Art Nouveau architectural gems can be found combined with baroque buildings or even postmodern art. HE select and exciting culture of pintxos and good food mixes with the lively atmosphere in the streets. Here art and gastronomy merge with options for all tastes. you have an unmissable appointment an endless list of museums, palaces, theaters, bridges and other buildings. Getting lost in the streets and finding the most unique architectural pieces is very easy in this city that has been awarded by the mythical Nobel Prize for Urbanism, the Lee Kuan Yew World City Prize, awarded by the city of Singapore. Bilbao has been reborn as a city in which (almost) everything is art, including the design of the metro by Norman Foster’s team
WHY YOU SHOULD VISIT BILBAO?
With less than 350,000 inhabitants, in Bilbao you can walk everywhere. Let’s see a few reasons to plan a break in this captivating Basque city:
1. The Guggenheim Bilbao: … Frank Ghery…
2. Foodie experiences: pintxos and up to 3 Michelin starred restaurants…
3. Gernika: Picasso… The quintessential symbol of Bizkaia, which unites old and new freedoms, is the oak that grows on the pavilion that presides over Gernika. Beyond the beliefs and myths, the place is special because of the history it accumulates, because it allows us to remember the pain of the bombing of 37 and the vigor of those who have rebuilt the town without looking back with hatred. Statues of Henry Moore and Eduardo Chillida in the neighboring park complete the visit.
4. San Juan de Gaztelugatxe: Reaching it implies overcoming the Via Crucis of 231 steps that connect it with the mainland; On the other hand, legend says Saint John, when he arrived in Bermeo, walked only three steps to reach the hermitage. But for us, mere mortals, the maxim says that there is no reward without sacrifice and here it could not be more true: before our eyes, the Cantabrian Sea and the neighboring islet of Aketze unfold.
5. Oma Forest: In the Natural Reserve of Urdaibai we find this forest in which the artist Agustín Ibarrola decided to give his personal vision of nature. The result is a range of colors intertwined in the trunks of this woods near the town of Kortezubi.
6. Urdaibai Biosphere Reserve: inspiration here.
7. Another natural landmark in Bizkaia is the Urkiola Natural Park, whose landscape presents great and fascinating contrasts. This environment is the residence of relevant figures of Basque mythology, as well as a point of religious pilgrimage. Within the park there is one of the most significant temples in the Basque Country, the Sanctuary of Urkiola. Imagine a hiking and ending up in a sheep’s farm!
8. The unique Rolls-Royce collection in Europe with all models manufactured from 1910 to 1990 in a 14th century majestic fortress. Torre Loizaga
9. Bizkaia Bridge:
10. Visit a unique txakoli winery from Alava belonging to Grandes Pagos de España, a very restricted group of winegrowers who live for and to achieve exceptional wines. Wine growers who love their farms and respect the environment that surrounds them, as if it were real jewels. Wines made exclusively from their own vineyards with the maximum respect.
FOOD & WINE
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✧ FOODS NOT TO MISS
- Cod fish is king: bacalao club ranero and bacalao a la vizcaina are two preparations no to miss. There is historical evidence that in the 16th century Basque fishermen navigated to the shores of Newfoundland to capture the cod, there are even writings that mention the arrival of Basque boats to those fishing grounds in the 14th century.
- Marmitako:
- Porrusalda:
- Pintxo de tortilla: in fact in Bilbao they make some of the best Spanish omelettes.
- Talo: simple cornmeal flat tortilla, it was the humble foundation of the humble Basque breakfasts, lunches and dinners; literally the daily bread for the baserritarras (peasants) and those who could not afford white bread.
- Grillo: this is the oldest pintxo in Bilbao! El Grillo is a unique pintxo invented in the 1920s, fresh and cheerful. It is made up of basic products of Mediterranean cuisine: potato, lettuce, onion, salt and oil. It is advisable to eat it in one bite to appreciate all the ingredients at once.
Asadores: in the Basque Country grill houses are…
✧ WINES REGIONS AROUND
From Barcelona you can easily reach stunning wine regions in a short drive…
- DO Tkakolina
- DOCa Rioja
WHERE TO STAY?
It is not easy to pick just one, the range of choices in Barcelona is huge and there is a hotel for every personality. For globetrotters in search of immersive mmmmmm there is an establishment we love classic Hotel Carlton Bilbao, skjskjss. If you prefer yo or Domine Bilbao a Relais & Châteaux … sdsads sdasds dsk slask s y slskd sldsds. For those who prefer…..
