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La Rioja (Spain)

Rioja wine and fossilized dinosaur tracks

94km

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capital and largest city of Spain

250km

40.42029-3.70342

Zaragoza

city of Aragon, Spain

262km

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Sights (18)

Bilbao Cathedral

Gothic-style 14th-century cathedral, named after Bilbao's official patron saint. Three naves and small Gothic cloisters. The building was designated a cathedral in 1949. Its Neo-gothic tower and main façade were designed by Severino de Achúcarro in the 1800s. The adjoining square (Plaza de Santiago) bosts a fountain designed by Luis Paret during the reign of Carlos III with the inscription Por el bien público (For the good of the people).

54m

43.25694444-2.92388889

Casco Viejo

cultural property in Bilbao, Spain

57m

43.25722222-2.92388889

Church of Saint Anthony the Great

Gothic style church from the first half of the 15th century (1422). Dedicated to San Anton in the 16th century, the building is a mixture of styles including a renaissance portico and baroque tower which was built in 1777. The church was constructed on the ruins of a former alcazar, and is shown on Bilbao's shield.

162m

43.255-2.92333333

Plaza Nueva, Bilbao

town square in Bilbao, Spain

187m

43.2591-2.9227

San Antón Bridge

Next to the Iglesia de San Antón sits Bilbao's most emblematic bridge.

188m

43.25472222-2.92305556

Reproductions Museum Bilbao

Full-scale reproductions of the world's most famous works of art. Call ahead for a guided visit.

355m

43.2555-2.9264

Bilbao-Concordia railway station

Also known as La Concordia, it was built between 1898-1902 on the banks of the Nervión. Designed by the engineer Valentín Gorbeña, with the art nouveau main façade added later with a design by the architect Severino Achúcarro.

408m

43.2601-2.9263

Bilbao City Hall

Also known as la Casa Consistorial or Udaletxea. The city hall opened in 1892. Designed by architect Jaquin Rucoba in neo-baroque style. Don't miss the main reception area, called Arab Salon.

583m

43.2642-2.9235

Bilbao-Abando railway station

Even if you are not going to take a train, visit the platforms, there is an impressive stained glass atrium depicting some traditional Basque jobs.

602m

43.26138889-2.92777778

Zubizuri

The graceful white pedestrian bridge designed by Santiago Calatrava, actually zubi zuri means white bridge in Basque. It spans the Nervión connecting the riverwalks Campo Volatin and Mazarredo. Be careful, the bridge is slippery when wet!

912m

43.26640556-2.92791667

Biscay Foral Delegation Palace

Ornately decorated palace situated on the Grand Vía. Baroque-style monument designed by Luis Aladrén in 1897 to serve as the seat of the Diputación Foral de Bizkaia (Vizcaya) and inaugurated on July 31, 1900. The interior is just as lavish as the exterior, with beautiful stained glass windows.

1.0km

43.26194444-2.93194444

Basilica of Begoña

Overlooking Bilbao, this is perhaps the most symbolic religious building in the city. Built in the 16th-century by Sancho Martinez de Arego, who was also responsible for the Iglesia San Anton. It is a basilica of three naves. During the first Carlista War, in 1835, the façade and the tower were destroyed. The present ones were designed Jose Maria Basterra and constructed between 1902 and 1907.

1.1km

43.25868611-2.91384722

Artxanda Funicular

Funicular railway in the Spanish city of Bilbao

1.1km

43.27091944-2.92291389

Moyúa

On the strech of the Gran Vía between Plaza Abando and Plaza Moyua is the main shopping and fashion district of Bilbao. On this short stretch you can find tons of clothes shops (For, Zara, Mango, H&M) as well as department store El Corte Ingles. This is a must-walk street.

1.4km

43.263-2.935

Guggenheim Museum Bilbao

Frank Gehry's spectacular twisting titanium-clad modern art museum is perhaps the most celebrated building of the 1990s, even starting what would be called the 'Bilbao-effect': The idea in urban planning that a star-quality building can single-handedly change the entire image of a city. Although this effect is unproven in its pure form, the Guggenheim nevertheless changed the world wide perception of Bilbao. The graceful, sensuous curves, evocative of the ships that used to be ubiquitous along the docks of Bilbao, are covered in titanium squares, which resemble the scales of a fish and shimmer in the sunlight. In keeping with the maritime theme, appropriate for the setting, the skylights of the largest gallery (formerly known as the Fish gallery) are designed to look like the fins of fish. Many parts of the building are purely decorative, and don't serve any purpose. The permanent collection is not particularly impressive, but the museum always hosts at least one interesting temporary exhibit, frequently comprised of masterpieces from the other Guggenheim collections.

1.5km

43.26861111-2.93388889

Euskalduna Conference Centre and Concert Hall

A convention center and concert hall housed in a modern building at the far end of paseo Uribitarte. Home to the Bilbao Symphony Orchestra and Bilbao Opera.

2.5km

43.267-2.945

Vizcaya Bridge

Also known as Puente Colgante (the hanging bridge), this is the only UNESCO World Heritage site in Spain listed in the "Industrial" category.

11km

43.3231-3.0169

Pamplona

capital city of Navarre, Spain

146km

42.81666667-1.65
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Someday we will visit Bilbao or begin to dream about going there! However, for now its not on our radar. Let us know in the comments if you think that should change!

Bilbao

Situated on the banks of the Nervión, Bilbao is the largest city in Spain's Basque Country. Milder and rainier than most other parts of Spain, the greenery of Bilbao is both a blessing and a curse: the climate here is as much a welcome relief from the heat of the dry plains in the south as a thorn in the side of those hoping for a day at the beach. But the shore of the Bay of Biscay isn't really the main attraction—instead, Bilbao is perhaps the best place in the world to experience the ancient culture and language of the Basque people, which has stubbornly held its own over thousands of years and is now completely unlike any modern-day culture in Europe.

Bilbao was appointed a "City of Design" by UNESCO in 2014 and has been part of the Creative Cities Network since then.

The Bilbao metropolitan area comprises about 47% of the total population of the Basque autonomous community, out of which a 15% is registered in the municipality of Bilbao. The comarca of Greater Bilbao, in which the city occupies a central position, has a GDP per capita of €30,860, higher than the Spanish and European Union averages. The Bilbao metropolitan area has a nominal GDP amounting to $36,9 billion. Bilbao has been the economic centre of the Basque autonomous community since the original establishment of the Consulate of the Sea in the city in the 16th century, mostly thanks to the commerce in Castilian products on the town's port. It was in the 19th century when the city experimented its biggest economic development, mainly based on the exploitation of the nearby iron mines and siderurgy, both of which promoted maritime traffic and port activity and eventually the development of a very important shipbuilding industry.

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Climate

Average temperatures

Jan

13.4°C5.1
Precipitation: 120 mm

Feb

14.3°C5.1
Precipitation: 86 mm

Mar

16.5°C6.4
Precipitation: 90 mm

Apr

17.6°C7.6
Precipitation: 107 mm

May

20.8°C10.6
Precipitation: 78 mm

Jun

23.4°C13.4
Precipitation: 60 mm

Jul

25.4°C15.4
Precipitation: 51 mm

Aug

26°C15.7
Precipitation: 77 mm

Sep

24.6°C13.8
Precipitation: 73 mm

Oct

21.4°C11.4
Precipitation: 111 mm

Nov

16.6°C8.2
Precipitation: 147 mm

Dec

13.9°C5.9
Precipitation: 122 mm
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