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Weekend in Bilbao, Spain

We enjoyed our time in the small city of Bilbao, in the Basque region of Spain. Set amid rolling green hills and mountain ranges in north of Spain, Bilbao is vibrant and stylish city located along the Nervion River.

Casco Viejo is the old town of Bilbao. It is quite small, locals often call it "The Seven Streets", but is the beautiful heart of the city with narrow pedestrian streets filled with painted stone buildings and nice local bars and cafes.

Right in the center, Plaza Nueva is a small beautiful sqaure enclosed by fine buildings and restaurants.

We visited Santiago Cathedral, the 14th century church with a Gothic facade and decorations, now a UNESCO listed site

La Vieja or Bilbi is another old and nice neighbourhood of Bilbao, right next to Casco Viejo, on the Nervión River. It has become a cool spot of the city with funky bars, art galleries, colorful street murals, bars and nice boutiques.

Miribilla Parkea is the nice green area of the neighbourhood that often hosts markets and concerts.

We walked the cool streets of the neighbourhood and had a late something to eat at El Perro Chico, a beautiful place right by the river, with delicious food and friendly staff.

As we walked along the river with beautiful views over the city, we came across Ribera Market, located also on the river bank. It's Europe’s largest covered market. It was rewarded with the title of "the most complete market in the world" by Guinness Book.

We started the second day where we ended the previous one, at Ribera Market.

We then took a nice long walk on the river till we arrived at one of the coolest spots of the town.

We admired the Zubizuri Bridge over the Nervion River, it's a beautiful modern tied arch footbridge that looks like a sailboat on the river.

We arrived at the cool Guggenheim Museum. It's a museum of modern and contemporary art in a super interesting titanium and glass building, designed by Frank Gehry. It's one of Bilbao's symbols.

We explored the cosmopolitan El Ensanche neighbourhood, with first rate shops, restaurants, and modern buildings.

Casa Montero is an Art Nouveau building called the "Gaudi House", though it was not designed by Gaudi, but it resembles the Gaudi style.

We then took the funicular to Mount Artxanda, a beautiful mountain peak that offers spectacular views over the city and the surroundings. We spent some time there as it was our last spot in Bilbao.