You’ve probably heard of Bilbao. Whether that’s due to its world famous cuisine, Frank Gehry’s Guggenheim, or its immediate coastline being featured in Game of Thrones.
For a self-confessed modern architectural fan and foodie, it had been on my radar for a while. But I have to admit I was clueless about what else this city in Northern Spain had to offer, especially for a family. So following a brief stop off in Santander (a max of 1.5 hrs away by bus) off we went to explore this now infamous cultural hot spot.
I was particularly interested in whether the opening of the Guggenheim in 1997, which was hoped to kick start the physical, cultural and economic regeneration of the city, had done just that. The Glasgow Garden Festival in 1988 signalled the rebirth of my home city, and the hope is that the recent opening of the V&A in Dundee will have a similar effect.
Arriving in Bilbao I found myself struck by a sickness bug which meant I spent pretty much the first 12 hrs of our visit, familiarising myself with the depressing bathroom facilities (or lack of) in the Ibis Bilbao Central. Thankfully the husband was on hand to whisk our five year old daughter away to find a suitable play park following their yummy breakfast and game of fussball in the hotel lobby, whilst I recovered.
A few hours later, dazed and slightly confused, I found them in an amazing, modern play park beside the Guggenheim where they’d been for hours – as any parent will know, that’s the sign of a good park! It turned out to be one of many we found scattered across the city, particularly along the Nervion river and in the Old Town (the others being in Arriaga Plaza, Pio Baroja Plaza and Prim Kalea) so fear not if travelling with kids.
We also took the opportunity to take in the curves and beauty of Frank Gehry’s creation, plus some of the outdoor sculptures and exhibits surrounding the Guggenheim – Jeff Koon’s ‘Puppy’, Anish Kapoor and Louise Bourgeois’ ‘Maman’ (essentially a huge spider). Our daughter seemed to enjoy the outdoor exhibits more than those contained within (especially watching the birds and insects that flocked to the ‘Puppy’), but if you are a fan of modern art, I’m sure you’ll enjoy Mark Rothko’s ‘Untitled’, Jeff Koon’s ‘Tulips’, Jenny Holzer’s LED columns (also popular with our daughter), Yves Klein’s ‘Large Blue Anthropometry’ and the exhibits from more local artists. Worth bearing in mind that the Guggenheim is closed on Monday’s (maybe not during peak season) as were many of the main galleries and museums which caught us out so plan ahead.
If architecture is your thing, you may also enjoy the art nouveau train station (famous for its huge stained glass window in the upper hall), the impressive cathedrals, Basque Health Department building designed by Juan Coll-Barreu, the Zubizuri bridge, the San Mames Stadium (home to Bilbao Athletic Football Club) plus the Azkuna Zentroa.
The latter is a former wine storage warehouse which is now a cultural centre designed by Philippe Starck. It’s internal columns are all individually designed, plus there’s loads of space for kids to run around and café/bar too.
It also contains a flash swimming pool (and rooftop sun terrace) which cost around 11 Euro’s (for one adult and one child) to enter. This was a life-saver on a rainy morning, helping to keep my daughter and I entertained whilst the husband caught up on some work. It was one of the bizarre highlights of our trip, in part due to our inability to find the exit from the changing area to the pool and attracting the scorn of some Bilbao grannies who were particularly grumpy about our lack of poolside footwear and swimming caps. Smiling politely we seemed to get away with it, aided by the lifeguards who gave us some not particularly attractive swimming caps to wear.
All of this modern architecture sits alongside the slightly run down and rustic. There’s definitely a different ‘feel’ to northern Spain than to the South, where English is widely spoken and obviously the climate is very different. Bilbao felt ‘grittier’, certainly more Spanish and with a clear sense of its own identity to the rest of Spain.
You get a sense of this in the (relatively small) Old Town . The narrow streets house numerous bars, cafes and restaurants. There seemed to be an almost constant stream of locals lining the pavements either sipping cortado’s, a Rioja or beer and catching up with friends no matter what time of day it was. It perhaps goes some way to explaining why the locals appear so relaxed.
The Old Town is also where you find Plaza Nueva – a great spot for people watching and letting the kids run around whilst you enjoy a beer/rioja and sample the massive array of Pintxos bars surrounding the square.
Sadly my husband was struck down with a bug the day we eventually found ourselves at Plaza Nueva and our daughter wasn’t in the mood for trying new things. That didn’t stop me though! It is difficult to recommend particular bars but I certainly couldn’t fault the Pintxos sampled at Victor Montes, Gure Toki, Café Bar Bilbao, and Bar Gatz but I genuinely think you can’t go wrong with simply having a look at what’s on offer in each, picking one, then moving on to the next bar. Some of my Pintxos highlights included fried fish on a bed of seaweed and goats cheese topped with thinly sliced, grilled courgette; all for a couple of Euro’s a piece.
We also sampled some traditional fare at Café Iruna in the centre which offers Pintxos or a 14.50 Euro set lunch menu and another spot frequented by locals in the Old Town.
With delicate stomachs and a fussy eater in tow, we did find ourselves at TOTOPO (which I would recommend) for burritos and nachos one afternoon, plus an Italian place near the hotel called Gino’s.
Another neighbour which exemplified the ‘grittier’ side of the city was Bilbao la Vieja, the so-called hipster area. This, the Old Town plus centre were easy to explore on foot.
We used the tram and metro on a few occasions, including to visit Getxo which is at the mouth of the estuary of Bilbao and felt like an affluent seaside suburb . We lucked out with the weather so were able to take in its Marina and Las Arenas beach in the sunshine. I’d also suggest checking out the Bizkaia Bridge (also known as the hanging bridge) and the gondola that transports people between Getxo and Portugalete. There’s a nice wee playwark beside the bridge plus cycle paths, so may even be worth considering hiring bikes.
One slight surprise was the lack of amenities on the promenade beside the main beach. Instead you are greeted by huge, almost palatial houses. Cafes, bars, restaurants and shops were non existent, so worth bringing a picnic or planning to eat around the main metro stop. We did eventually stumble upon the ‘aquarium’ which, and I don’t mean to sound critical, was a lesson in misleading marketing – I have seen more fish in a pet shop! But who doesn’t love spotting a Nemo and Dory…
In hindsight, it’s a shame we all succumbed to bouts of illness whilst we were in Bilbao. Being tired and desperate for some home comforts, it wasn’t necessarily the relaxing (ok as relaxing as it can be with a five year old) family Easter get away we had hoped for.
I was impressed by the architecture but not having been to Bilbao before, it was hard to ascertain what effect (positive or negative) the Guggenheim has made, apart from the obvious financial aspects in attracting tourists from around the globe. Time will tell if Dundee’s V&A has the same appeal…
Don’t get me wrong, I would definitely like to go back, perhaps just as a couple or with friends for a long weekend, if only to indulge in some more of those Pintxos and a rioja or two!
Travel for travel's sake 