Where to stay in Bilbao

The Siete Calles of the medieval town between the river and the hill: the cathedral, the Plaza Nueva's bars and the Ribera market. Noisy at weekends, with hostels and small hotels.

Across the San Antón bridge from the old town: the first mining quarter, now galleries, cheap restaurants and bars. Edgier at night around San Francisco.

The 19th-century grid across the river: the shops of the Gran Vía, Plaza Moyúa and the Carlton, and the pintxo bars of Calle Diputación. Central for everything.

A residential district west of Moyúa, with pintxo bars full of locals, the Azkuna Zentroa cultural centre and San Mamés stadium at its edge.

The old docklands of the left bank, rebuilt since 1997 around the Guggenheim, the fine arts museum and the Euskalduna hall, with a riverside promenade. Most of the city's five-star hotels are here.

The town at the mouth of the estuary, 25 minutes by metro: the mansions of Neguri, the old fishing port of Algorta, beaches and the Bizkaia Bridge.