History

Bilbao was founded in 1300 by Don Diego López de Haro, V Lord of Biscay, who gave the city privileges and rights. In the beginning it was a small village with three streets that soon became seven streets. Actually this part of the city is known as “Casco Viejo” or “The Seven Streets” and it’s reported as one of the main shopping areas.

During the XVI and XVII centuries, the city grew largely and became the main harbour in the north of Spain supporting a very important trade of wool and iron with Holland, England and North Europe harbours. At the same time, the shipping yards increased their construction of vessels.

Between 1808 and 1813 it was occupied by the French and during the “Carlist War” it was twice besieged but never defeated. Even though, from mid XIX to mid XX, the industrial revolution developed the mining and still-mills production and consequently new shipbuilding factories like Euskalduna and La Naval were founded as well as new banks like Bank of Bilbao, founded in 1857. The Stock Exchange of Bilbao was also founded 1890.

During the Spanish Civil War, Bilbao suffered very strong combats as it was the capital of the first Autonomous Basque Government which sided with the Republican Government. All the bridges were destroyed although the industry and the city were relatively intact. In spite of the strong defensive system called “Iron Belt”, the city was taken on June 19th 1937.

In August 26th 1983 a big rain flooded the old part of the city and caused considerable damages in the main shopping area. Also the economical crisis of the eighties hit the industry and the society, but after that the city has made an important bet on the urban renewal. New big projects have been developed like the Guggenheim Museum by Frank Gehry, the underground by Sir Norman Foster, the Euskalduna Palace of Congress and Music by Santiago Calatrava, La Alhondiga by Philippe Stark or the tramway. And others are now being carried on like Iberdrola Tower by Cesar Pelli or Zorrozaurre by Zaha Hadid.

Useful reading

The Basque History of the World by Mark Kurlansky

With thanks to Pedro

Climate, money, shopping, strolling

Climate

July and August are the two hottest month. Temperature can vary from 16º or 20º at night to 24º or 40º during the day. Humidity is usually high in these months and it is unusual, but it can also rain (as a matter of fact the flood happened in August 26th 1983).

Money

Currency is the Euro (’€’) . The rate of exchange is:

1 € = 0.67 £ // 1 £ = 1.49 €

Shopping

You will find fine shops at the Ercilla Street, starting from Indautxu square (Metro: Indautxu) to Elíptica square (Metro: Moyúa) and from there, though the Gran Vía street to Circular square (Metro: Abando). Little bit before Circular square you can find “El Cote Inglés” which is biggest shopping centre in town.

Walking down through the Navarra street and crossing the river you will find the Arriaga theatre and the old part of the city where a good deal of outlets for clothing and shoes can be found as well as restaurants and mongers (Metro: Casco Viejo).

Strolling

Distances in town are not too big. For instance, you can walk from Indautxu square, through Ercilla street, Gran Vía street and Navarra street to the old part of the city in just 30 minutes, at a leisurely pace.

Another stroll suggested can be from the Town Hall through the right bank of the river to the Deusto University and go back through the other bank after crossing the Father Arrupe’s footbridge. This is a usual walk for people doing footing, jogging, skating or cycling.

With thanks to Pedro

Things to do in Bilbao

Museums

Guggenheim Bilbao

Abandoibarra Et. 2

The choice of Bilbao as the venue for one of the Guggenheim European centers is best understood in the context of the initiatives implemented by the Basque authorities as a contribution to the process of revitalizing the Basque Country’s recession-plagued economic structure. These initiatives were also seen as a means of increasing the chances of the city’s metropolitan area becoming the major reference point for European regions on the Atlantic seaboard.

How to get there
Metro: Moyua station
Tram: Guggenheim stop
Bus (Bilbobus):
Lines 1, 10, 13, 18, stopping at the Plaza del Museo
Lines 13, 27, 38, 46 & 48, stopping at Alameda de Recalde, 11 & 12.

Information
Museum information desk: +34 94 435 90 80
Tuesday to Sunday from 10:00 am to 8:00 pm

Admission
Adult: € 10.50
Senior: € 6.50
Students under 26 years old: € 6.50
Children under 12 accompanied by an adult: Free

Museo de Bellas Artes

Museo Plaza, 2

First mooted in 1908, the Fine Arts Museum was conceived as part of a more general drive to modernise turn-of-the-century Bilbao socially and culturally and to provide members of the local artistic community with the best possible historical models during their training. Directed by artist Manuel Losada, the new Museum was housed in what had been the city’s School of Arts & Crafts.

Ten years after the inauguration of the first Museum, the desire to keep up with current developments led to the creation of a new museum devoted to modern and contemporary art. The Museo de Arte Moderno, housed in premises belonging to the Provincial Council and directed by the artist Aurelio Arteta, opened its doors to the public in 1924.

The new, neo-classical building was built in the city’s 19th century Ensanche or new town district to a project drawn up by architects Fernando Urrutia and Gonzalo Cárdenas. However, the Museum soon outgrew its original home and, in the early 1960s, architects Álvaro Líbano and Ricardo Beascoa were commissioned to draw up plans for an extension, an innovative design influenced by the work of Mies van der Rohe.

How to get there
Metro: Moyúa station.
Bus: lines 1, 10, 13 and 18 stop to Plaza del Museo

Information
+34 94 439 60 60
info@museobilbao.com

Tuesdays to Saturdays: 10 am to 8 pm.
Sundays and public holidays: 10 am. to 2 pm.
Closed Mondays.

Admission
General: € 5,50
Concessions: 4,00 € (students, unemployed, senior citizens).
Free: Children under 12 and Museum Day (every Wednesday).
Bono Artean: € 12 ticket gives joint access to the Museo de Bellas Artes and the Guggenheim Bilbao.

Basque Museum of Ethnography

Plaza Miguel de Unamuno, 4

The Basque Museum of Ethnography is located in a Baroque-style building in the Casco Viejo (Old Quarter) of Bilbao and was built to house a church and Jesuit School by the name of Colegio de San Andrés.

In 1921, and occupying the ground floor of the cloister, the Museum of Archaeology of Bizkaia and Basque Ethnography opened under the sponsorship of the Provincial Council of Bizkaia and the City Council of Bilbao. The Museum gradually spread into the adjoining buildings as it enlarged its collections; collections which cover the archaeology of Bizkaia and the ethno-history of the Basque Country.

At present the Museum, known as the Euskal Museoa / Basque Museum of Bilbao, is undergoing a period of renovation in terms of both organisation and content. The ultimate aim of these changes is to show the historical and cultural evolution of our society by emphasising those characteristics which make it unique and special.

How to get there
Metro: Casco Viejo station (Plaza de Unamuno exit)

Information
+34 94 4155423
museoa@euskal-museoa.org

From Tuesday to Saturday 11:00 - 17:00
Sundays: 11:00 - 14:00
Mondays and Bank Holidays: Closed

Admission
Individual: € 3
Museum Day (Thursday): Free
Students and groups: € 1,5
Children under 10 and Senior Citizens: Free

With thanks to Pedro

Nightlife

Fiestas

Aste Nagusia in Bilbao is the week in which the city celebrates its annual main festival. It means “Main Week” in Basque. It starts on the first Saturday after 15th of August. Apart from finding the streets paved with impromtu bars, you can also enjoy bullfightings, theatre performances, free music gigs, Basque folk dance, a week long firework competition and plenty of the youth’s favorite drink: Kalomotxo (cheap wine and Coca Cola!).

One week earlier San Sebastian (Donosti) celebrates its Aste Nagusia, and Vitoria (Gasteiz) has its own in early August.

Click here for a complete list of all the festivals in the region.

With thanks to Pedro

The Language

When you arrive to the Basque Country, you will realise that all the information displayed around you is in two languages. Basque culture and with it, its language (Euskera) is a present everywhere in Bilbao. Euskera is one of the oldest languages in the world and has linguists puzzled because, apparently, it is not connected to any other known language. You can read about current hypotheses here, if you are interested. It is a very tricky language to learn, as it used to be only spoken and its grammar is only recent.

But don’t worry, you’ll get by OK in Basque cities with English. If you are up for exploring, though, why not learn Spanish? If you have an MP3 player, the easiest way to practice your skills with the Radio Lingua Coffee Break Spanish podcasts. Easy Peasy.

Surroundings

Around Bilbao there are several villages and resorts that make the area really interesting. For instance, in under 20 minutes (by underground) you can reach Las Arenas and visit the Biscay Hanging Bridge, the Puente Colgante, one of Unesco’s World Heritage Site.

The Bizkaia Bridge is the first of Bilbao’s metropolitan monuments to be included in Unesco’s List, and the first in Spain to be featured in its catalogue of industrial heritage. Unesco based its decision to declare the bridge part of the Common Heritage of Mankind on the fact that it was the world’s first transporter bridge, and is the only one of its type still in service.

The Hanging Bridge, officially opened in 1893, was built by Bilbao engineer Alberto de Palacio, a disciple and collaborator of the Frenchman Gustave Eiffel. You can cross it walking by the upper side and come back by the lower transporter. The rate for the upper crossbar is about € 4 and for the down transporter about 50 cents. It connects Portugalete to Las Arenas. In Potugalete, you can get lost in its narrow, hilly streets and visit its excellent tapas bars. From the Las Arenas side of the bridge, you can walk all along the seaside to Neguri Beach, enjoying its nice promenade. (It takes around one and a half hours).

Another village you can reach by the underground is Plencia, which is at the end of Line 1. Plencia is a residential resort with a very nice sandy beach.

Bakio is 30 km away from Bilbao. There are regular buses linking both cities. In Bakio you will enjoy a sandy beach wide open to the Cantabric sea, which makes it a heaven for surf lovers. Not very far from Bakio, following the road to Bermeo you could admire a beautiful part of the Basque coast. If you do that, stop at San Juan de Gaztelugatxe’s only restaurant for a beer.

One of the most important fishing harbours in northern Spain is Bermeo, which is located 37 km north of Bilbao. It was the former capital of Biscay and a whaler harbour. You can arrive there either by bus or by train; if by bus you will enjoy a beautiful sight of the coast coming down from top of the Sollube mountain.

Coming back to Bilbao by train, you will admire the Natural Reservoir of Urdaibai in the firth of Guernica. Anyway, you shall also spare a couple hours to visit the town of Guernica, made famous by Picasso’s painting to depicting its bombing by the German Luftwaffe on April 26th 1937. You will find in this city ‘The Tree of Guernica’ which is a sacred symbol for the Basques because under its shadow gathered the first Basque parliament and the Lord of Biscay had to make an oath of respect to the Biscayan laws and rights.

With thanks to Pedro