Tourism and walking in Bilbao

Visit Bilbao

Discover Bilbao and why is growing in popularity as a destination for a city trip. Some years ago was know as the grey city due to the industrial appearance. Today Bilbao  is a trendy place where gastronomy, culture and art go hand in hand. Bilbao is completely a hot spot, which is causing a growth in the number of tourists and a significantly higher appreciation of the city in terms of quality of life.

Gastronomy, culture and art go hand in hand

The Guggenheim museum is frequently mentioned as an explanation for the increase in popularity of Bilbao.  The approximately 1 million visitors the museum receives annually largely come from outside Bilbao, so the Guggenheim certainly makes a substantial contribution to the amount of domestic and foreign tourists.

Cleaned river

The River Nervion runs through the city. Until the end of the last century, this river, also known as Ria de Bilbao, was more of an open sewer than a river. The cleaning of the river and the large-scale urban renewal that started at the same time have changed the city forever.

Discover the surroundings

Don’t forget to discover the surroundings of Bilbao. Drive to Portugalete and cross to Getxo via the famous Bizkaia bridge. Then continue to Plentzia and Bakio until you reach San Juan de Gaztelugatxe Church where you will need to climb 241 steps to get it, but it’s really well worth it! You can also visit the Urdaibai Biosphere Reserve, the fishing villages of Mundaka and Elantxobe and the beaches of Laida and Laga. And the famous fishing village of Lekeitio. San Sebastián no more than an hour’s drive from Bilbao is one of the most beautiful cities in the world. With its famous city beach La Concha. San Sebastian gastronomy is one of the best in the world with 11 restaurants in the Michelin Guide.

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