Gallery · Basque Country
Bilbao Fine Arts Museum
The Bilbao Fine Arts Museum is an art museum on Museo Plaza in Bilbao whose collection runs from the 12th century to the present day.
0 km in a straight line
Spain•City
Bilbao
Bilbao is a city and municipality in the Basque Country and the capital of the province of Biscay, home to the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao since 1997. XTOUR maps the Guggenheim and the Bilbao Fine Arts Museum in the city, and keeps the Vizcaya Bridge (Portugalete and Getxo) and San Juan de Gaztelugatxe (Bermeo) apart, because they lie outside it.
Country
Spain
Type
City
Understand the place
Everything worth knowing before you arrive in Bilbao.
Not only where to go, but what to eat, what things cost, what visitors get wrong, how accessible Bilbao is, which scams to recognize and what is genuinely worth your time.
The complete guide
Explore Bilbao
Start with the parts of Bilbao that matter most to your trip, then move into the practical details.
Experiences & attractions
Things to Do
Attractions, experiences and places actually worth your time.
Eat like you understand the place
Food & Drink
Signature dishes, local drinks, markets and eating well.
Where to stay & explore
Neighborhoods
Where to stay, wander and choose the right area for your trip.
Beyond the destination
Day Trips
Nearby places worth a day out from here.
Bring home the right things
Souvenirs & Shopping
What is genuinely worth buying and where to look.
After dark
Nightlife
What the evenings are like, and where to spend them.
Family travel
Traveling With Kids
Family logistics, strollers, transport and practical planning.
When to go
Weather & Best Time
When to visit and what the seasons really feel like.
Know before it happens
Safety & Scams
Common tourist traps and how to avoid them.
Money & budgeting
Money & Costs
Budgets, payments and everyday prices.
Transport
Getting Around
Public transport, taxis, walking and common pitfalls.
Travel for more people
Accessible Travel
Mobility, transport and sensory accessibility.
Understand before you arrive
Culture & Etiquette
Local expectations, religion and visitor etiquette.
The details that matter
Practical Information
Connectivity, health, photography and useful local details.
Find your fit
Who It Suits
Solo, women alone, older visitors, LGBTQ+, pets, remote work, budget and luxury.
Travel that holds up
Visiting Responsibly
Tourism pressure, supporting local people and animal welfare.
Traveler experiences
What travelers say about Bilbao
Traveler reviews will appear here after moderation.
Worth the drive
Places to see near Bilbao
Distances are straight-line, not driving time — mountain roads in this region are often twice as long as the map suggests.
Gallery · Abando, Basque Country
Guggenheim Museum Bilbao
The Guggenheim Museum Bilbao is a museum of modern and contemporary art in Bilbao, housed in a building designed by Frank Gehry, which opened in October 1997.
1 km in a straight line
Bridge · Basque Country
Vizcaya Bridge
The Vizcaya Bridge is a transporter bridge over the mouth of the Nervión (Ibaizabal) estuary, linking Portugalete and Getxo, opened on 28 July 1893.
9 km in a straight line
Church · Basque Country
San Juan de Gaztelugatxe
San Juan de Gaztelugatxe is a hermitage on top of the rocky islet of Gaztelugatxe off the coast of Bermeo, Bizkaia, reached on foot from the mainland.
24 km in a straight line
Mountain · Basque Country
Monte Igueldo
Monte Igueldo is a hill on the edge of La Concha Bay in San Sebastián, with a funicular from 1912 and an amusement park and lookout point on its summit.
75 km in a straight line
Beach · Basque Country
La Concha Beach
La Concha Beach is the urban beach on La Concha Bay in the centre of San Sebastián, facing Santa Clara Island.
77 km in a straight line
Explore deeper
Guides to Bilbao
6 guides
Useful from Bilbao
Travel Guide01
Bilbao or San Sebastián: choosing a base in the Basque Country
Bilbao and San Sebastián are the two Basque cities XTOUR treats as bases, and they hold different things: Bilbao the Guggenheim, its old town and the estuary, San Sebastián its bay, beaches and Old Part. This guide sets out what is in each city, what lies outside it, such as the Bizkaia Bridge and San Juan de Gaztelugatxe, and what XTOUR does not know.
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Travel Guide02
The Camino de Santiago: what it is and how XTOUR handles it
The Camino de Santiago is not one path but a family of pilgrimage routes that end at the tomb of St James in Santiago de Compostela's cathedral. This explainer covers who certifies a pilgrimage, what the Compostela requires, how the main routes in Spain differ on the official pages, and why XTOUR lists the city and the cathedral but not the routes themselves.
Read guide
Travel Guide03
Spain's co-official languages and the place names on signs
Spain has one state language and several co-official regional ones, and the laws on place names differ from region to region. This explainer sets out what the Constitution and the statutes of autonomy say, which form of a place name is official in Catalonia, Galicia, the Balearic Islands, the Basque Country and the Valencian Community, and what that means for the names of the cities XTOUR covers.
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Travel Guide04
Spain travel guide: choosing regions and city bases
XTOUR plans Spain around city bases rather than regions: Madrid, Barcelona, Seville, Granada, Córdoba, Valencia, Bilbao, San Sebastián, Santiago de Compostela, Palma and Málaga. This guide explains how Spain's autonomous communities relate to those bases, which community each base is in, and which XTOUR guide to read next for each.
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Travel Guide05
Tapas customs in Spain: free tapas, pintxos and how official sources describe them
Tapas are small portions served with a drink, pintxos are the Basque Country's version, and whether one comes free depends on the city and the bar. Spain's national tourism board and San Sebastián's tourism office describe each custom in their own words, their pages disagree on some details, and XTOUR keeps their wording rather than generalising.
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Destination information last verified: October 9, 2026
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