Explore a selection of our most popular Bilbao experiences. However long you spend with us, our luxury, expert-led tours will make you feel like a true insider.
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Bilbao, home to the Guggenheim Museum which was designed by architect Frank Gehry, is the largest city in the Basque Country. It is a 20min drive from the northern beaches and is surrounded by green mountains. Whether you visit for the art, the cuisine, or the stellar architectural structures, Bilbao will leave an everlasting impression on you.
Explore a selection of our most popular Bilbao experiences. However long you spend with us, our luxury, expert-led tours will make you feel like a true insider.
The Guggenheim – a gleaming, floating icon of world architecture designed by modern American master Frank Gehry. Our art historian meets you below that fantastical facade before guiding you through the collections inside. Then, take a walk along the river to see other examples of Bilbao’s recent structural masterpieces.
If you only have time for the Guggenheim Museum, this is for you! See the museum’s highlights, including Richard Serra’s monumental sculpture A Matter of Time, a huge arrangement of spirals and ellipses that suggest some kind of portal into the mysteries of the cosmos. Temporary exhibits are option as well.
Barcelona, San Sebastian (+ Bilbao), Madrid
There are many different Spains. The ancient cuisine and wild Atlantic cliff lines of the Basque Country are very distinct from the glittering Mediterranean culture of Catalonia, which in turn feels like a world away from the blazing plains and mythic ruins of the Castilian interior. On this fully immersive 10-day tour you pass from one to another, through the grand urban gateways of Barcelona, San Sebastian, and Madrid.
OUR INSIDER’S TIPS
BEST VIEW OF THE CITY:
♥ Mirador San Nicolas (viewpoint) in the Albaicín for the best views of the Alhambra.
♥ Ermita de San Miguel Alto for views of the whole city, including the walls of the Albaicín, the Cathedral, and Granada’s hills, meadows, domes & bell towers.
♥ Alhambra, Torre de Vela (Tower of the Candle), a 360º view of the city of Granada!
BEST PLACE TO SEE THE SUNSET:
♥ All the views mentioned above are great locations to watch the sunset but there is a special corner in Granada where the sunsets are that much more magical. For those, head to the hills of Sacromonte, particularly just above the Cave Museum!
PRETTIEST STREETS TO WALK DOWN:
♥ Calle Calderería Nueva, in the Old Town, close to the Cathedral. It’s filled with tea shops and small stands with leather goods, spices, and souvenirs. Go for a henna tattoo or to feel like you’ve been transported to another era.
♥ Paseo de los Tristes (Walk of the Sad), going down to Carrera del Darro, was a walk originally reserved for funerals, but now is a delightful, lush walk with the Alhambra overhead. The trees are especially beautiful in spring!
♥ Camino del Sacromonte. Looking over into a green valley and especially beautiful at sunset! Go for the views… or the flamenco… or the caves!
TOP GRANADINO PRODUCTS TO TAKE BACK HOME:
♥ Fajalauza Ceramics – the most emblematic product from Granada. Thick blue and green brush stroked bowls, plates, vases, you name it. Most made in the Cecilio Morales Moreno factory which was installed over 300 years ago, but can be found throughout the city and region. Stop by Cerámica Miguel Muñoz if you are in the center or purchase pieces online!
♥ Taracea pieces, or the craft of marquetry, has been produced in Granada since the 14th century. Small pieces of mother of pearl, tortoiseshell, bone, exotic woods or stones are cut by hand and placed in geometric designs. Even the Catholic Kings Ferdinand and Isabella and Ferdinand had the craft decorate religious ornaments, furniture and other everyday objects. Check out Artesania Gonzalez while you’re in the center for some beautiful pieces.
♥ June is great if you enjoy a party atmosphere. Granada celebrates Corpus Christi in a big way throughout the city and on the fairgrounds. There you’ll find flamenco performances in booths, puppet or “chacoline” shows, bullfighting and parades, only to be juxtaposed with solemn processions of Corpus Christi. Another characteristic element of the festival is the “carocas and quintillas” competition. These are cartoon drawings with satirical limericks that make reference to events that have occurred in the city the previous year. Check them out in the municipal contest where they are exhibited in the Plaza Bib-Rambla.
♥ A low environmental footprint is at the forefront of Diego Higueras’ mission. Visit his famous restaurant, “La Cantina de Diego”, located in the town of Monachil, a 20 min drive from the center of Granada. He describes his cuisine as local, affordable and sustainable. “I always respect products and tradition but without separating myself from new technologies”.
♥ Javier Feixas offers traditional and creative cuisine at Restaurante Faralá, located close to the Alhambra, in the same building as Casa del Arte Flamenco, on the top floor. Upon booking you’ll choose one of 3 tasting menus, each with a slightly different focus. If you feel like having your meal downstairs, you can enjoy it while watching a flamenco show in Casa del Arte Flamenco!
MUST-HAVE GRANADINO DISHES & DRINKS:
♥ Real, adventurous foodies, this one is for you. In every corner of Spain you’ll find tortilla (omelette made with egg, potato and usually onion). Sometimes you’ll find different variations of the tortilla and in Granada you have possibly the most unique one. The Tortilla del Sacromonte, as in the hill where you’ll be watching the sunset, has filled their tortillas with various types of casquería (offal, also called variety meats or the entrails and internal organs of an animal used as food), especially ram brains and criadillas (animal testicles), and frequently breadcrumbs, peas and nuts are also added. If you are game to try this delicacy, try any of the Los Manueles restaurants or the not-to-be-missed Casa Juanillo for a slice or two.
♥ Remojón Granadino is a dish of Arab origin, very popular in Granada, but also in Córdoba and Jaén. It consists of a salad made with peeled and chopped oranges, drizzled with olive oil. The variations of the dish can have cod, olives, eggs, onion or spring onions, garlic, vinegar, paprika, potatoes or tomato are added.
♥ Moraga de Sardinas – a typical seafood dish of Granada cuisine made mainly with sardines from Motril. For its preparation, the sardines are placed in a clay pot, bathed in white wine, extra virgin olive oil, lemon juice, minced garlic, parsley and salt. Then they are placed on heat for about 10min and ready to enjoy.
♥ 3 very important indie pop/rock bands who have paved the way for so many more. Chances are high that you’ll catch them at the music festivals all over Spain!
Los Planetas – 5 members, formed in 1993.
Niños Mutantes – 6 members, formed in 1994.
& Lori Meyers, 6 members, formed in 1998.
♥ And of course, flamenco: Enrique Morente – considered one of the great innovators of flamenco. He unfortunately passed away in 2010 but his son, Kiki Morente, is also become a flamenco singer and the Morente legacy lives on.