Bilbao on a budget: how to do it well
Short answer
Yes, Bilbao works on a budget if you eat the lunchtime menú and pace your pintxos. Allow about €85 a day per person for a hostel or shared double, food, one paid sight and transport.
A realistic daily budget
| Budget | Mid-range | Comfort | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bed (per person, sharing) | €40 | €75 | €150 |
| Food & drink | €25 | €45 | €90 |
| Sights & tickets | €15 | €30 | €50 |
| Local transport | €4 | €10 | €30 |
| Per person, per day | €84 | €160 | €320 |
Approximate 2026 prices, two people sharing a room. From our Bilbao day-cost table.
Free things to do
- Walking the riverside from the Guggenheim's exterior, Jeff Koons' Puppy and Louise Bourgeois' spider Maman to the Zubizuri bridge
- The Casco Viejo's Siete Calles, Plaza Nueva and Santiago Cathedral area
- Doña Casilda Park
- The Mercado de la Ribera market hall
- The climb up the Calzadas de Mallona to the Basilica of Begoña
- Fine Arts Museum during its free-entry hours (check current times)
Cheap eats
- Gilda pintxo: about €2–3
- Cold pintxo with a zurito: about €4–6 per stop
- Pintxo de tortilla at a bar counter: about €2.50–4
- Menú del día with marmitako or bacalao: about €14–20
- Rabas (fried squid) to share: about €7–12 a ración
Where to sleep for less
Budget travellers stay in the Casco Viejo or around Abando and the bus station, where hostel dorms cost roughly €25–45 and simple doubles €60–90 outside festival dates.
Getting around cheaply
Walk the centre and use the metro, tram and funicular with a Barik card. From the airport, the Bizkaibus A3247 runs to the centre for a few euros, far cheaper than a taxi (about €25–35).
A sample budget day
- Morning: Guggenheim exterior and riverside walk (free), or the museum itself at about €18–20
- Lunch: menú del día in the Ensanche, about €16
- Afternoon: Casco Viejo, the market and the climb to Begoña (free)
- Evening: three pintxos and drinks around Plaza Nueva, about €15
- Total: about €85 including a hostel bed
More ways to save
- Ride the metro to the coast at Getxo or Plentzia for a beach day for the price of a ticket.
- Cross to Portugalete in the Vizcaya Bridge's gondola for under €1 instead of paying for the top walkway.
- Buy picnic food at the Mercado de la Ribera for a riverside lunch.
- Travel outside late August, when Aste Nagusia pushes rooms up.
- Ask for txakoli or a zurito rather than imported beers; local drinks are cheaper.
- Take the bus to San Juan de Gaztelugatxe and book the free time slot online rather than paying for a tour.
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Common questions
How much do I need per day in Bilbao?
About €85 per person on a budget: €40 for a bed, €25 for food, €15 for sights and €4 for transport.
What is the cheapest way to eat in Bilbao?
The weekday menú del día at lunch, three courses for about €14–20, plus a couple of pintxos in the evening.
How do I get from Bilbao airport to the city cheaply?
Take the Bizkaibus A3247 to the centre for a few euros, about 20 minutes. A taxi costs about €25–35.