Bilbao on $40, $120 or $320 a day
A former iron and shipbuilding city on the Nervión estuary that remade itself around Frank Gehry's Guggenheim in 1997. The medieval Casco Viejo is packed with pintxo bars, five Michelin-starred kitchens are in the city, and the beaches and cliffs of the Biscay coast are half an hour away.
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Plan by budget
One city, three ways to travel it.
How much does Bilbao cost per day? Budget travellers get by on about $40 a day, mid-range trips run around $120, and luxury starts near $320 — accommodation, food, transport and activities included. That makes Bilbao the joint 50th cheapest of 110 cities for a mid-range trip (see all 110 ranked).
Daily budget · Budget
Bilbao costs more than Seville to sleep in but makes it cheap to eat well: a pintxo and a small glass of wine at the counter are a few euros, and a crawl of four bars is dinner. The old town, the river walk, the Guggenheim's outside and the fine arts collection are free.
Where your money goes
How to Get There
What to Do
A seat for an Athletic home game in the 53,000-seat stadium by the river
Map ↗ Get tickets on Tiqets →Skip-the-line entry and two hours inside with a guide, then an audio guide to carry on alone
Map ↗ Get tickets on Tiqets →Gehry's titanium museum and Serra's steel spirals; entry with a guided walk round the outside
Map ↗ Get tickets on Tiqets →Where to Stay
Hostel on Artekale in the Casco Viejo, near the cathedral, with a roof terrace
Map ↗Premium hostel on Calle Heros in Abando, with private rooms and the Txio bar-restaurant
Map ↗Simple two-star on Bidebarrieta in the heart of the old town, five minutes from the metro
Map ↗Where to Eat
Ensanche bar whose gratinated txangurro, spider crab, is the city's best-selling pintxo
Map ↗Tiled bar on the Plaza Nueva since 1911: cod-stuffed peppers, ham croquettes and a juicy tortilla
Map ↗Neo-Mudéjar café of 1903 on the Albia gardens; eat the spiced lamb pinchos morunos at the bar
Map ↗Plaza Nueva bar for creative pintxos; its Idiazabal cheese soup with mushrooms won the Bizkaia pintxo prize in 2011
Map ↗Sample 3-Day Itinerary
The Casco Viejo
The Mercado de la Ribera as the stalls open, then the cathedral and the Siete Calles.
The Basque Museum, then the Mallona steps up to the Basílica de Begoña.
Pintxos round the Plaza Nueva at Café Bar Bilbao and Gure Toki.
Along the ría
Walk the river to the Guggenheim's outside: Puppy, Maman and the fog sculpture.
The free Museo de Bellas Artes and the Doña Casilda park beside it.
The Artxanda funicular up for sunset, then txangurro at Bar El Globo.
To the sea by metro
Metro to Areeta and across the estuary in the gondola of the Bizkaia Bridge.
Walk the Getxo seafront past the Neguri mansions to the old port of Algorta.
Pinchos morunos at Café Iruña.
Eat lunch from the menú del día, three courses with wine, and keep pintxos for the evening. Look out for pintxo-pote nights, when a bar sells a drink and a pintxo together for a few euros. A Barik card makes the metro to the beaches cheap.
Daily budget · Mid-range
Mid-range is a boutique four-star near the river, the Guggenheim and the maritime museum, a tour of San Mamés, and dinners at the Bib Gourmand tables that cook Basque produce with a modern hand.
Where your money goes
How to Get There
What to Do
Gehry's titanium museum and Serra's steel spirals; entry with a guided walk round the outside
Map ↗ Get tickets on Tiqets →The maritime museum on the old Euskalduna shipyard, with the Carola crane and boats in the dry docks
Map ↗ Get tickets on Tiqets →The Athletic Club museum and an audio-guided tour of the stadium of the club that fields only players from the Basque Country
Map ↗ Get tickets on Tiqets →Where to Stay
The old Hotel Almirante, reopened with work by local street artists in its rooms
Map ↗Four-star in a 1924 building on Erribera street, home to Ola Martín Berasategui
Map ↗Fashion designer Antonio Miró's fifty-room hotel opposite the Guggenheim, with a small spa
Map ↗Where to Eat
Bib Gourmand on the Urazurrutia quay, where two young chefs cook updated Basque dishes
Map ↗Bar-restaurant since 1927 for Joselito ham, the egg-and-potato sartén and wines by the glass
Map ↗Bib Gourmand in Abando where Iván Abril cooks local fish and meat with techniques learnt in Hong Kong and London; seven-course menu
Map ↗Bib Gourmand in the Casco Viejo, in a house dating back to 1878: salt cod and grilled prawns
Map ↗Sample 3-Day Itinerary
The Guggenheim
Guggenheim Museum Bilbao at opening, with a guided walk round the outside.
Lunch at La Viña del Ensanche, then the Museo de Bellas Artes.
Seven courses at Kimtxu.
Ships and football
The Itsasmuseum and the Carola crane on the old Euskalduna quay.
The San Mamés stadium tour and the Athletic Club museum.
Salt cod at Los Fueros in the Casco Viejo.
The coast
Walk the top deck of the Bizkaia Bridge, then the Getxo seafront.
Lunch by the old port of Algorta and a swim at Ereaga beach in summer.
Dinner at Al Margen on the Urazurrutia quay.
Go to the Guggenheim at opening on a weekday and leave the afternoon for the fine arts museum next door. The Ribera market's pintxo hall is the easy lunch in the old town. Book Los Fueros, Kimtxu and Al Margen a few days ahead.
Daily budget · Luxury
Luxury Bilbao is a five-star on the river facing the Guggenheim, a guided visit of the museum, starred lunches at Nerua, Mina and Zarate, and a day out at a txakoli winery and Eneko Atxa's three-star Azurmendi twenty minutes up the valley.
Where your money goes
How to Get There
What to Do
A seat for an Athletic home game in the 53,000-seat stadium by the river
Map ↗ Get tickets on Tiqets →Skip-the-line entry and two hours inside with a guide, then an audio guide to carry on alone
Map ↗ Get tickets on Tiqets →A day on the coast with a Spanish-speaking driver-guide: Gernika, Bermeo, Mundaka and the hermitage on its rock island
Map ↗ Get tickets on Tiqets →Where to Stay
Manuel María Smith's grand hotel of 1926 on Plaza Moyúa, in the heart of the Ensanche
Map ↗Ricardo Legorreta's building by the Euskalduna, a tribute to Eduardo Chillida, with a towering atrium
Map ↗The former Gran Hotel Domine: Javier Mariscal's interiors and a roof terrace facing the Guggenheim across the street
Map ↗Where to Eat
Josean Alija's one-star kitchen inside the Guggenheim; the Muina tasting menu changes with the seasons
Map ↗One star for fish: tasting menus built on the catch of the Basque coast, and fish baked a la bilbaína
Map ↗Álvaro Garrido's one-star tasting menus on the Marzana quay, facing the old town, changed daily with the market
Map ↗Eneko Atxa's three-star restaurant in Larrabetzu, twenty minutes from Bilbao, beside the family's txakoli winery
Map ↗Sample 3-Day Itinerary
Gehry with a guide
The Guggenheim guided tour before the crowds.
Lunch at Nerua inside the museum, then along the river to the Zubizuri.
Dinner at Zarate.
The Biscay coast
The San Juan de Gaztelugatxe day tour: Gernika's oak and the harbour at Bermeo.
The hermitage on its rock island and the surf town of Mundaka, with a txakoli tasting.
Tasting menu at Mina on the Marzana quay.
Txakoli and three stars
A tasting at the Gorka Izagirre winery in Larrabetzu.
Long lunch at Azurmendi next door.
An Athletic Club match at San Mamés, if Athletic are at home.
Azurmendi books out weeks ahead and Mina's counter seats only a few, so reserve both before you travel. Nerua is inside the Guggenheim, so pair lunch there with the morning visit. For Athletic home games, buy tickets as soon as fixtures are fixed.
About Bilbao
When to go, and what it's like on the ground.
Best time to visit
May–June and September for the warmest, steadiest weather; August for Aste Nagusia, nine days of free concerts and fireworks, when rooms go early.
Oceanic and green: mild, damp winters with highs around 14°C, warm summers with highs of 25–26°C, and rain on about a third of days, most of it October to April.
- January: 10°C average high, 13 rain days, low crowds
- February: 10°C average high, 11 rain days, low crowds
- March: 12°C average high, 11 rain days, low crowds
- April: 13°C average high, 12 rain days, moderate crowds
- May: 16°C average high, 10 rain days, moderate crowds
- June: 19°C average high, 7 rain days, moderate crowds
- July: 21°C average high, 7 rain days, high season
- August: 21°C average high, 7 rain days, high season
- September: 19°C average high, 9 rain days, moderate crowds
- October: 17°C average high, 11 rain days, moderate crowds
- November: 13°C average high, 14 rain days, low crowds
- December: 10°C average high, 12 rain days, low crowds
Getting around
Getting around Bilbao
The metro, with stations by Norman Foster, runs from the centre to the beaches at Getxo and Sopela; a tram follows the river past the Guggenheim and a funicular climbs Artxanda. A Barik card cuts every fare, and the Casco Viejo to the Guggenheim is a 20-minute walk.
A travel eSIM gets you online the moment you land in Spain — data plans start at $4 — no roaming bill, no queue for a local SIM, and nothing to swap in and out of your phone. Install it before you fly.
On foot
Walking routes in Bilbao.
The riverside market, the church on the city's coat of arms, the Gothic cathedral, the Basque Museum, the pintxo square and the climb to Begoña.
The opera house on the river, Calatrava's footbridge, the funicular to Artxanda, Gehry's museum, the fine arts museum and the shipyard turned maritime museum.
Where to stay
Bilbao, neighbourhood by neighbourhood.
Casco Viejo
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.
Best for budgetAbando & the Ensanche
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.
Best for mid-rangeAbandoibarra
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.
Best for luxuryIndautxu
A residential district west of Moyúa, with pintxo bars full of locals, the Azkuna Zentroa cultural centre and San Mamés stadium at its edge.
Best for mid-rangeBilbao La Vieja & San Francisco
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.
Best for budgetGetxo
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.
Best for luxuryLocal etiquette
Dos & Don'ts
Do
- Have a pintxo or two and a drink in each bar, then move on to the next
- Order a zurito, a small beer, or a txikito, a small glass of wine, to keep the pace
- Tell the barman what you ate when you pay; pintxo bars run on trust
- Greet with "kaixo" and thank with "eskerrik asko"; a little Basque goes a long way
- Carry a light rain jacket; the fine drizzle, the sirimiri, can set in on any day
- Book Azurmendi and the city's starred tables weeks ahead
Don't
- Expect lunch before 2pm or dinner before 9pm
- Sit at a pintxo bar waiting for a menu; order at the counter
- Pile a plate high from the counter; take a couple and come back for more
- Assume everyone speaks Basque; Spanish is the everyday language of most of the city
- Turn up at San Juan de Gaztelugatxe in high season without booking the free access slot
- Go to the Guggenheim at midday at a weekend if you can go at opening on a weekday
Useful phrases
Say it like a local.
Beyond the city
Day trips worth the journey.
San Sebastián
The curve of La Concha beach and the pintxo bars of the Parte Vieja.
Gernika
The Basque assembly house and its oak, and the town Picasso painted after the 1937 bombing.
San Juan de Gaztelugatxe
A hermitage on a rock island, reached by a stone bridge and a long flight of steps.
Getxo & the Bizkaia Bridge
The transporter bridge of 1893, seaside mansions and the old fishing port of Algorta.
Vitoria-Gasteiz
The Basque capital's medieval hill quarter and its cathedral, open to visitors during its restoration.
Laguardia & Rioja Alavesa
A walled hilltop town above the vineyards, near Gehry's Marqués de Riscal winery in Elciego.
Where to eat
Must-try dishes.
Bacalao al pil-pil
Salt cod cooked gently in olive oil and garlic, the pan swirled until the fish's gelatine turns the oil into a sauce.
Bacalao a la vizcaína
Salt cod in the Bizkaia sauce of dried choricero peppers and slow-cooked onion.
Txangurro gratinado
Spider crab meat baked under a crust, eaten as a pintxo or from the shell.
Gilda
An anchovy, a pickled guindilla pepper and an olive on a stick, named after Rita Hayworth's Gilda.
Marmitako
The fishermen's stew of bonito tuna, potatoes and peppers.
Txuleta
A thick rib steak of mature beef grilled over coals, sold by the kilo for the table to share.
Pastel de arroz
Bilbao's own custard tart in a crisp pastry case, sold in every pastry shop in the city.
Travel insurance
Do I need travel insurance for Spain?
Travel insurance is strongly recommended for any trip to Bilbao. Safety is rated Very safe. Watch bags in packed pintxo bars and at the Aste Nagusia fiestas in August; the San Francisco area across the river is rougher late at night. — even in safe destinations, unexpected medical emergencies or trip cancellations can be costly. Make sure your policy covers emergency medical treatment, hospitalisation, trip cancellation, and emergency evacuation.
Visa note: Schengen area — visa-free for 90 days for UK, US, Canadian and Australian passports; ETIAS pre-authorisation applies from its rollout.. Some countries require proof of travel insurance as part of the visa application.
Good to know
FAQ: Bilbao travel questions
Is Bilbao safe to visit?
Very safe. Watch bags in packed pintxo bars and at the Aste Nagusia fiestas in August; the San Francisco area across the river is rougher late at night.
When is the best time to visit Bilbao?
May–June and September for the warmest, steadiest weather; August for Aste Nagusia, nine days of free concerts and fireworks, when rooms go early. Oceanic and green: mild, damp winters with highs around 14°C, warm summers with highs of 25–26°C, and rain on about a third of days, most of it October to April.
How much does a trip to Bilbao cost per day?
- Budget $40–$70 / day
- Mid-range $120–$200 / day
- Luxury $320–$650 / day
Do I need a visa to visit Spain?
Schengen area — visa-free for 90 days for UK, US, Canadian and Australian passports; ETIAS pre-authorisation applies from its rollout.
How do I get around Bilbao?
The metro, with stations by Norman Foster, runs from the centre to the beaches at Getxo and Sopela; a tram follows the river past the Guggenheim and a funicular climbs Artxanda. A Barik card cuts every fare, and the Casco Viejo to the Guggenheim is a 20-minute walk. Bilbao has a metro system. Taxi base fare ~$3. Day pass ~$6.
Is tipping expected in Bilbao?
Tipping is small: leave the coins or round up after pintxos, and 5–10% in a sit-down restaurant if service was good.
What currency is used in Spain?
The local currency is EUR, and the official language is Spanish, Basque.
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