How many days in Bilbao? 3 days of Guggenheim, pintxos and Basque coast
By Tony Panopoulos · travel-agency planner in Greece · Updated
Bilbao was an industrial port with a polluted river until the Guggenheim opened in 1997; now the Nervión is lined with walking paths and the old town has some of the best bar food in Spain. Give it three days: one for the museums and the river, one for the Casco Viejo and its pintxo bars, and one on the Basque coast. Everything central is within a 20-minute walk, and the metro runs to the beaches.
Short answer
Two days covers the Guggenheim, the old town and an evening of pintxos. The third day reaches the coast: the hanging bridge at Portugalete and the island chapel of San Juan de Gaztelugatxe.
The 3-day plan, day by day
Day 1: Guggenheim and the riverside
Morning. Be at the Guggenheim Museum when it opens at 10:00 (closed most Mondays outside summer; about €18-20). Outside, look for Jeff Koons' flower-covered Puppy and Louise Bourgeois' spider Maman; inside, allow an hour for Richard Serra's walk-through steel spirals, The Matter of Time.
Afternoon. Walk 10 minutes through Doña Casilda Park to the Museo de Bellas Artes (about €12-15, free on some afternoons), with El Greco, Goya and Basque painters. Then follow the river path past the Zubizuri footbridge.
Evening. Take the Artxanda funicular (a few euros, 3 minutes) up the hill for sunset over the city and the Guggenheim's titanium, then eat grilled meat at one of the asadores up top or back in Abando.
Guggenheim tickets are timed in busy months; booking online also lets you skip the queue. The audio guide is included.
Day 2: Casco Viejo, La Ribera and pintxos
Morning. Cross the Puente de San Antón into the Casco Viejo and walk its Siete Calles, the seven original medieval streets. Visit the Gothic Santiago Cathedral and the Mercado de la Ribera, a 1929 riverside market hall with fish, cheese and a ground-floor pintxo bar.
Afternoon. Visit the Euskal Museoa (Basque Museum, about €3-5) for the language, sports and seafaring history of the Basques, then climb the 300-odd steps of the Calzadas de Mallona to the Basilica of Begoña for the view.
Evening. Do a pintxo crawl around the arcades of Plaza Nueva: one pintxo and a small drink (a zurito of beer or a txakoli) is about €4-6 per stop. Try three or four bars, one or two pintxos each, in the Basque way.
The hot pintxos made to order are often written on a board behind the bar, not on the counter. Ask for them; they are usually the best thing in the bar.
Day 3: Vizcaya Bridge and San Juan de Gaztelugatxe
Morning. Take metro line 1 about 25 minutes to Areeta and walk to the Vizcaya Bridge (Puente Colgante), a UNESCO-listed 1893 transporter bridge. Cross to Portugalete in the hanging gondola for under €1, or walk the top walkway 50 metres up (about €10).
Afternoon. Go to San Juan de Gaztelugatxe, a chapel on an islet joined to the coast by a stone causeway with about 241 steps. It is about 1 hour by car, or by Bizkaibus via Bermeo. Book the free access slot online in summer and at Easter.
Evening. Stop in the fishing town of Bermeo for grilled fish on the harbour, or in Mundaka, known for its surf wave at the mouth of the Urdaibai estuary, before returning to Bilbao.
The walk down and back up from the car park to Gaztelugatxe takes 1h30 or more and is steep. Wear proper shoes and bring water; there is no shade on the stairs.
Only have 2 days?
With 2 days, do Days 1 and 2 and use the evening of Day 1 for the Vizcaya Bridge by metro instead of Artxanda. You lose the coast and Gaztelugatxe.
Got extra days?
A 4th day goes to San Sebastián, about 1h15 by bus (roughly €7-9), for La Concha beach and its own pintxo bars, or to Gernika, about 45 minutes by train, for the Peace Museum, the tiled replica of Picasso's painting and the Tree of Gernika.
Where to stay in Bilbao
| Budget | Area | Why | Typical double/night |
|---|---|---|---|
| Budget | Casco Viejo / Bilbao La Vieja | Cheapest rooms and hostels, in the middle of the pintxo bars. | €70-110 |
| Mid-range | Abando | Central, by the main stations and metro, 15 minutes' walk to the Guggenheim. | €110-180 |
| Mid-range | Indautxu | Residential grid of good restaurants and shops, quieter at night. | €100-170 |
| Comfort | Abandoibarra riverside | Design hotels facing the Guggenheim and the river. | €200-400 |
Getting around
Central Bilbao is compact: the Guggenheim to the Casco Viejo is about 15-20 minutes on foot along the river. The Bilbao metro, with stations by Norman Foster, has two lines; single fares start at about €1.50, cheaper with a Barik card. The Euskotren tram runs along the river. From Bilbao airport, the Bizkaibus A3247 bus takes about 20 minutes to the centre for around €3; a taxi is roughly €25-35.
What to eat in Bilbao
Bilbao's bars line the counter with pintxos on bread, and the city takes them seriously. Look for gilda (anchovy, olive and pickled chilli on a stick), bacalao al pil-pil (salt cod in an emulsified garlic sauce), txipirones en su tinta (squid in its ink) and kokotxas. Drink txakoli, a slightly sparkling white poured from a height. A cider house (sagardotegi) menu of cod omelette, steak and cheese with cider from the barrel costs about €40-50. Lunch menus (menú del día) run about €15-20 with wine, and dinner starts at 21:00.
Best time to visit
May to June and September to October are best, with highs of 18-25°C. Bilbao is green because it rains often, even in summer; carry an umbrella year-round. July and August are warmest at around 25-28°C. The city's big festival, Aste Nagusia, fills the streets for nine days in late August with concerts and fireworks, and hotel prices rise.
Month-by-month weather for Bilbao →
What a day costs
| Budget | Mid-range | Comfort | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bed (per person, sharing a double) | €40 | €75 | €150 |
| Food & drink | €25 | €45 | €90 |
| Sights & tickets | €15 | €30 | €50 |
| Local transport | €4 | €10 | €30 |
| Total per person, per day | about €85 | about €160 | about €320 |
Approximate 2026 prices in euros. The Basque Country has moved to introduce a tourist tax on overnight stays; check whether it applies to your dates and if your booking already includes it.
Before you go
Common questions
Is Bilbao worth visiting beyond the Guggenheim?
Yes. The museum takes half a day, but the old town's market and pintxo bars, the Fine Arts Museum, the funicular view and the coast by metro fill two or three days easily. Many visitors also find Bilbao cheaper and less crowded than San Sebastián, while the food is just as good.
How do I get to San Juan de Gaztelugatxe without a car?
Take the Bizkaibus from Bilbao towards Bermeo and change, or take a direct summer bus where it runs; the trip is about 1h15. From the bus stop it is a long downhill walk and steep stairs to the chapel. In peak season you must book a free time slot online, so plan the bus around it.
Should I base myself in Bilbao or San Sebastián?
Bilbao is usually cheaper, has better transport to the airport and the coast, and makes an easy day trip to San Sebastián, about 1h15 by bus. San Sebastián has the city beach and more Michelin-starred restaurants. Some travellers split the stay, two nights in each.
Do I need to speak Spanish or Basque?
Signs are in Basque (Euskara) and Spanish, and many younger people and hotel staff speak English. In bars, pointing at the pintxos and naming a drink works fine. Learning eskerrik asko (thank you) in Basque is appreciated, and ordering in Spanish is perfectly normal.
How this guide was made
Compiled by TonyPlan from official tourism, transport and attraction sources and on-the-ground travel knowledge. Prices are approximate for 2026 and change with season; anything we could not confirm is marked as approximate.
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