 Bilbao offers endless places to visit, to start the best option is to take a stroll through the old town - the oldest part of the city – to discover the seven streets, the Plaza de San Miguel de Unamuno, the calle de la Ribera, the market, the Bridge of San Antón, the Cathedral of Santiago and the Plaza Nueva, where the famous pintxos can be sampled.
Then continue through el Arenal, to view the beautiful Arraiga Theatre, a symbol of the local culture. Cross over the Arenal Bridge and follow the riverside pathway on the right hand side that starts in Ripa, passes the docks of Uribitarte and leads to the glass footbridge designed by the architect Santiago Calatrava, a stone’s throw away from the Guggenheim Museum.
But the route doesn't end here. Continue along the Abandoibarra to arrive at the Euskalduna Conference Centre and Concert Hall - another modernist symbol of the city with a great resemblance to a boat.
In the evening the choice of activities is very different with a variety of bars, pubs and discos to experience the nightlife. The areas of the Galerías Urquijo and Mazarredo are particularly worth visiting.
Finally, take a stroll around the Gran Vía, the main street of the city, with exquisite buildings and the finest shops. Head towards the Plaza Elíptica, to admire the majesty of the State Government Offices. Follow the pedestrian area of Gran Vía leading to the Plaza Circular to admire the statue of Don Diego Lope de Haro – the city’s founder.
Bilbao is one of the most important cultural attractions in Europe, with an enormous choice of museums, cultural attractions and monuments:
Museums: Today, Bilbao’s Fine Arts Museum has several pieces of Spanish gothic art, such as paintings from the 16th to the 20th centuries, as well as modern art and sculptures. The city’s pre-eminent museum is the colossal titanium-constructed Guggenheim Bilbao Museum, that has become one of Spain’s most famous museums.
The Parque de Abandoibarra covers an area of 246,000 metres square in the Abandoibarra area, right in the centre of Bilbao. It contains a new business centre, a leisure and shopping centre, a hotel, the frequently visited library of the prestigious University of Deusto and the Rector’s office of the University of the Basque Country. The Abandoibarra park area includes a 3 kilometres riverbank pathway.
The Parque de Doña Casilda Iturriza is considered to be the most important park space in Bilbao. Located between Gran Vía and Abandoibarra, the park contains Bilbao’s Fine Arts Museum and several monuments. It is also home to many tree and plant species and has a pond filled with fish, ducks and swans. It is, of course, the perfect place for practising outdoor sports.
 Alhóndiga Municipal, is the old municipal wine store containing the permanent exhibition of the Processional Floats of the Penitent Brotherhood of the City of Bilbao.
The City Hall was built in 1891 using Islamic tiles from la Cartuja, designed by Joaquín Rucoba and decorated by José Soler.
The Cathedral of Santiago has an outstanding choir and a cloister built in flamboyant gothic style.
The Seat of the Regional Government (19th century) was designed by the architect Aladrén.
The Plaza Nueva is located in the heart of the old town in Bilbao; it has an excellent open market every Sunday where the locals sell a great range of objects from picture cards to fish.
The Basilica de Begoña is devoted to the patron saint of the city - Our Lady of Begoña (Nuestra Señora de Begoña). It was built in the 16th century and since been restored. Its bell tower is an exceptional piece of work by Basterra. Inside there is an image of the Virgin dating from the 8th century.
The Church of San Antón was built at the beginning of the 15th century in gothic style. It has a renaissance portico and a baroque tower. In the Capilla de los Dolores there is a plateresque altarpiece with an image of the Descent from the Cross by Guiot de Beaugrant. It was built on the ruins of an ancient fortress.
 Bilbao first emerged as an important trading centre in mediaeval times. Its development was largely a result of its geographical position. The city of Bilbao was originally built on the left bank of the Nervión river, a site that even today is still called Bilbao La Vieja [Old Bilbao]. Bilbao later extended onto the right bank, into lands that had previously belonged to the Parish Council of Begoña Today’s Arenal Bridge was a symbol of the growth of Old Bilbao towards the new town area built in the 20th century. It was on the left bank of the river that the first banking institutions were built, the new stock exchange and the headquarters of the shipping, metal, industrial and trading companies.
World economic growth at the opening of the 20th century stimulated economic and industrial growth in Bilbao and warmed its relations with London and Paris.
In the years between 1980 and 1989, Bilbao slumped into an industrial crisis when its industry became obsolete and Spain joined the EU. However, Bilbao recovered by adapting its urban and economic landscape.
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