What to see in Bilbao in 1 day.

Discover what to see in Bilbao in 1 day with a nice walk along the banks of the estuary.

What to see in Bilbao in one day? This is one of the questions we get asked the most. Bilbao, capital of Bizkaia and one of the most important cities of Euskadi, offers us a good number of places to see and enjoy. But you do not always have enough time to enjoy them all. For these cases, we present you the best way to see Bilbao in one day. Ready?

Tour to visit Bilbao in 1 day.

We propose a very simple route to enjoy Bilbao in 1 day. A tour along the banks of the estuary, which begins next to the Athletic Club stadium and ends in the Casco Viejo of Bilbao. And it is here, at the end of the route, where we recommend you to enjoy some good pintxos. The list below is in order of the route. We hope you like it.

1. San Mamés: San Mamés, the stadium of Athletic Club de Bilbao, represents the first stop of this touristic tour. To get to this point we recommend that you use the metro and get off at the stop of the same name (San Mamés), exit Luis Briñas. San Mames, the cathedral of soccer, can be visited almost all year round.

2. Soñar Building: The Soñar building is the work of the Madrid artist SpY. A work of art of large dimensions, which stands out for its message. TO DREAM. A word loaded with meaning that sends a very positive message to all the people who walk or sail along the estuary.

3. Itsasmuseum, Bilbao Maritime Museum: The Bilbao estuary was, is and will be one of the most important areas of Bilbao. In fact, the tour that we present today covers a large part of its course. In this museum we have the opportunity to contemplate its evolution along with many other aspects of the city. More information: Itsasmuseum, the maritime museum of Bilbao.

4. Carola Crane: The Carola Crane is one of the few remaining elements of Bilbao’s industrial era. This structure located next to the Maritime Museum and the Euskalduna Palace, where the Euskalduna shipyards used to be, is about 60 meters high and owes its name to a woman who used to cross the shipyard every day, attracting the attention of all the workers thanks to her beauty and sympathy.

5. Palacio Euskalduna: This conference and music center opened in 1999 and is located on the site of the former Euskalduna shipyard. Hence its name. Today, in addition to hosting events of all kinds, it is also the official headquarters of the Bilbao Symphony Orchestra (BOS).

6. Deustuko Zubia, Deusto Bridge: This bridge is one of the most emblematic of Bilbao, also one of the few that has a mechanism that allows it to open to allow the passage of large ships. If you are interested in this type of architectural structures, we recommend reading our article on the bridges of Bilbao.

7. Torre Iberdrola: This building, 165 meters high and over 50,000 square meters, holds the title of tallest structure in Bizkaia. Also the title of the tallest building in the autonomous community of the Basque Country, a key piece in the transformation of the new Bilbao. More information: Iberdrola Tower in Bilbao.

8. University of Deusto: In addition to being the oldest private university on the peninsula, this educational center is also one of the most prestigious in the Basque Country. A university that has been training some of the most important minds in the Basque business world for decades.

9. Guggenheim Museum Bilbao: This museum is one of the most international spaces in the Basque Country. A work of art created by the Canadian architect Frank Gehry in 1997, which revolutionized Bilbao. Today, it is one of the most visited places in Bilbao.

10. Puppy: With the passage of time, this puppy of steel structure and vegetable skin, has become the mascot of the city. A 12-meter high dog that protects Bilbao. This atypical sculpture was created in 1992 by the American artist Jeff Koons.

10. La Salve Bridge: La Salve Bridge is a huge structure with a concrete base and metal deck that is located next to the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao. It was a very innovative bridge in the 1970s, both for the techniques used and the materials used. On its tenth anniversary, a huge red arch by the French artist Daniel Buren was added.

11. The sirgueras: This sculpture pays a small tribute to the women who towed the ships along the Bilbao estuary with the help of a single towline (rope). A very hard job, which was only done by women, as they were cheaper than the oxen themselves.

12. Zubizuri Bridge: The Zubizuri Bridge is the work of the famous architect Santiago Calatrava. A large footbridge that simulates a ship with sails raised in the middle of the estuary. This bridge has generated much controversy in the capital of Bizkaia due to its glass walkway, which is why today it is covered by a large non-slip mat.

13. Isozaki Towers: Isozaki atea, Isozaki gate in Basque, is an architectural complex created by the Japanese architect Arata Isozaki. A man of international fame who wanted to create a gateway to link the Ensanche and the estuary of Bilbao. The complex consists of 7 buildings including 2 towers of 83 meters high.

14. Artxanda: Artxanda is one of the mountains surrounding the city of Bilbao. A natural vantage point that can be accessed via the lower station of the Bilbao funicular. We recommend that you get to the funicular from the Campo Volantín, just before reaching the Zubizuri bridge. More information: Artxanda, the viewpoint of Bilbao.

15. Bilbao City Hall: In the center of the city, next to the estuary, we find another of the emblematic buildings of the city. A building designed by the architect Joaquín Rucoba in 1892 to be the city hall of Bilbao.

16. Arenal: The Arenal, Areatza in Basque, is one of the most important recreational areas of Bilbao. A place, that located next to the estuary and the 7 streets (Casco Viejo), allows us to enjoy the center of the city.

17. Arriaga Theater: This building inaugurated in 1890, is a creation of Joaquín Rucoba, the same architect who designed the city hall of Bilbao. Besides being a great cultural center, we should also point out that it is the place from which the txupin is launched in Aste Nagusia (Bilbao’s festivities). More information: Guided tour of the Arriaga Theater.

18. Mercado de la Ribera: Although the first building was constructed in 1929, this space has always been a place of meeting and commerce. At present, this center represents one of the most complete supply markets in Europe. This is what the Guinness Book of Records stated in 1990.

19. Bridge and church of San Antón: The church and the bridge of San Antón represent one of the most emblematic architectural ensembles of the town. In fact, both structures are depicted on the town’s coat of arms. Also in the shield of the soccer team of the city, the Athletic Club of Bilbao. These facts give us an idea of the importance of these places in the history of the town.

20. Casco Viejo of Bilbao: The Casco Viejo of Bilbao, the heart of the city, gives us a network of narrow streets and cantons where you can breathe the authentic Basque history and culture. Undoubtedly one of the most charming places in Bilbao. We recommend that you get lost in its streets and do not let yourself be influenced by trendy tapas bars such as Plaza Nueva. We recommend you to read our articles about the Casco Viejo of Bilbao and the restaurants of the Casco Viejo of Bilbao.

Map of the route to see Bilbao in 1 day.

If you want to follow the route we propose, we recommend you to have this map at hand. A virtual map, in which we locate all the places we mention in this publication. We hope it will be of help.

Video about what to see in Bilbao in 1 day.

As usual, we have created a short video to show you in the most realistic way possible what the route we recommend today has to offer. If you like this kind of videos, we recommend you to subscribe to our YouTube channel to discover all the places and experiences that we recommend in Euskal Herria, we are waiting for you!

Guided tours.

Although we must pay for their services, having a local guide is the best way to get to know a city in a short time. For this reason, we encourage you to contact us so that we can help you design the guided tour that best suits your tastes and needs. This option is even more important for groups, for which hiring the services of a local guide can be very cost effective.

Boat trips in Bilbao.

If you do not have time to walk along the riverbed or you are looking for a different experience, we recommend that you consider the option of taking a boat trip. The tour is very similar to the one we recommend you to do on foot and has a good value for money. You can book the tour from here. More information: Boat trip in the estuary of Bilbao.

Bicycle route through Bilbao.

In addition to the options that we have already proposed, there is a third option, touring Bilbao by bike accompanied by a local guide. If you are interested in this option, remember that you can book online here. You can also get more information by reading our article about guided tours in Bilbao.

What to see in Bilbao in 2 days.

In case you have 2 days to see Bilbao, we recommend you to make the same route during the first day and spend the second day to know the so-called Gran Bilbao. A territorial area in which we can move by metro. We leave you a list with all of them. Remember that you can expand the information by clicking on each of them:

What to see in Bilbao in 3 days.

In this case, we recommend you to visit the areas mentioned in the previous section and add some of the most important places of Urdaibai and Enkarterri. We leave you a list. We hope you like them.

Experiences and activities.

If you would like to get to know Bilbao and its surroundings while enjoying active tourism experiences, we recommend you to take a look at our reservation center. In any case, we leave you a small list with some of the most demanded activities:

As you have seen, our proposals to see Bilbao in 1 day are perfect to enjoy the capital of Bizkaia. In case you have any questions, we recommend you to use the comment system that you will find below these lines. We will try to respond as soon as possible. Ondo pasa!