I loved this Palace. The architecture, the setting by the water and rocks, the views of the…read moreislands, beaches and lighthouses, the forest around it, all made it very beautiful and serene. The Real Palacio de la Magdalena is the most emblematic building in Santander, as important for its present as for its past as the summer residence of Kings Alfonso XIII and Victoria Eugenia. It was built in the early 1900s as a royal residence, but today it has multipurpose uses.....university campus, event space, conference hall and more...but still the royal bedrooms are open to be used by the King of Spain whenever he wishes. Those bedrooms are part of the Royal heritage. The guided tour took about an hour and I got to see many of the palace rooms and they were magnificent. The cost was about 6 euros and you can buy online or at the door. They sometimes have to cancel or reschedule guided visits depending on event happening at the Palace, like conferences, movie shootings, diplomatic visits, etc.

The Spanish royal family apparently still uses this palace and so would I! Stunning grounds, views…read moreof the ocean, a small zoo and the palace itself is incredible. We spent a really nice afternoon walking the grounds and taking in the sights. It has better views than the Buckingham palace and I would choose this over that...if I was given the choice. ;-)

La Grúa de Piedra (The Stone Crane) provided its services to the Port of Santander between 1900 and…read morethe end of the 20th century. It is located on the Maura pier. It is one of the major landmarks in Santander as anyone takes a walking tour of the city. The base is made of stone, circular in shape, and the structure is steel. In the rear it has 34-ton counterweights. The steel structure rests on a base made of ashlars from the old docks, which gives the crane its name. The weight of the Stone Crane, not counting the stone base, is 48 tons. Back in the old days, this crane allowed for many cargo ships to be unloaded quickly so the port of Santander was at its highest volume among many European ports of the time.

Located in Bilbao's Old Town, Plaza Nueva has five different entrances. Once you reach the center,…read moreyou'll be surrounded by many pintxos bars, or as the locals call them, tabernas. Some of my favorites were: * Sorginsullo * Gure Tori * El Globo At the plaza, you will also find the Ikastola, the school where the Basque language is standardized and taught. We visited during Carnaval, so there was a huge tart, locals dressed in costumes, a stage with live bands, and even a play. Definitely worth the visit, and make sure to come hungry!

Built in 1821 the Plaza Nueva has the character of a hopping urban neighborhood. This is mostly due…read moreto the restaurants and bars that keep the atmosphere lively all day. Until 1890 when the new palace was built the Biscay government was housed here in the main building. The building is now the site of the Basque language Royal Academy. If you are visiting, take your time walking around the square checking the shops, but most importantly stop in at least a couple of pintxos bars, try a couple of pintxos and wash the down with some txakoli (Basque wine).

This was the bridge that I really wanted to try after seeing it online. Incredible engineering…read morewhich uses pullies to transport vehicles and people across the water. I have used it several times already. It is not only a tourist spot but also saves me ~20 minutes every time to get to this part of town without needing to drive around.

This was one bridge that I had to see while in Bilbao. The transporting part of the bridge was…read moreworking fine, but I was a bit too late to walk on top of the bridge. I'm sure the views would have been spectacular. Designated as a UNESCO heritage site, it is one of the few remaining examples of such marvelous late 19th century engineering. There are displays of similar bridges from across the world, but this is the prettiest one IMHO. The short ride across the river takes you to either Portugalete or Getxo; both are worthy of exploring. I ended up eating and drinking in both places! Getxo has a nice long historical promenade along the water. As for the ferry itself, it has space for cars and bikes in the middle, and passengers on both sides. Watching it move across the water was mesmerizing.

I recommend buying advance tickets online! I did that and got to skip a very long ticket line…read more Some cool stuff here for sure! I came in August of 2026 and there was a big Jasper Johns exhibit and a big Ruth Asawa exhibit. It feels like quite a large proportion of the museum is devoted to specific exhibits like that, rather than having long corridors with a diverse assortment. I like to be pleasantly surprised by different takes on art as I turn every corner, and there isn't as much of that here. But that's just my taste. Whether or not that's true for you, this is a large facility, and the building and grounds themselves are a pleasure to explore. Some of you, and I include myself here, definitely would wish for more seating in the galleries than you'll find here. They are pretty strict about bringing in metal objects and bags and things. I actually am not sure what those specifics are; I had a backpack and they told me to check it in with them. Had to wait in line and give it to them and everything.

This museum was the main reason why I chose to visit Bilbao during my recent trip to Spain. It had…read morebeen on my bucket list for years! I've visited the Guggenheim museums in NYC and Venice and I have to say that this building had the most unique architecture of them all so far. Designed by Frank Gehry, the museum is a deconstructionist building with over 33,000 titanium plates. Located along the Nervion River, the industrial backdrop of Bilbao blends in with the metallic look of the museum. The interior seems a bit jumbled, which is a contrast to the sleekness of the exterior. Stairwells jut here and there, it didn't seem like there was a real flow. In terms of the collection, while I was here there was an exhibition of Jasper Johns, and while I'm not a huge fan but know his work, it was interesting. I found that the exhibits were on the niche side, albeit very comprehensive with retrospectives of their work. I really liked viewing the installation piece by Richard Serra, The Matter of Time. Also being a fan of Jeff Koons, the live Puppy outdoor sculpture is amazing to view. Honestly, I was more impressed with the architecture rather than the art here.

This spot by itself is well worth the visit to Laredo! I had a hard time finding the tunnel and…read morefinally found the entrance after asking multiple people for help and multiple usages of Google translate. The tunnel itself is an awesome piece of civil engineering and I loved the paintings on the walls. Once you come out of the tunnel, you have truly incredible views of the oceans! Great spot to soak in some nature and take some great pictures.