Things to do in Bilbao [2024]
We visited Bilbao in the first week of December which coincided with two public holidays in Spain. But that didn’t stop us from finding plenty to do. The weather was cold but sunny so it was nice to be outside wandering along the river and beach, and exploring the beautiful Basque city.
This was how we spent most of our three days in Bilbao in December:
Day 1: Land at Bilbao, check into our hotel. Wander the Abando area, eat pintxos and drink sangria at Abando Restaurante.
Day 2: Guggenheim museum, walk to Cafe Iruna. Eat pintxos and vermouth around Plaza Nueva.
Day 3: Explore the old town, wander around the Christmas market. Eat pintxos in Centro.
Visiting Bilbao in December
Our December trip coincided with the city’s Christmas light switch on and Christmas market openings. There was also an ice rink next to old down which was busy with families and locals into the night.
A lot of the main sights of Bilbao can be viewed simply by walking round the town. Including the Catedral de Santiago de Bilbao, La Ribera Market, Casco Viejo, and Jeff Coon’s famous Puppy sculpture outside the Guggenheim Museum.
How long do I need at the Guggenheim, Bilbao?
On a bright Sunday morning we went to the Guggenheim Museum. We went in at 11am, before it was too busy. And we were able to see every exhibit – including a Yayoi Kusama which had a very long queue by the time we were finished!
We spent about 2.5 hours at the Guggenheim Bilbao. This was on a fairly quiet Sunday morning when we only had to queue for one exhibit. This also included a 15 minute stop in the museum cafe for pintxos.
We were able to see every room and exhibit within this time – some more quickly than others. However you could easily spend much longer, or be in and out much quicker, depending on your schedule.
The €13 ticket does not have a time limit. But you do need to enter within one hour of your assigned entry time.
The best places to eat in Bilbao
Bilbao is a beautiful city but one of the best activities there is eating – which is no surprise for a place that’s known as one of the world’s most famous foodie destinations. So the main purpose of our wanderings here was pintxos. From the time we left our hotel to the time we went to bed – with a short nap in the middle – eating pintxos was pretty much all we did.
Pintxos in Old Town (Casco Viejo)
Our favourite old town pintxos spots were:
All of these are on the Plaza Nueva and offer great, varied pintxos. Don’t be put off by the tourist trap vibes of the square. The food here is genuinely great.
Pintxos in Centro
We stayed in Centro and our favourite pintxos close to our hotel were:
Want to know more about planning a trip to Bilbao? Read our blog: How we spent one week in Basque Country: Bilbao and San Sebastián