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Bilbao Attractions
Guggenheim Museum
Tel: (+34) 94 435 90 00
Built on the edge of the Nervion River in 1997 the Guggenheim Museum is Bilbao’s most popular attraction and features contemporary works of art. Canadian-American architect Frank Gehry designed the Museum and it really is an unusual and unique building, if not a work of art itself. The exhibitions do vary over time but Spanish and international works are featured. The Museum aims to suit a wide variety of audiences as it collects, conserves and studies modern pieces of art. It is one of five such Museums around the world.
Zubizuri Bridge
The Zubizuri Bridge arches over the River Nervion linking the banks together. Basque for ‘White Bridge’, Zubizuri was dreamt up by Valencian Santiago Calatrava who is the mastermind of the new city airport.
Santiago Cathedral
Bilbao’s Catholic Cathedral was only recently declared a cathedral - in 1950, although it is thought to have been in existence before the city even took on city status in 1300. The Cathedral brings together various architectural styles and goes to prove that not everything in the city is new; there is 15th century Gothic as well as a Gothic spire and front.
Euskalduna Congress and Concert Centre
Avda.Abandoibarra, 4
48011 Bilbao
Phone:(+34) 944 035 000 - Fax:(+34) 944 035 001
The award-winning Congress and Concert Hall was opened in 1999 after work started on it in 1994. In 2003 the International Congress Palace Association proclaimed it as the world’s best congress centre. The main auditorium has more than 2,000 seats and is used by the likes of the Bilbao Opera. There is also a theatre which has more than 600 seats, as well as a number of other meeting rooms, a restaurant, a press room and an exhibition hall.
Maritime Museum
Muelle Ramon de la Sota, 1
48011 Bilbao
The Maritime Museum has both indoor and outdoor exhibitions which include a number of vessels that have been through a restoration process. There is also an exhibition of the estuary and the changes it has undergone throughout the ages, as well as the history of the shipping trade in the region.
Basque Museum
Plaza Miguel de Unamuno, 4
48006 Bilbao
Situated in Bilbao’s Old Quarter and set in a Baroque-style building, the Basque Museum charts the changes of the Basque culture throughout history. The Museum has been in existence since 1921 but grew to occupy the surrounding buildings, the collections spilling over into the extra space.
Fine Arts Museum
Museo Plaza, 2
48011 Bilbao
The Fine Arts Museum reached the landmark of 100 years of age in 2008 but its exhibits and collections cover more than eight centuries between them. The Museum has undergone some transformations and reformations since it started out life; it has been in its current form since 1945
Basilica de Begoña
Calle Virgen de Begoña, 38
48006 Bilbao
The Basilica has been around since the 1500s, although it has taken on more aspects and additions in the years since then, and so different architectural styles are evident. The Basilica is dedicated to the Virgin Begoña, the patron saint of the Bay of Biscay.