Founded in 1908, the Fine Arts Museum Bilbao features an extraordinary variety of artworks from the 12th century to the present. The collection includes more than 6,000 works of art, from paintings, sculptures and drawings to engravings and decorative objects. It is divided into three parts: one for classic European art, with works by artists like El Greco, Murillo, Goya and van Dyck; the second for contemporary art, including works by Gauguin, Bacon, Chillida and Barceló; and the third for Basque art, showing works by Regoyos, Zuloaga, Echevarría, Iturrino and Arteta among others.
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Things to see in Bilbao
Tourist offices
Bilbao Turismo
Address: 1 Plaza Circular, Bilbao, Vizcaya, 48009, Spain
Tel: +34 94 479 5760.
Opening Hours:
Daily 0900–2100.
www.bilbao.net/bilbaoturismoBilbao Turismo also has an office at the Guggenheim Museum.
Fine Arts Museum Bilbao
Opening Times: Wed-Mon 1000-2000.
Admission Fees: Yes (free from 1000-1500 Wed, 1500-2000 Sun).
Disabled Access: No
UNESCO: No
Address:
2 Museo Plaza, Bilbao, Vizcaya 48009, Spain
Telephone: +34 944 396 060.
Website:
http://www.museobilbao.com
Guggenheim Museum
Bilbao's greatest tourist attraction is without doubt the Guggenheim Museum. Designed by architect Frank Gehry, it is a vast titanium-clad structure in the centre of Bilbao and has 11,000 sq m (118,403 sq ft) of exhibition space distributed amongst 19 galleries. It features the works of some of the most influential artists of the later half of the 20th century including Picasso, Motherwell, Rauschenberg, Still, Tàpies, Warhol, Klein and de Koonig.
Opening Times: Tues-Sun 1000-2000.
Admission Fees: Yes.
Disabled Access: Yes
UNESCO: No
Address:
2 Avenida Abandoibarra, Bilbao, Vizcaya 48009, Spain
Telephone: +34 94 435 9080.
Website:
http://www.guggenheim-bilbao.es
Old Town (Casco Viejo)
Bilbao's Old Town is known as Las Siete Calles (the Seven Streets) because that’s how many cobbled walkways it was originally centred on within the ancient city walls. Since the 19th Century, though, it's expanded northwards towards Plaza Nueva. This is the part of town where visitors usually spend most of their time, either checking out the historic churches, the cathedral and the atmospheric little squares, or joining the tavern-crawling choral societies indulging in Bilbao's great passions: eating pintxos (tapas on sticks) drinking wine and singing.
Opening Times: Daily 24 hours.
Admission Fees: No.
Disabled Access: Yes
UNESCO: No
Address:
Old Town, Bilbao, Vizcaya 48005, Spain
Catedral de Bilbao (St James Cathedral)
Bilbao's oldest church was originally just a stop on the pilgrimage trail to Santiago de Compostela in the west. It was started in 1379 and finally finished in an impressively ornate, Gothic style in 1643. As well as the eponymous St James (or Santiago in Spanish) the church also honours the local devotion to commerce, with the effigies of respected merchants carved into the main vault. It became a cathedral in 1950.
Opening Times: Mon-Sat 1000-1300 and 1700-1830, Sun 1100-1200.
Admission Fees: No.
Disabled Access: Yes
UNESCO: No
Address:
1 Plaza de Santiago, Old Town, Bilbao, Vizcaya 48005, Spain
Telephone: +34 94 415 3627.
Alhóndiga
Until 2010, the Alhóndiga was an elegant but crumbling, 19th century wine warehouse. This was before it was handed over to French designer Phillipe Starck who did a magnificent job in turning it into the spectacular arts centre it is today. There are curvaceous, extravagantly decorated pillars, illuminated benches and, most impressively, a glass-bottomed swimming pool three storeys above the vast lobby.
Opening Times: Mon-Fri 0800-2200, Sat-Sun 0900-2200.
Admission Fees: Yes.
Disabled Access: Yes
UNESCO: No
Address:
4 Plaza Arriquibar, Bilbao, Vizcaya 48008, Spain
Telephone: +34 944 014 014.
Website:
http://www.alhondigabilbao.com
Bilbao Museum of Basque Archaeology, Ethnography and History
This Bilbao museum is well worth a visit. It features exhibits from the Basque region's prehistory, archaeology, ethnography and history. The permanent collection allows visitors to explore topics such as the prehistoric Biscay area and the maritime world in the region as well as fishing and trade, pastoral life, handicraft textiles, pottery, weapons and furniture.
Opening Times: Tues-Sat 1100-1700; Sun 1100-1400.
Admission Fees: Yes.
Disabled Access: Yes
UNESCO: No
Address:
4 Plaza Miguel de Unamuno, Bilbao, Vizcaya 48006, Spain
Telephone: +34 944 155 423.
Euskalduna Palace
Considered to be among the most significant contemporary architectural works made by Spanish architects, Euskalduna Palace was designed by Federico Soriano and Dolores Palacios and represents the last ship built in the old Euskalduna shipyard. A symbolic representation of Bilbao's industrial heritage, this huge multifunctional complex, built in 1999 and located in the city centre, holds a renowned conference centre and a magnificent auditorium. There are guided tours every Saturday at noon.
Opening Times: Daily 1000-2000.
Admission Fees: Yes.
Disabled Access: Yes
UNESCO: No
Address:
4 Avenida Abandoibarra, Bilbao, Vizcaya 48011, Spain
Telephone: +34 944 035 000.
Website:
http://www.euskalduna.net
Funicular de Artxanda
Bilbao sits at the bottom of a valley, which is good news if you want to get some exercise walking up the steep hills in every direction. However, for anybody less keen on stretching their legs, this light railway provides a charming way to climb the steep slope to the top of Mount Arxanda. Built in 1915 by a Swiss company it travels at a rumbling 5 metres per second and carries 70 passengers at a time.
Opening Times: Mon-Sat 0715-2200, Sun 0815-2200 (to 2300 from Jun-Sep).
Admission Fees: Yes.
Disabled Access: Yes
UNESCO: No
Address:
Plaza Funicular, Bilbao, Vizcaya 48007, Spain
Telephone: +34 94 445 4966.
Parque Etxebarria
Few things symbolise modern Bilbao better than the Parque Etxebarria. Once the site of a steel mill, its redevelopment in mid-1980s proved a peek of what was to come for the port when it was turned into the city's most popular green space. Its views look out over the Old Town, while the original tall chimney stack has been left as a monument and a reminder of how Bilbao used to be.
Opening Times: Daily 24 hours.
Admission Fees: No.
Disabled Access: Yes
UNESCO: No
Address:
Parque Etxebarria, Begoña, Bilbao, Vizcaya, Spain
Ría de Bilbao Maritime Museum
Situated in the docks of the old Euskalduna shipyard in Abandoibarra, Bilbao Maritime Museum is dedicated to all things relating to the sea and navigation. The indoor section includes exhibitions, a media archive, an auditorium, a shop and a café. Outside, guests can visit the Euskalduna Shipyards, where they’ll find the pump house once used to drain the docks and the bright red, 60m (197ft) high Carola crane, which has become a symbol of the reconstruction of the city.
Opening Times: Tues-Sun 1000-2000 (summer); Tues-Fri 1000-1800, Sat-Sun 1000-2000 (winter).
Admission Fees: Yes, except for Tuesdays during the school year.
Disabled Access: Yes
UNESCO: No
Address:
1 Muelle Ramón de la Sota, Bilbao, Vizcaya 48013, Spain
Telephone: +34 94 608 5500.
Website:
http://www.museomaritimobilbao.org
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