Bilbao Fine Arts Museum, enjoy the largest collection of Basque art.

Visit the Bilbao Fine Arts Museum and discover one of the largest art museums in the Basque Country.

Many of the tourists who visit the Basque Country leave aside the Bilbao Fine Arts Museum blinded by the fame of the Guggenheim Museum, a common mistake that we must correct.

Bilbao Fine Arts Museum, entrance

The Museum that concerns us in this article is not just another museum, founded in 1945 after the merger of the museums of Modern Art and Fine Arts of Bilbao, already occupied an important social and cultural role before the arrival of our beloved Guggenheim Museum on the banks of the estuary of Bilbao. Beware, do not be confused, with all the above we do not underestimate the value of the Guggenheim Museum, but on the contrary, we want to state the importance of the binomial Bilbao Guggenheim Museum & Fine Arts Museum, two art museums that complement each other perfectly and that we must take into account in any visit to the capital of Bizkaia.

Throughout this article we will give you all the information you need to visit the Bilbao Fine Arts Museum, stay tuned!

More than 8,000 works of art coexist within the walls of the Museum of Fine Arts of Bilbao, a complete collection among which we are captivated by the works of Basque artists, local artists. A wide range that covers ancient, modern and contemporary art, works, which occupy the timeline from the twelfth century and ends in our days, a great diversity for which it is known worldwide.

Traditions and way of life of the Basque people, Bellas Artes Museum

Although we love the works of Aurelio Arteta, Chillida, Nestor Basterretxea or Oteiza, we must not forget the works of great artists such as El Greco or Goya.

Its main façade shows us one of the many faces of this museum, a building that has evolved over time to become the complete space that we can see today, a space in which temporary and permanent exhibitions coexist with the store and the bar-restaurant.

Bilbao Fine Arts Museum

Although the main facade of this museum captivates everyone who passes by it, we must go around it on the left side to find its entrance. Upon entering, on the left hand side we will find the temporary exhibition, on the right the permanent exhibition.

Entrance to the Bilbao Fine Arts Museum

The Museum of Fine Arts of Bilbao is the union of 2 great currents, the Museum of Fine Arts and the Museum of Modern Art Bilbao. The origin of the first Museum of Fine Arts dates back to 1908, year in which it was founded to open its doors years later in 1914. This museum merged in 1945 with the Museum of Modern Art of Bilbao inaugurated in 1924.

View from the entrance to the Bilbao Fine Arts Museum

The Museum of Fine Arts of Bilbao, is located in the center of Bilbao, next to the promenade of the Bilbao estuary, the Iberdrola tower, the Doña Casilda park and a host of emblematic scenarios of the Bilbao entresijo. We recommend going to the museum on foot to enjoy the surrounding environment but we can also go by public transport in the city:

Metro: The closest Metro Bilbao stop is Moyua. Although this metro stop has 2 exits, the two are practically at the same distance.

Tramway: In this case we can opt for the Abandoibarra or Guggenheim stops.

Bus: In Bizkaia there are two types of buses most used, Bilbobus (buses that circulate through the city center) and Bizkaibus (buses that cover practically the entire territory of Bizkaia).

Schedule:

• From Wednesday to Monday: from 10:00 to 20:00.
• Tuesday closed.
• December 24 and 31 from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
• December 25, January 1 and 6 closed.

Bilbao Fine Arts Museum Press Pass

Pricing:

• General admission: 7,00 €.
• Reduced admission: 5,00 € (Students, under 25 years old, over 65 years old and groups from 15 persons)
• Audioguide: 3,00 €.
• Free: Museum Day (every Wednesday), Museum Members, Children under 12, Unemployed, Under 25 (Sundays from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m.)

We can make the visit in different ways, self-guided, with audio guide or guided tour. Although all of them are valid and interesting, from TurismoVasco.com we always recommend the guided tour, the only way in which it is possible to constantly ask for every doubt that arises.

Visits to the Bilbao Fine Arts Museum

Consultation Point, Bilbao Fine Arts Museum

In collaboration with Iberdrola and ONCE, the museum has an experimental space through which they propose a tactile approach to artistic materials and techniques (first floor of the permanent exhibition). We were delighted to find a section dedicated to all those with visual impairments! In addition to the previous space, the museum offers the possibility of a 1-hour guided tour of the museum’s rooms.

Touching and Feeling, Bilbao Fine Arts Museum

The Bilbao Fine Arts Museum has obtained our exclusive “TurismoVasco Tiketa” accreditation for its great work throughout its more than 100 years of history and for the great cultural and historical value of the Basque people that it keeps behind its walls.

Tourism AccreditationVasco Tiketa

Would you like to visit it? We recommend it.