Casco Viejo of Bilbao, what to see, where to eat and various curiosities.

Discover the Old Town of Bilbao, one of the most charming corners of Bizkaia.

The old town of Bilbao, better known as the Casco Viejo or seven streets (zazpi kaleak in Basque), is one of the best known corners of Bilbao. And no wonder. Nowadays, this Biscayan enclave is, together with the old Bilbao (popularly known as Bilbi), one of the busiest areas of the city, a great jumble of streets, which is full of vitality as the day progresses. We want to show you this historical space of the city so that you can enjoy the authentic Bilbao, the original one.

We must thank the Association of Traders in the area, the great work they are doing in what is probably the largest open-air shopping center of the entire Cantabrian coast, a feature that has helped to turn the “Casco” in one of the most visited points of our geography. In addition to being the most visited neighborhood in Bilbao, it also holds the title of the original and oldest neighborhood of the city, reason why it takes great prominence in our article“What to see in Bilbao in 1 day“. A reading that we recommend to all those who do not have much time to see the city and need an “express” planning.

The Casco Viejo, the heart of the city, the urban core of the original town of Bilbao, perfectly conveys the way of being and living of the locals. A perfect place to mingle with the people and get to know the daily life of its inhabitants. Would you like to join us?

The Casco Viejo of Bilbao is one of those spaces that catch the traveler. An authentic place, with character and vitality, where time seems to have stopped some years ago. We have spent many hours among these squares and streets, enough time to transmit the essence of this urban nucleus to perfection. We hope that the information about the Casco Viejo that we detail below, will help you to fall in love with this small “txoko” of Bilbao as we did many years ago.

To complement this visit to the Casco Viejo, we recommend you to take one of the different maritime routes that the city of Bilbao offers. A perfect complement to know the rest of the city from an original and different perspective. In case this idea is to your liking, we suggest you to take a look at our booking section or click on the booking button below these lines.

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Stores, bars, restaurants and hotels give life to the original urban center of Bilbao. A dynamism that often distracts us and does not allow us to see things as simple, historical and important as the wall or the original entrances of the old town of Bilbao. Curious, isn’t it? In this area, we can find people of all ages and cultures, but undoubtedly, the mythical txikiteros gangs are the most striking. The txikiteros were, are and will be the soul of the Casco Viejo. People, who go around the bars of the area drinking in each one of them a red wine in the typical glass of Bilbao, the txikito. These people always go in groups singing some of the most famous songs of Bilbao and Euskadi, among them, the famous bilbainadas.

History: In order to understand the origin and history of the Casco Viejo we have to go back more than 700 years, when the then village of Bilbao, already stood as one of the most important merchant centers of the north. The economy of Bizkaia, boosted at that time by the industry and the primary sector, marked the structure of the Old Helmet to the point that its two old doors, were strategically placed to approach these 2 sectors to the urban nucleus. Several theories exist on the origin of the Old Helmet and the size of the same one. And it is that, if up to now the theory with more force was that one that indicated that in a beginning they were only 3 the streets that composed this space, recent studies and the confirmation that the 7 streets shared the same type of ground, make that every day more experts are positioned in favor that the 7 streets date from the same time.

Whatever its size and structure, it is clear that it was an urban center surrounded by large walls that protected it from the outside. Meanwhile, in its interior, the products that entered through its two strategic accesses were traded. The Bilbao estuary, the main artery of the city, has always been an important way of connection with the exterior, a perfect way to give exit to all the materials and products that were created or arrived to the town. This maritime route contributed to make Bilbao one of the most important ports of the peninsula throughout the Middle Ages.

In the year 1500 the walls were overpassed to create a new extension of the existing nucleus, an expansion outside the walls. Thus, by 1600, a large part of what we know today as the Old Quarter of Bilbao was practically formed.

We cannot ignore the floods of 1983, an authentic natural disaster that destroyed practically all the Old Helmet. That yes, with much suffering and work, it was known to leave of that catastrophe, making rise from its ashes to this Bilbao enclave to become what it is at the present time, one of urban nuclei with more tradition and culture of Euskadi.

Video: As usual in all our publications we have created a short video about the Casco Viejo of Bilbao. We hope it will help you to get a more realistic idea of what awaits you in your next tourist destination. In case you like this kind of videos we encourage you to subscribe to our YouTube channel, we are waiting for you!

Streets: The Casco Viejo has a primitive medieval parceling distributed in streets, cantons and gullies. A great labyrinth that formerly housed workshops and stores, establishments, that with the crisis of the 80’s and the floods of 1983 suffered a great setback. Today, the Old Helmet, has been able to be molded perfectly to the new circumstances, reinventing itself like a space of leisure in which the gastronomy and the commercial premises take great protagonism. The streets of the Old Helmet of Bilbao are totally pedestrian from the year 1979, a free space of vehicles, that turns this corner into a commercial center outdoors with more than 240,000 square meters. An ideal place to enjoy with the family the cultural and gastronomic offer of our beloved “botxo”. A space where the youngest members of the family can give free rein to their emotions and fantasies without any danger.

There are currently 40 streets and squares in this historic place (Artecalle, Barrencalle, Barrencalle barrena, Belosticalle, Carnicería Vieja, Somera, Tendería, Arenal, Askao, Banco de España, Bidebarrieta, Cinturería, Correo, Cuevas Ekain, De la Cruz, Esperanza, Fueros, Iturribide, Jardines, Libertad, Lotería, María Muñoz, Merced, Mitxel Labegerie, Nueva, Pelota, Perro, Pl. Ernesto Erkoreka, Plaza Unamuno, Plaza Nueva, Plaza Santiago, Portal Zamudio, Ribera, Ronda, Santa María, Sendeja, Sombrerería, Torre, Víctor, Viuda de Epalza) but here are the 7 original streets and a little information about them:

How to get there: If you are staying in Bilbao, we recommend you to reach the Casco Viejo on foot, the city is small and can be reached on foot from almost any point. The most used access to the Casco Viejo of Bilbao is from the Arenal, from this point we can access in less than 5 minutes to the heart of the 7 streets. On the contrary, if you are in the outskirts of Bilbao, we recommend you to use the Metro of Bilbao, the public transport with better frequencies and location of the city. The Metro has two stops in the vicinity of the Casco Viejo, Unamuno (main entrance and best located) and San Nicolas. For all those who cannot use the two previous possibilities, we still have the train (Euskotren), the bus (Bilbobus or Bizkaibus) and the streetcar (Euskotran). As you can see, it’s not going to be a matter of options. For all those who arrive in Bilbao by car, you can park it in zones 1, 3, 9, 10, 11 and 12 of the OTA (Traffic Ordinance regulating parking) or in the different parking lots scattered around the city, the best located being the Arenal.

Casco Viejo by boat: It seems a bilbainada and maybe it is, but we are in Bilbao and everything is possible. Thanks to the Rivercheer boats and the small marsh that we find next to the San Anton Bridge, it is possible to reach the heart of Bilbao by boat, moor it and enjoy some of the terraces that we find next to the estuary. A very summery plan that combines the experience of sailing your own boat on the estuary of Bilbao with the experience of visiting the historic center of the city.

Pintxos and restaurants: In the Casco Viejo we find a great variety of pintxos bars scattered throughout each and every one of its streets. A nice sample of the miniature gastronomy of the Basque Country. Although the best known and busiest areas are Somera and Plaza Nueva, they are not the only ones, do not fall into the clichés. The best plan is to get lost, let yourself be guided by the atmosphere and the heart, or rather, by your appetite. Remember that if you finally decide to go only to the Plaza Nueva and Somera, the pintxos in the Plaza Nueva are spectacular but they cost a lot of money. For all those people who do not want to miss out, here is a small route through some of the best streets of Pintxos in the Old Town of Bilbao:

Those of you who want to eat a proper menu, you have a great list of restaurants to choose from. We are sure that restaurants like Pentxo, Iñakiren Taberna, Peña Athletic or Saibigain will not disappoint you. Establishments with very good value for money, worth a visit.

Guided tour of the Casco Viejo of Bilbao: We have been fortunate to walk through each of the streets of the Casco Viejo with a real passionate about the history, culture and curiosities of the Basque people. A tour guide as god commands, Irati. She was the one who showed us the charms of the Casco Viejo through a dynamic and enjoyable visit in which there were games, a good poteo and some other surprises. Attention, the guided tour begins!

Wemet in the Plaza Unamuno, next to the subway exit, one of the busiest squares of the “Casco” and the meeting point of many Bilbao gangs. It is here, in Unamuno, where Irati explained to us the dynamics of her guided tour:

At each stop, one person in the group would open one of the objects in the bag Irati was carrying to help our minds understand the nature of the space around us. In this case, the first object was a wallet in the shape of a Txapela, a small gadget, which represented the tradition or custom we have in Euskadi to put a pot with which to pay for the pintxo poteo to be performed. Well, said and done, Irati tied one of the people in the group with this wallet in which we deposited the pot, making him responsible for all the rounds we enjoyed. By the way, in this same enclave we found the Basque Museum and Arkeologi Museoa, 2 museums that we recommend to visit with eyes closed (if you do not have enough time to visit both, we recommend the visit to the Basque Museum). After explaining the dynamics to the group, began the history class on the founding of the town of Bilbao, the Lopez de Haro family and some other anecdotes, a pleasant talk in which he told us how the Lopez de Haro family gave the village of Bilbao the letter Puebla in 1300 to turn it into a town. To the thread of this explanation, Irati contributed very curious data like that of the first town of the Historical Territory of Bizkaia, Balmaseda.

2.- We move forward, we go into the 7 streets, we arrive at the Portal of Zamudio. A perfect place to learn about the characteristics of the then walled town, a building of which defensive elements such as the wall, the towers or the two main gates stood out. The Zamudio Gate is one of the two accesses mentioned, a place whose nature was perfectly understood thanks to the related object of Irati: a map of Bilbao from the 14th century, a map, which helped us to understand the composition of this urban nucleus. The other access point, the gate of San Antón (a place that is represented in the coat of arms of the city and its soccer club, Athletic de Bilbao), we will see it in the point of interest number 6. Patience. After the explanation, we approached Somera street to eat a pintxo, eating and drinking is a must in the Casco Viejo.

3.- We visited the Cathedral of Santiago. One of the most important temples of Bilbao after the Basilica of Begoña. We discovered that although the origin of this Christian temple dates back to ancient times (when churches and cemeteries went hand in hand, when the bodies were buried inside the buildings themselves), the facade dates from 1880, the day before yesterday as they say. A work of the architect Severino de Achucarro, which makes up its previous appearance.

After the words that Irati dedicated to the Cathedral of Santiago, we discovered the objects of this space: balloons, rope and a package of Santiago candies (Santiaguitos). Some curious gadgets that hid behind them a game and a small prize for the winner.

After inflating the balloons and tying them to our ankles, each individual had to pop the balloons of the rest of the group, and the last one won the prize: a pack of typical Bilbao candies, the santiaguitos. It was an entertaining moment that helped to form a group and brighten up the visit.

After the hustle and bustle, pintxo pote in the triangle of the old town, in Torre street.

4.- Visit to the Artecalle street (Artekale in Basque). Arrived at this point Irati began to count the characteristic of the urbanism of the Old Helmet. Houses, orchards, stores and workshops coexisted in total harmony. A neighborhood structuring in which the buildings only had two floors: in the first floor the workshop, in the second floor the house and in the back part the orchard. Due to the great demand for housing in Bilbao, the urban landscape changed completely. At that time, new floors were added and new buildings were built in the orchards, creating the appearance that it has today.

It was here, where Irati told the always curious story of Bilbao cod.

The pintxo pote of this point of interest took place in the Joserra bar, in one of the corners of the same street. Next to this establishment is one of the few gullies that can be seen today.

At this same point we had to sing a bilbainada. We were out of tune, but we had fun and contributed to keep alive this great genre of music from Bizkaia.

Ronda Street, the wall. We arrived at Ronda Street, one of the few places (if not the only one) where you can see the remains of the initial wall that surrounded the Old Town of Bilbao. And it is that the Ronda street is located where formerly the wall was seated. A poster of the city council attests to it. And in honor to the name of the street, another “ronda” of pintxos and pots in the Errondabide bar.

6.- San Antón, bridge and church. Strategic point of the estuary for being the last navigable stretch and therefore, the nerve center of Bilbao. Note, another curiosity, if we check the old plans of the city, we can see that the bridge of San Antón was before the church, when today it is the other way around, a clear argument that it is not the original bridge but a later one.

On the other hand, in ancient times, in the location where the church of San Antón stands today, there was a market where goods of all kinds were stored. Inside the church, in Gothic style, remains of both the old wall and tombs have been found, facts that make it an archaeological site of great interest.

Related item: Bilbao handkerchief with the coat of arms silk-screened on it. By means of the handkerchief we could appreciate the place where we are located. And it is that if we look at the coat of arms of Bilbao we will see how the view we have at this point is very similar to the coat of arms: the bridge of San Antón, the church of San Antón and the estuary of Bilbao. These 3 Biscayan enclaves are accompanied by the 2 wolves that represent the heraldry of the house “de Haro” in honor of the family that founded the town. Pintxo pote in the Mercado de la Ribera, overlooking the estuary.

7.- La Bolsa Building. This emblematic Bilbao building also known as Palacio Yohn, serves as a meeting point for the explanation of the first expansion of Bilbao (Santa Maria, Bidebarrieta and Post Office streets). At the same time we have the opportunity to contemplate the Basilica of the Virgin of Begoña from the only point that can be seen in the Casco Viejo (marked with a star on the ground at the corner of Pelota and Santa Maria streets, in front of the stock exchange building).

Object: Txikito glass. Taking advantage of the txikito glass that Irati had prepared for the explanation of its origin, we enjoyed a very special pintxo poteo in the bar Kalderapeko, txikitos in the traditional glass of Bilbao.

We ended the visit with a big applause dedicated to Irati, our particular guide of the Casco Viejo of Bilbao. A way to thank her for the effort involved in creating a route in which gastronomy, tradition and history merge creating an incredible experience in one of the most important enclaves of Greater Bilbao. Eskerrik asko Irati!

Typical stores: Forget the international chain stores that are looking for the tourist’s money. Around the estuary of Bilbao, on both banks, there are local stores like the Gorostiaga hat shop where you can always buy an original souvenir for your family and friends. You can consult our article on souvenirs from Euskal Herria to get an idea of what you can buy.

Party areas: The Casco Viejo is one of the many areas we mentioned in our article of party areas to go out at night in Bilbao. A perfect place to start the party, eating and drinking in one of the best atmospheres of the city.

Museums: The Casco Viejo and Bilbi are home to a beautiful collection of museums of which we highlight the Basque Museum, Arkeologi Museoa or the Museum of Reproductions among others. If you are interested in this cultural and historical offer we recommend reading our article on museums in Bilbao.

Where to sleep: There is a wide variety of hotels, hostels and other tourist accommodations to choose from. Our recommendations are clear, if you are looking for a hotel, the Hotel Gran Bilbao, on the other hand if you are looking for a hostel, we recommend the recently opened Bcool.

Bridges: The proximity of the Old Town to the estuary, makes the use of bridges indispensable to access Bilbao la Vieja (Bilbi), an area of marked character, which although it once fell into decline, every day is more fashionable. We recommend to cross the surroundings of the estuary by means of a nice stroll by some of its two banks.

Events: The old town of Bilbao hosts numerous events such as the flea market every Sunday or the fair of Santo Tomas (December 21). During these celebrations the “casco” is usually full of people and usually has a great festive atmosphere. An unbeatable opportunity to experience the big days of the Casco Viejo.

What to see: It is here, where most of the oldest monuments of the capital of Biscay are concentrated, one of the reasons why the Old Town was declared a Historic-Artistic Monument in 1972. Although in the section of the guided visit we have mentioned most of the points of interest. Here you have a small summary of the most beautiful and historical places of our dear Old Helmet:

As you can appreciate the Old Helmet of Bilbao gives for much. A corner, which is seen, touched, heard and tasted in equal parts. Who gives more? We wait for your comments.