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).

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.

A stunning modern bridge right next to the Guggenheim. We walked on it a few times and took a ton…read moreof pictures. The views from here are spectacular. We took a boat ride that went under the bridge and again gave us a chance to marvel at the architecture.

Adjacent to the magnificent Guggenheim Bilbao is the La Salve bridge that sweeps by the museum to…read morethe center of town. After seeing the museum proper we made the trek up to the red arch. Taking the elevator up almost the top a guy in the elevator reminded me by saying Arriba! Great views of the river, the old town,the new construction and the sweep of Bilbao proper