Coastal city and the center of the Basque country in northern Spain, Bilbao is a bustling city with modern and historical attractions. There are modern museums to be explored and medieval architecture to be admired. If you want to concentrate on what is found around the city, you will discover a world of outdoor sport possibilities with surfing, biking, trekking, climbing and much more.
Outdoor sports. The Basque country is known as an excellent destination for outdoor sport lovers. The region has nice facilities available forbiking in Bilbao. If you love mountains, you are not that far away from the excellent spots offered for mountain climbing and trekking near Bilbao. Also of interest, there are some courses for golf in Bilbao available. As a coastal city, Bilbao offers nice beaches and good sites for water sports, among which the most popular is surfing in Bilbao.
Bilbao, Basque city with modern museums and historical old town
The largest city in Basque country, Bilbao manages to be modern and old-fashioned at the same time. You can find many excellent museums in Bilbao, including the mind-confusing modern art museum of Guggenheim with its spiders. After visiting Bilbao's museums, you can move on to see the historical churches of the city, or explore the fascinating Old Town of Bilbao, which with its medieval streets and architecture forms a nice background for shops, bars and restaurants, where you can enjoy the lively city life, at times colored by concerts and festivals in Bilbao.Outdoor sports. The Basque country is known as an excellent destination for outdoor sport lovers. The region has nice facilities available forbiking in Bilbao. If you love mountains, you are not that far away from the excellent spots offered for mountain climbing and trekking near Bilbao. Also of interest, there are some courses for golf in Bilbao available. As a coastal city, Bilbao offers nice beaches and good sites for water sports, among which the most popular is surfing in Bilbao.
Practical information for your trip to Bilbao
Located in the northeastern corner of Spain, Bilbao is best reached by air. Direct flights to Bilbao are offered from most main airports of Europe, and you can easily travel here also by bus or trai for elsewhere in Spain, or by ferry from Portsmouth, UK. Moving around in Bilbao is easy with public transport system, which consists of trams, buses and metros. There is also a scenic funicular available, offering you a quick ride up to Artxanda hill to see the views over the city. Car rental in Bilbao is also available for independent touring.
Photo: Dalequetepego, used under Creative Commons License (By SA 2.0)
Weather. Bilbao enjoys a pleasantly mild climate all year round, with average monthly high temperatures of around 20–25⁰C during spring, summer and autumn. In wintertime, temperatures in Bilbao drop to 10–15⁰C, which keeps you off the beach, but still leaves a lot more to do during your visit to Bilbao.
Visitor services. The largest city in Basque country, Bilbao offers good tourist services. There are hotels in Bilbao available to many tastes, and restaurants in Bilbao will offer you diverse culinary experiences. Nightlife in Bilbao is quite active, and possibilities for shopping in Bilbao should also be checked before you leave town.
Safety. Although home to Basque separatism, Bilbao is generally a quite safe place, but as in all big cities, you will find trouble if you go looking for it. Most educated and young people in Bilbao speak also some English.
hint See also these nearby destinations: Santander, San Sebastian, Biarritz
