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Basque Country · Spain

Luxury travel in Bilbao

The capital of Bizkaia, on its estuary: Frank Gehry’s Guggenheim, the Seven Streets of the old town and their pintxo bars, and a green Atlantic coast close by. Avelia plans private, tailor-made time in Bilbao, as a stay of its own or as part of a wider journey through northern Spain.

Plan your Bilbao tripExplore Bilbao

Bilbao at a glance

Recommended stay
Three or four days, with days out along the coast or to La Rioja
Best seasons
May to October, and above all June to September
Getting there
Bilbao airport (BIO), 12 km out, and trains from Madrid and Barcelona
Best for
The Guggenheim, pintxos in the old town, and the coast beyond it
In a wider trip
Pairs well with San Sebastián, La Rioja, Barcelona or the Duero
World Heritage
The Vizcaya Bridge, listed in 2006, where the estuary meets the sea
Plan your Bilbao trip

On this page

  1. Experiences
  2. When to go
  3. Itineraries
  4. Planning
  5. FAQs
Plan your Bilbao trip

01Inspiration

Experiences in Bilbao

Each of these is arranged privately for your dates, subject to availability.

  • The Guggenheim Museum Bilbao lit gold at nightfall across the river, its curved metal volumes and tall glass atrium reflected in the water, a giant spider sculpture at the left end of the terrace

    The Guggenheim and the city's architecture

    The Guggenheim with a private guide, in the Frank Gehry building open since 1997; then the Fine Arts Museum, and a walk from the Seven Streets of the old town to the new riverfront.

    More of the art and architecture
    • The Guggenheim beyond the galleries — the museum’s own two-hour tour takes in its exhibitions and corners of the building usually closed to visitors, on request.
    • The Fine Arts Museum with an art historian — a collection that runs from the 12th century to the present, in a museum extended by Norman Foster and Luis María Uriarte.
    • The Seven Streets — the old town that grew inside the medieval walls, and Santiago Cathedral at its centre since the late 14th century, on a walk with a guide.
    • Azkuna Zentroa — the 1909 wine warehouse Philippe Starck turned into a cultural centre, with a guided visit.
    • The new riverfront — Santiago Calatrava’s Zubizuri footbridge, the Euskalduna palace and Norman Foster’s metro stations, on a walk with an architectural guide.
    • The Vizcaya Bridge — where the estuary meets the sea, the first bridge in the world to carry people and traffic in a gondola hung high above the ships, opened in 1893 and still in service.
    • The estuary by boat — a private boat along the river past the Guggenheim at sunset, with cava on board, on request and subject to availability.
    • From the air — a helicopter flight over the city and the coast, on request and subject to availability.
  • A close-up of a pintxo on toasted bread: melted goat's cheese topped with half a roasted cherry tomato and a charred spring onion, more pintxos blurred beside it on a wooden board

    Pintxos, txakoli and Basque cooking

    Pintxos in the bars around the Plaza Nueva, a tasting menu at one of the city’s Michelin-starred restaurants, and txakoli poured where it is grown.

    More of the table
    • A pintxo route through the old town — the bars of the Plaza Nueva and the Seven Streets; a professional chef can lead it where available.
    • Michelin-starred tables — a tasting menu with wine pairings at one of the city’s starred restaurants, reserved ahead.
    • The Ribera market with a chef — a morning at one of the largest covered markets in Europe, built beside the estuary in 1929, then to the table with what you chose.
    • A private cooking class — traditional Basque recipes, with a chef.
    • Txakoli — a tasting led by a sommelier at a vineyard near the coast; Bizkaia’s white wine has been a Denominación de Origen since 1994.
    • A day in La Rioja — by car with a driver to the vineyards, with tastings and a lunch at a winery. See wine tasting in La Rioja.
  • A grassy headland above the sea with low stone walls curving across it and a man walking beside one, a stone church with a spire behind and the red-roofed houses of a small town climbing a wooded hill

    The Basque coast

    A day along the coast east of the city: the fishing ports of Bermeo and Mundaka, the Urdaibai Biosphere Reserve, the hermitage on its rock at Gaztelugatxe, and Getaria.

    More of the coast
    • San Juan de Gaztelugatxe — a hermitage to St John the Baptist on an islet joined to the shore by a stone bridge, 241 steps up; on the busiest days numbers are limited, and we reserve the places.
    • Urdaibai — the Biosphere Reserve UNESCO listed in 1984, where the Oka meets the sea at Mundaka: a walk with a guide, then lunch in the countryside.
    • Bermeo and Mundaka — the fishing port and the small town at the mouth of the estuary.
    • Getaria — the fishing port where Cristóbal Balenciaga was born in 1895, and the museum there that holds the most important collection of his work.
    • Out on the water — a sail on the Bay of Biscay at sunset, with food and drink on board, on request and subject to availability.
    • A slower day — a spa day at a hotel in the countryside, on request.

02Seasons

When to go

Spring March to May

Mild and green: highs rise from about 17°C (63°F) in March to 21°C (70°F) in May, with rain on eleven to thirteen days a month. A good season for the museums.

Summer June to September

The warmest and driest months: highs of about 23–26°C (73–79°F) and rain on seven or eight days a month. The season for the coast, and for eating outside.

EventsAste Nagusia, the city's own fiesta: nine days from the Saturday after 15 August, with more than 500 free events.

Autumn October and November

Highs ease from about 21°C (70°F) in October to 17°C (63°F) in November, and the rain returns: November is the wettest month of the year, with rain on thirteen days.

Winter December to February

Cool and often wet: highs of about 13–14°C (55–57°F), nights near 5–6°C (41–43°F), frost on two or three nights a month and rain on eleven to thirteen days a month.

EventsThe Santo Tomás fair on 21 December: stalls in the Plaza Nueva and the Arenal with talo and chorizo, cheese and txakoli.

Region by region across Spain, our best time to visit Spain guide.

03Shape your trip

Routes and itineraries

Each route is a starting point, tailored to you. Two of our multi-city Spain itineraries give Bilbao a day from San Sebastián, priced in US dollars per person.

  1. 4days

    Culture and cuisine

    Places
    Bilbao
    Suits
    A first visit built around the art and the food
    What the route includes
    • The Guggenheim with a private guide
    • A txakoli tasting led by a sommelier at a vineyard near the coast
    • A pintxo route through the old town, led by a chef where available
    • Dinner at one of Bilbao’s Michelin-starred restaurants, with wine pairings

  2. 7days

    Relax and explore

    Places
    Bilbao, with a day in San Sebastián
    Suits
    A slower week, with time by the sea and at the spa
    What the route includes
    • A hotel with views over the Nervión
    • The old streets of Getxo, and visits to artists’ studios
    • A day in San Sebastián, by the sea and at the table
    • The Guggenheim and the Fine Arts Museum with expert guides
    • An afternoon at a spa, with Basque-inspired treatments

  3. 3days

    Art and architecture

    Places
    Bilbao
    Suits
    The city's transformation, building by building
    What the route includes
    • A private architectural walk through the city’s transformation
    • Frank Gehry’s Guggenheim and Santiago Calatrava’s Zubizuri footbridge
    • A sunset cruise on the river, with cava

Itineraries that include Bilbao

All our Spain itineraries

Beyond Bilbao

  • The neo-Gothic Buen Pastor Cathedral in San Sebastián, its tall clock tower and spire rising between trees against a blue sky, a wide flight of steps before its doors

    Day excursion

    San Sebastián

    About 100 km east along the coast: the Bay of La Concha, the old town between the sea and the Urumea, and a European Capital of Culture in 2016.

  • Vineyards and green wheat fields in La Rioja in spring, a red earth track running between the rows towards wooded hills and a snow-capped peak

    Day excursion

    La Rioja

    92 km south to Haro: Spain's first Denominación de Origen Calificada, since 1991, with some 66,000 hectares of vines along the Ebro.

  • The façade of Casa Batlló hung with red roses along its balconies and the curved stone frames of its stained-glass windows, a Catalan flag above

    Another stay

    Barcelona

    By Alvia train or a short flight: Gaudí's city, seven of his works on the World Heritage List, the Gothic Quarter and the sea.

  • Black grapes heaped in a trailer at harvest, a picker tipping in another bucketful, a tractor and rows of vines stretching to the horizon behind

    Another stay

    The Duero Valley

    South on the high plateau of Castile: the Ribera del Duero, a Denominación de Origen since 1982, its wine estates, castles and roast lamb.

04Planning with Avelia

How we plan your time in Bilbao

We help you choose the right hotel, balance guided visits with time to explore, and fit Bilbao into your wider journey — or shape a stay in the city itself.

  1. Share your plans

    Tell us your dates, interests, preferred pace and any practical requirements.

  2. Shape your trip with us

    We prepare a tailored proposal and refine it with you, with a quoted trip price and clear inclusions.

  3. Travel with our support

    Once you approve the proposal and complete the agreed booking requirements, we confirm your arrangements. We coordinate the details and support you while you travel.

Peace of mind

  • Clear before you commit. A written proposal with a quoted trip price and clear inclusions, before any payment.
  • Financially protected. Your payments for a package trip are covered against our insolvency by a guarantee with AXA.
  • One point of contact. From the first conversation to the last day, with support while you travel.

Plan with peace of mind

What we can arrange

Your proposal sets out the arrangements included in your trip.

  • Hotels matched to you — contemporary or classic, beside the Guggenheim or in the heart of the city, and private villas and apartments on request.
  • Private transport — chauffeur-driven premium cars for airport and station transfers, days out along the coast, to San Sebastián or La Rioja, and the drive to your next stop in Spain or France.
  • Private guides — art historians and specialist guides for the Guggenheim, the Fine Arts Museum and the old town.
  • Experiences — pintxo routes and cooking classes with a chef, txakoli and Rioja tastings, a boat on the estuary.
  • Tables and tickets — reservations from Michelin-starred dining rooms to pintxo bars, and museum visits booked ahead.
  • Special occasions — honeymoons, anniversaries and family trips, planned around who is travelling.

Spain guides

05Questions

Questions we are asked

What does it cost to have a tailor-made trip designed by Avelia Travel?

Every trip is priced individually. After discussing your plans, we prepare a tailored proposal with a quoted trip price and a clear outline of what is included.

How many nights should we spend in Bilbao?

We recommend three or four nights, with days out along the coast, to San Sebastián or to La Rioja.

When is the best time to visit Bilbao?

May to October, and above all June to September, the warmest and driest months, with Aste Nagusia, the city’s fiesta, in late August. For a quieter visit, late spring or early autumn; November is the wettest month of the year.

Can I include Bilbao in a larger Spain itinerary?

Yes. San Sebastián lies along the coast to the east and La Rioja’s vineyards to the south; trains run to Madrid and Barcelona, and Bilbao’s airport has flights to Seville, Mallorca and Santiago de Compostela, among others. South-west France is across the border beyond San Sebastián.

Do you only plan full itineraries, or can you help with just a hotel?

Both. We plan complete trips, and we also arrange a stay on its own: a hotel matched to you, with transfers, a guide or a few reservations added if you wish.

Is Avelia right for me?

Avelia suits travellers who want a private, well-paced trip planned around them: the right places in the right order, hotels chosen for them, guides who know the ground, tables and tickets taken care of, and one point of contact from the first conversation until they are home.

Start planning your time in Bilbao

Tell us your dates and who is travelling. Everything else we can work out together.

Plan your Bilbao trip

Usually answered within one business day.

Bilbao in pictures

The Guggenheim Museum Bilbao at dusk from the riverside, its curved metal forms lit gold, a giant bronze spider on the walkway beside it, the Iberdrola Tower rising behind with its lit sign, and the lights of the far bank reflected in the river
The Guggenheim Museum Bilbao at dusk