Bilbao surprises the world

Bilbao (the largest city in the Basque Country, in the northern part of Spain) will surprise many of you with its modernity, but most of all with its welcoming arms. Let's make one thing clear though: that will happen if you are not Spanish :) The city has gone through major changes in the last few decades, modernising what was apparently a very grey, industrial city and turning it into a gem.

Bilbao is perfectly suited for a week-end's city trip or is a "must" stop on your itinerary if you are travelling through Spain. In case of the city trip, the good news is that the airport is very new and modern and fuelled by lots of low-cost airlines like http://www.easyjet.com/ or http://www.vueling.com/?language=EN.

For accommodation, a very warm recommendation goes to Edificio Santiago (http://www.edificiosantiago.com/main_ingles.htm), which provides very modern hotel-like rooms but in a warmer environment. It is also extremely close to the main shopping area in Bilbao (walking distance of 5 minutes) and has a very nice restaurant as well.
As for moving around the city, the Metro (http://www.metrobilbao.com/) is an extremely accessible option, as it has been one of the catalysts of modernity in the city, but walking around will also help you stumble across beautiful local shops and restaurants.


Now that the practicalities are out of the way, let's talk about what you should not miss when "citytriping" in Bilbao:

• the Santiago Cathedral (Catedral de Santiago - to not be confused with the huge Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela) which is more than 700 years old, which boasts a lovely Gothic architecture and superb stained glasses
• the Old Town (or El Casco Viejo), also known as Las Siete Calles (the 7 streets) because it contains the 7 roads that form the oldest neighbourhood in town, is a great place to just walk around, enter in the colourful shops, tapas bars, old churches, but you can also do your groceries at the huge market (Mercado de la Ribera); also, if you want to follow old tradition, you should be doing a tavern crawl drinking shots of wine (chiquitos) and singing along with the locals :)
  
  
• have a stroll on the Zubizuri (it means white bridge in Basque), another of the city's new symbols

• of course, you cannot escape from a visit to the highly acclaimed Guggenheim Museum - http://www.guggenheim.org/bilbao. The architecture is indeed impressive (especially if admired from above, please check the photo album for nice views) and the modern-culture lovers will also be delighted by its exhibitions, but for those of you with more traditional views a word of warning : the colourful Puppy in front of the museum might be the only piece of art that you will actually appreciate
• the City Hall is a great view, especially at night, the Baroque-style building dating from 1892 and remaining one of the city's "old symbols". Just to give you an idea, have a look here : http://farm1.static.flickr.com/182/388207662_e97218d5d3.jpg?v=0
  

Another option is a day's trip to San Sebastian, a lovely city on the coast of the Atlantic, but about that in a future post.

For City Trip Blog photos of Bilbao have a look here: http://picasaweb.google.com/citytripblog/Bilbao#slideshow

Feel free to comment, sharing your experiences or asking questions or recommendations.