Guided tour of the Arriaga Theater.

Guided tour of the Arriaga Theater, one of the most surprising tourist attractions in the center of Bilbao.

The guided tour of the Arriaga Theater is one of the latest proposals that the city of Bilbao has offered to visitors. A different experience, through which all those who wish are invited to delve into the history and culture of the capital of Bizkaia. The Arriaga Theater is undoubtedly the most representative theater of Bilbao, the cultural axis of the city. The artistic heart of Bizkaia. In this sense, to be able to know the bowels of this small Basque giant is an honor. Since this initiative was promoted in March 2017, all the people who have enjoyed it have thrown compliments to those responsible for it. It is clear that the guided tour of the Arriaga theater is here to stay. A cultural reference, which, prompted by the expansion of the tourism sector in Euskadi, has decided to become part of the tourist scene in Greater Bilbao. The exterior of the Arriaga Theater building is a perfect representation of what awaits us inside. This small architectural treasure, built in 1890 and listed as a Historic Monument, is not only surprising for its neo-baroque style. Its unique interior design, enhanced by the reddish tone of most of its elements, transports us to another era. We are in front of a historical heritage of more than 129 years. Almost nothing. During the guided tour there are hundreds of elements that catch our attention, from the kilometer-long carpet of a single piece, to the thousands of seats that fill the theater. Everything is cared for in detail. We highly recommend a visit to this building located in the heart of Bilbao. It is a safe bet. The Arriaga Theater is much more than a cultural reference, much more than one of the most important buildings in the city. It is a building fully integrated in the daily life of the city. As an example of this we could cite the festivities of Bilbao, the famous Aste Nagusia. One of the most awaited events of the year. An act, which begins on the balcony of the Arriaga theater before the watchful eye of Mari Jaia and after the roar of the txupinazo. Another reason to visit the Arriaga theater!

The maximum capacity for guided tours of the Arriaga Theater is 30 people. A number that, although on paper may seem a bit exaggerated, the dimensions of the theater make it perfect to enjoy the experience. A small guided tour, to which we only find a but, not being able to visit what is not normally seen, the dressing rooms and the framework of the stage. Places that due to the preparations for the functions that are usually performed are excluded from this experience. A pity.

Since March 4, 2017 the Arriaga Theater gives the option to anyone who wishes to know its ins and outs through guided tours offered on weekends. A new initiative, which has surprised us and that we recommend to all people who want to know Bilbao. This theater that we present today, is one of the few public buildings that we can visit on a regular basis, a space that you can photograph and record without any problem during your visit.

Guided tour: The guided tour of the Arriaga Theater takes us to visit its different rooms for about 1 hour. Without pause but without haste. The visit begins in the Hall, in front of the famous stairs. It is here, where, by means of a small audiovisual, we are presented the space that we are going to know. We must say that the audiovisual is perhaps one of the points to improve this guided tour. Although it shows us the different areas of the theater and the shows it has hosted for decades, we found it a bit monotonous and unattractive. After the video, Jose Manuel, our guide, took the floor to explain a couple of curiosities about the elements that surrounded us (columns, carpet, floor …), but not before indicating that we were in the old commercial area of the theater, the space where the cafeteria was located. After the presentation we climbed the stairs to the first level, until we found the bust of Arriaga. A perfect place to get to know a little better the person after whom the theater is named. Juan Crisóstomo de Arriaga was born in Bilbao in 1806 and died prematurely in Paris in 1826. Known as the “Basque Mozart”, this artist from Bilbao was one of the most famous composers of his time. The origin of his surname, Arriaga, is found in the baserri (farmhouse in Basque) that the family owned in Rigoitia, near Gernika. This word is formed by two terms in Basque, harria (stone) and aga, an article very used in Bizkaia to denote a place where something is abundant. Therefore, we can conclude that the word Arriaga indicates a place where stones were abundant, a rocky area. Interesting, isn’t it? We went to the second floor, but not before indicating that, during the floods of 1983 the water reached approximately up to the sculpture of the artist from Bilbao. As you can see, the guided tour of the Arriaga Theater is full of curiosities, but don’t worry, we are not going to reveal them all. It is better that you discover them little by little during your stay in Bilbao. The second floor houses a large space known as the foyer, a place for waiting between acts, a meeting place for people attending these events. Formerly, this space had a very different use, it housed a place where the strings of the economic sector of Greater Bilbao were pulled, can you guess what it could be? Although in our case we could not visit the Isabelina room for technical reasons (some actors were using it), this room is part of the itinerary of the guided tour of the Arriaga Theater. A space to which normally there is no access and that is always nice to know. We continue going up, we enter the theater itself. In the stalls. Sitting in front of the stage, we attend one of the most extensive and attractive explanations of the visit, the ins and outs of the Arriaga. The highlight of this space is the stage, the only one in the world located on the second floor. Why? Simple, the proximity to the estuary and the humidity that this entails, made its creators move the stage away from ground level, from the ground. This fact has several pros and cons, but what is clear is that thanks to this initiative, the Arriaga stage was not destroyed by the floods that devastated Bilbao in 1983. The stalls were undoubtedly the space where most photos were taken during our visit. And no wonder, this horseshoe-shaped theater leaves everyone who visits it astonished. We left the theater by one of its sides, we went to a room where we found a beautiful representation of different costumes used in the Arriaga. Authentic works of art. This room is not free of curiosities, just thinking about the weight of the dress that we find in the central area, we can get an idea of how hard it was to represent that character. How much do you think it can weigh? Attention to the explanations! We continue going up. In the center of this floor we found the box of honor, a space in which, in addition to getting an impressive view of the entire theater, we had the opportunity to learn about various issues related to protocol and functions. We continue visiting this floor until we find the room known as Orient Express, a small room in which a curious optical illusion attracts our attention. An infinite vision. We go back down to the entrance, the visit ends. We must say that we have left many curiosities in the inkpot, but in our opinion, it is best that you discover them for yourselves. By the way, during the guided tour do not hesitate to look out the windows on the top floor, the views are worth it. Finally, we recommend you to read in detail the conditions of the guided tour of the Arriaga theater, we do not want scares. Among all of them we highlight the following.

History: The current Arriaga Theater was built in 1890 by the municipal architect Joaquin de Rucoba, the same architect who designed the Bilbao City Hall. A building that, inspired by the Paris Opera House, received the name Arriaga in 1902. Of course, this building was not the first theater in Bilbao, its predecessor, the so-called “Teatro de la villa” was inaugurated in 1834 and demolished years later due to its poor state of preservation. Here are some of the most important dates since its creation.

As you have been able to see, this emblematic building in Bilbao has suffered all kinds of incidents throughout its history. Fortunately, at present, it enjoys a great health. Witness to this are the many events that are organized both inside and in the square that bears the same name.

Location: The Arriaga Theater is located in the square of the same name, between the Casco Viejo, the sandy area and the estuary. In the heart of the city. A space where you can feel the day to day life of Bilbao while we know some of its most emblematic corners. The theater is perfectly communicated with the rest of the city thanks to Bilbao’s public transport: Metro, streetcar, train and bus. Here is a brief summary so that you know the possibilities you have to reach your destination.

The location of the Arriaga Theater, in the center of the city, is perfect to visit the rest of the places of interest that Bilbao offers us. If you are interested in getting to know the city in depth, we recommend reading our article “199 things to see in Bilbao“. On the other hand, if you are not interested in knowing all the attractions of the city, we recommend you to visit the 7 streets, the Casco Viejo, the origin of the capital of Biscay.

Attention: José Manuel Sánchez, guide of the Arriaga Theater, was largely responsible for the success of the visit. In a natural way, with passion and devotion for everything that surrounds this stage, he told us many of the secrets that this corner of Bilbao holds. Lots of historical data accompanied by numerous anecdotes. Very interesting. The life of this man from Granada, welcomed by the city of Bilbao since he was 4 years old, is 100% linked to that of the Arriaga Theater. More than 34 years of work attest to this. A fact that makes José Manuel bring his own experiences, his personal experience to the visit. An aspect, which is very much appreciated. Nowadays it is difficult to find tour guides who tell their own story and not the script written by others. Eskerrik asko Jose Manuel! By the way, don’t hesitate to ask him anything, he will be very helpful.

Schedule: Although the guided visits to the Arriaga Theater have a regular schedule, we must take into account that the visits must be adjusted to the different performances that take place in the theater. That is why, although in principle the visits take place on Saturdays and Sundays in double session (from 11:00 to 13:00), we advise you to call in advance so that we can confirm it. By the way, we recommend booking tickets in advance, although the groups are large, maximum 30 people, being a highly demanded visit can cause problems if we leave it to the last minute.

Price: The cost of this guided tour seemed to us more than correct. 5 € for all those who buy the general admission, 3 € for people with reduced mobility and free admission for children under 18 and students under 15 years. In our humble opinion this service is good value for money. Tickets can be obtained both at the Arriaga Theater box office and on its own website. However, in case of buying them online, the price is increased by 1 € for service charges. In the hypothetical case that you buy them online, remember that it is not necessary to print them, showing the ticket on our Smartphone is enough.

Video: As we have been doing in our last articles, we wanted to complete the photos and text of this article by uploading a video to our YouTube channel. We invite you to subscribe to follow all our adventures in Euskal Herria. We are sure that more than one video will be useful for you to decide for one of the hundreds of proposals that we have prepared for you.

Although as in any tourist experience there are aspects to improve, we can say that the guided tour of the Arriaga theater is an interesting and attractive experience. An activity that we highly recommend. Opening the most emblematic buildings of the city to the public helps people who visit us to get into our culture and history. A round of applause for the city council of Bilbao and all the workers of the Arriaga Theater. Eskerrik asko lagunak!