Bilbao: practical guide

How to get there

Bilbao has a international airport 14 km from the centre. Less than 30 minutes from the city centre. Air France proposes 17 weekly flights departing from Paris-CDG while Vueling links Orly in Bilbao 10 times a week. Easyjet offers two weekly frequencies to Geneva and to Basel-Mulhouse. Finally, Brussels Airlines operates a daily frequency to Brussels while Vueling serves the Belgian capital three times a week. Alternatively, passengers can go to Biarritz and reach Bilbao by land.

From the airport, a bus runs to the city centre every 15 to 20 minutes.

Getting around

Bilbao has a dense network of metros, trams and buses, as well as a funicular railway. Map of Bilbao Bilbao Bizkaia Card available from Bilbao Turismo branches, allows you to make full use of this transport. Even if you don't need it to explore the historic city.

Stay

- The Artist - Grand Hotel of Art (https://hoteltheartist.com/5-stars-hotel-bilbao/). This 5-star hotel is ideally located opposite the Guggenheim. Its rooftop is popular for its bird's-eye view of the museum and is perfect for a MICE breakfast or cocktails (part of the restaurant can be reserved for private parties). The Olio restaurant serves local cuisine, highlighting the Basque culinary heritage. The hotel has 145 rooms, including 10 suites, in a bright, contemporary design. The Artist is also renowned for its art collection.

- Barceló Bilbao Nervion (https://www.barcelo.com/en-gb/barcelo-bilbao-nervion/). For 50 years, this 4-star hotel has been a traditional address between the old town and the Guggenheim, along the Nervion. Renovated, the Barcelo Bilbao Nervion seduces with its design, its authentic cuisine and a lifestyle that perfectly reflects Bilbao. Perfect for high-capacity MICE with its 350 rooms including 28 suites.

- Ercilla Hotel-Marriott Autograph Collection (https://www.marriott.com/en-us/hotels/bioak-hotel-ercilla-de-bilbao-autograph-collection/overview/?scid=f2ae0541-1279-4f24-b197-a979c79310b0). Recently acquired by Marriott, this 325-room 4-star establishment has been given a glamorous but not ostentatious 70s makeover. Bulbous seats, designer lamps and geographically patterned cushions adorn the rooms. The La Terraza restaurant overlooks the city's rooftops...

- Sercotel Bilbao Ayala (https://www.sercotelhoteles.com/es/hotel-ayala?utm_source=google&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=metasearch-links): This recent 4-star hotel with minimalist decor offers 61 rooms just a few minutes' walk from Gran Via and the El Corte Ingles department stores'. A breakfast bar and restaurant.

Eat

Gure Toki (https://www.guretoki.com/location) is one of Bilbao's gastronomic landmarks. Located on the Plaza Nueva in the old town, this bistro serves the famous pintxos (Basque tapas) reinterpreted in a more contemporary style. But you can still enjoy authentic Basque recipes, accompanied by local wines.

Nerua Guggenheim Bilbao (https://www.neruaguggenheimbilbao.com/). Few museums can boast a Michelin-starred restaurant. But the Guggenheim does. Its chef Josean Alija reworks traditional Basque flavours with a contemporary twist. A la carte or tasting menus: it's all perfect! Booking essential...

To meet

Le Bilbao Convention Bureau is on hand to help MICE organisers and travel managers find the best solutions for their events. In particular with a French-speaking team. Requests can be sent via the BCB's online site (https://bilbaoconventionbureau.bilbao.eus/fr/accueil/). We guarantee a response within 48 hours!

Find out more

Bilbao's historic and cultural districts are relatively compact and can be explored by a few hours or two to three days -including a visit to the museums, for example.

The best way to spend an hour or two exploring the city is to follow the Ria de Bilbao, the mouth formed by the Nervion and Ibaizabal river systems. You'll start at the key centre of contemporary architecture, comprising the Iberdrola Tower, the Guggenheim Museum and the Puppy statue dressed in flowers, the brainchild of Jeff Kons. Following the river, you can admire the Isozaki Atea twin towers and the Zubizuri bridgeby Calatrava. Finally, we arrive in the historic heart of the city, where the town hall bears a striking resemblance to that of Paris, the old customs office, the majestic Arriaga Theatre and the Ribera market. And don't forget to stroll through the little streets next to the Plaza Nueva and its arcades.

More time in town? The marvellous panorama from Mount Artxanda which you can reach by funicular railway, gives you a good idea of Bilbao's development. The Gran Via, built at the end of the 19th century, is a veritable architectural promenade. Here you will find a jumble of classical, Beaux-Arts, Art Nouveau and Art Deco buildings, from the Franco era through to the 60s and 70s, including the El Corte Ingles department stores', opened in 1962. Calle Uribitarte Erranplak, near the Zubizuri bridge, is a superb example of eclectic architecture, with its handsome middle-class buildings adorned with atlatls and bow windows.

In terms of culture, in addition to the Guggenheim, the Museum of Fine Arts offers a fine collection of modern Spanish art. While there's always something going on at the Azkuna Zentroa municipal cultural centre - Alhóndiga with esoteric-looking spaces!