Recommended Tours

Route through the Casco Viejo (part1)

Declared an artistic historical whole in 1972, the Casco Viejo, situated to the right of the estuary, is considered the heart of the city. Bordered by San Antón bridge, San Nicolás Church, the Ribera and Ronda street, this network of streets and alleys has always been the richest area of the city. The center of business activity, old Bilbao will take you on a tour of an eminently picturesque but urban area of town where churches, palaces and quaint little streets predominate.

We begin at City Hall, the Ayuntamiento de la villa, a 19th-century eclectic building inspired by neoclassicism. Strolling along the Paseo de El Arenal, a beautifully landscaped area, we come to the temple dedicated to San Nicolás de Bari, patron saint of sailors. The temple was built in the 18th century and particularly noteworthy are the Baroque elements found on the façade, the pediment and on the graceful twin towers. On the other side of the Paseo de El Arenal we find the Teatro Arriaga, a magnificent modernist/neo-classical cultural center; from here we go down Bidebarrieta street to get to the Catedral de Santiago, patron of the city since 1643. But before admiring this lovely church, let's make a pause in our journey to visit the Biblioteca Municipal de Bidebarrieta (City Library), an interesting structure built in 1888. At the end of this street we come back to the Cathedral, one of the most important buildings in the style of Biscayan Gothic, begun in 1379. Walk down Correo, the busy shopping street, until you reach Plaza Nueva, a neoclassical enclosure opened in 1849 and which nowadays is one of the most popular areas of the city where you can be sure to always find something going on.

Route Through the Casco Viejo (part2)

Continuing our tour we come to the Plaza Miguel de Unamuno and the monolithic statue dedicated to the great thinker from Bilbao. From here hike up the Calzadas de Mallona to the Basílica de Begoña. The Shrine of Begoña, built in 1519 upon an old hermitage, is one of the most important for the people of Bilbao, who come here to venerate their patron saint. Go back to Plaza de Unamuno and head towards the iglesia de los Santos Juanes, a church built in early Biscayan Gothic style, which also holds true for the buildings nextdoor, the Museo Arqueológico, Etnográfico e Histórico Vasco, the place to go to learn more about the Basque way of life.

From here let's walk into Somera street, the first of the historical "Siete Calles" (Seven Streets), which will take us down to one of the best-known images of the city, the Iglesia de San Antón (with its ground plan in the shape of a Greek cross) together with its bridge of two arches. Next to the church we find the Mercado de la Ribera, a covered market whose products, both vegetables and meat, are of unbeatable quality. From this point on we leave it up to the visitor to just choose a street and start walking. The mythical Casco Viejo is filled with history and flavor no matter what direction you go.

Route Through the Ensanche (Up to Plaza Moyúa)

The area called the Ensanche (literally, the "extension"), which is sometimes also called "modern Bilbao," is the result of the 'Plan for the Extension of Bilbao,' approved in 1876 to begin building up the other side of the estuary and make more room for a populace that was quickly outgrowing the historical Casco Viejo.

Let's begin our tour of modern Bilbao starting from Arenal bridge and going towards Navarra street, where we find La Sociedad Bilbaína, a selective English-style club in an exquisite building, both inside and out. On the nearby Plaza Circular we find the monument to Don Diego López de Haro, founder of the city. From this square we can admire a few lovely pieces of architecture, such as the Estación de Abando, also known as Estación del Norte), the most important train station in the city, or the modern skyscraper housing the BBV (Banco Bilbao Vizcaya). From the BBV we can begin our stroll down the most important avenue in Bilbao, La Gran Vía. The stretch of Gran Vía from here, the Plaza Circular, up to Plaza Moyúa is filled with lovely buildings housing all of the most important banking institutions of the country. If we make a little detour to the right we would stumble across the surprisingly lovely Jardines de Albia. This sculptured green area is an integral part of the city life. Around the park we find the Palacio de Justicia as well as the building housing the Partido Nacionalista Vasco (the Basque Nationalist Party), known as Sabin Etxea. Right next door is San Vicente Mártir, a sixteenth-century temple in late Gothic style, which around here is known as "Basque Gothic". Now go back to the Gran Vía and continue your stroll until you come to the Diputación Floral de Bizkaia, a majestic palace with stunning dressed stone on the façade.

Route Through the Ensanche (Starting from Plaza Moyúa)

Plaza Moyúa, inspired by the formalism of French gardens and re-inaugurated in 1997, is surrounded by some rather important buildings, such as the Hotel Carlton or the Palacio de Chávarri. Flashy no matter how you look at it, the Palacio was built in 1894 and was inspired by the tastes of the Flemish neo-renaissance—nowadays it houses the Civil Government. Not far from here we find Alameda Rekalde street, at the beginning of which is the Casa Montero, one of the few modernist buildings in Bilbao and affectionately called la Casa Gaudí because of the similarities it bears to the style of that great Catalan architect. At the end of the road and on the bank of the estuary we come across the defiant figure of the Museo Guggenheim, a mass of titanium and impossible walls and the site of the most important exhibitions in modern art.

Continuing on the stretch from Plaza Moyúa to Plaza del Sagrado Corazón, where the Gran Vía comes to an end, we cannot fail to notice the Edificio Sota, a somber residential building built in 1919 by the architect Manuel María de Smith. From here we can cut into the main lung of the city, the Parque de Doña Casilda, designed between 1912 and 1920 following French patterns. Both the estanque del pato (duck's pond) and the Pergola pond, which combines light and sound, are worth taking a look at. At one end of the park is the Museo de Bellas Artes, an important gallery containing both classical and contemporary art. On the other side of the park is the Palacio Euskalduna, whose form resembles the hull of a ship, in memory of the long-standing presence of shipyards in Bilbao. Just in front we find the Plaza del Sagrado Corazón, bringing us almost to the end of our tour through the Ensanche, which, however, would not be complete until visiting the Estadio de Fútbol de San Mamés, which is where the city's team, the Athletic Club de Bilbao, plays. The stadium was built in 1913 and is known by the city's inhabitants as "La Catedral". Just next door is the series of buildings that together make up the Feria Internacional de Muestras de Bilbao.

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