Bilbao: Art, Architecture and City History

If you’re looking for a hotel in Bilbao, start by asking which aspects of the city you want to shape your stay. Architecture, art collections, museum history, the historic Casco Viejo and a hiking trail in Artxanda Forest Park offer different points of focus. You can plan your trip around these themes without giving equal weight to every interest: those interested in buildings will find different points of connection from those who want to focus mainly on collections, city history or an outdoor trail.

Architecture and Art at the Guggenheim

Frank Gehry designed the Guggenheim Bilbao building, an example of 20th-century avant-garde architecture. The exhibition program is also part of the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao’s profile: it combines presentations from the permanent collection with temporary exhibitions. This offers two ways to choose what to focus on: the building’s architecture and the ways art is presented. An interest in architecture can thus be distinguished from an interest in the museum program, even though both are connected to the Guggenheim.

Building History Across Two Centuries

The Teatro Arriaga provides a historical counterpoint. The city architect Joaquín Rucoba designed the theater, which was built between 1886 and 1890. By comparison, the Guggenheim represents 20th-century avant-garde architecture. The Teatro Arriaga’s building history points to the late 19th century. Those exploring Bilbao through its architecture can use different periods as points of reference, rather than reducing the city to a single architectural style.

Art Collections and Museum History

The collection of the Museo de Bellas Artes de Bilbao includes old, modern and contemporary art, works from the Spanish and Flemish schools, and works by Basque artists. These groups offer different starting points for your interests: you can focus on periods, art schools or Basque art. This is a different approach from the Guggenheim’s program, which combines presentations from the permanent collection with temporary exhibitions.

The Museo Arqueológico de Vizcaya y Etnográfico Vasco opened on July 3, 1921, in the cloister of the former Colegio de San Andrés. This date and the original location give the museum’s history a specific temporal and architectural context. Here, the focus is on a different area of Bilbao’s history than that of the art collections or architectural examples.

Casco Viejo and Siete Calles

Casco Viejo, also known as Siete Calles, is the historic heart of Bilbao. The alternative name is a useful point of reference: both names refer to the same historic area. If you’re choosing places in Bilbao based on their historic urban spaces, you can distinguish this focus from the museums’ collections or the architecture of individual buildings.

Plaza Nueva and Its Arcades

The arcades of Plaza Nueva are home to numerous cafés. The square therefore combines a distinct architectural setting with a focus on cafés. If you’d like to include café visits in your travel plans, Plaza Nueva is a clearly identified point of reference alongside the museums and buildings. This offers another way to explore the city through its squares and cafés, not just through art and architecture.

Hiking in Artxanda Forest Park

A GR hiking trail crosses Artxanda Forest Park. If you’d like to include a hike as well as collections and buildings, you can note this route as a separate point of interest. It offers a different perspective on Bilbao by including an outdoor trail in your travel plans.

The Funicular de Artxanda

The Funicular de Artxanda has been in Bilbao for more than 100 years and is an attractive means of transport. This adds transport to architecture, art and hiking as another aspect to consider when choosing what to see in the city. Its history of more than a century offers another historical point of reference, distinct from the city’s buildings and museum histories.

Discover more destinations: Osma, Garai, Sanfuentes, Amorebieta-Etxano, Trucios-Turtzioz, Urduliz, Portugalete, Nabarniz.

For the broader travel overview: Bizkaia.