Viejo, this time with much better weather. By coincidence we found another lookout, called Solokoetxe viewpoint. It was indeed the perfect timing for sunset and the perfect way to end our stay in Bilbao.
See you for the next adventure! For more photos of Spain, click here.
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