A Day Trip with Children to Bilbao

Introduction

Bilbao is the largest city in the semi-autonomous Basque Region of Northern Spain. It boasts a medieval old town, World-class galleries and museums, central green spaces and a lively bar and restaurant scene. The size of the city and the variety of attractions on offer make it the perfect place for a short city break.

There is enough to easily keep you entertained for a few days. However, for those short on time, or those just wanting to dip in and out when passing through, like we were when touring Spain in a motorhome, here are some suggestions for how to best spend just one day in Bilbao.

Casco Viejo

Casco Viejo is Bilbao’s riverfront medieval district. Complete with atmospheric narrow lanes and stocked full of popular shops and nightlife, the whole area is bustling with life. It makes a good place to start any visit to Bilbao, giving a chance to explore and get a feel for the city. The 14th century, gothic-revival Santiago Cathedral is well worth a look. At the southern end of the district is the historic La Ribera market. It’s a great place to shop for local food specialities either to take away or enjoy at the on-site cafe.

At the heart of Casco Viejo is the Plaza Neuva (sometimes also called the Plaza Barria), a grand, neoclassical square lined with tapas bars and restaurants. Bilbao (and the wider Basque region) are famous for their culinary preparation style of pinxtos: small tapas offerings, usually served on a small piece of bread or a skewer, and often attractively arranged along bar tops for customers to browse before buying. By day, the restaurants around the Plaza Neuva have some great set menu options for lunch, while in the evening the vibe is more about drinks accompanied by a few light tapas bites. It’s the perfect spot to sit and unwind with a glass (or 3!) of delicious and surprisingly reasonable Rioja wine after a long day of exploring the city, while children have plenty of space to run about and play in the square (all the time staying within view).

The Riverside

Heading north from Casco Viejo brings you first to the El Arenal plaza. It contains a quirky historic bandstand that sometimes hosts concerts and events. Down a flight of stairs under the bandstand is a beautifully decorated cafe bar, called Cafe Kiosko El Arenal, that also has plenty of outdoor seating within view of a children’s playground. It’s a good spot to stop and enjoy a drink with a side order of people watching, while the children have somewhere to play and keep themselves entertained.

Further north, the route rejoins a pleasant riverside walk that takes you first past a stylish modern footbridge, then through various interesting artworks, while all the time leading you towards what is arguably the crown of Bilbao: the Guggenheim Museum.

The Guggenheim Museum

No trip to Bilbao would be complete without a trip to the Frank Gehry designed Guggenheim Museum. The museum is a permanent home to an assortment of highly regarded, modern 20th century artworks, as well as featuring temporary and touring exhibitions. It is often remarked that the largest work of art is actually the building itself, a gleaming mass of interconnecting shapes constructed from titanium and glass. It really is a breathtaking piece of architecture. The reflective surface constantly alters the appearance of the building throughout the day, throwing back whatever light and colours are being shone onto it at the time.

Entrance to the museum is €12 on the door for adults (€10 if purchased online in advance), including a free audio tour. All children under the age of 18 get to go in for free, which is a nice touch. I’d say it’s worth the entrance fee, but for anyone not wanting to pay to go inside, you should definitely still go just to see the building itself, along with the large art pieces that occupy the spaces around it. Periodically there is also a display of fire and steam around the building exterior, which is great fun for kids to watch. The museum also has a well reviewed restaurant inside that looked good when we visited.

Tips for visiting the Guggenheim Museum with children:

There were not too many other children visiting when we were there, especially not children as young as ours (5,3 & 1). We looked a bit out of place but were made to feel very welcome by the staff nonetheless.

You are not allowed to take a pushchair inside. If your children are too small to walk, consider bringing a baby carrier. We didn’t have one with us so had to struggle with carrying our 1 year old around.

No food or drinks are allowed inside. Be sure to pre-load your kids with drinks and snacks before you go inside. Hopefully this will help to avoid having whinging children by the end of your visit (or at least reduce the whinging, in any case).

Keep a close eye on your children. Some of the art works are arranged in such a way that it is hard to sometimes tell what is or isn’t art (especially for small children!). We had a couple of close shaves with ours almost standing on or touching something they shouldn’t!

Bilbao at Night: Where to Eat and Stay

After a long day out and about exploring all that Bilbao has to offer, the evening provides a chance to unwind and enjoy some of the excellent food and drink that the city has on offer. For some delicious and authentic Basque cuisine, check out Restaurant Nido Bilbao. However, if you feel like you’ve had your fill of tapas and pinxtos for the day and fancy something a bit different, Restaurant India Town serves up some really tasty Indian and Nepali food. Both are within easy reach of the Guggenheim Museum and Casco Viejo old town.

After dinner, head back to the Casco Viejo for drinks and a chance for children to run off some steam with all the others in the Plaza Nueva, before retiring for the night. The Baps Apartments offer modern, family-friendly, multi-room apartments in a great location that is close to the Casco Viejo old town.

Around Bilbao

If staying for longer, or passing through and looking for other local attractions, the coast to the north of Bilbao is both wild and beautiful. Dramatic cliffs and rocky outcrops are interspersed with sandy bays, popular with surfers due to the consistent waves that roll in from the Bay of Biscay.

Sopelana

Sopelana is a pleasant town to visit, approx 20km north of Bilbao. While the town itself may be unremarkable, it does have a decent selection of shops and restaurants and is well connected to central Bilbao by the Metro line. The main draw of the town is the Playa de Sopelana beach, a solid half hour walk from the town centre and Metro stop. The beach forms a long bay of red sand, framed all around by striking cliffs. It’s a favourite both with surfers of all abilities and casual beach go-ers alike.

If visiting in a camper (as we were), Sopelana is also home to a decent enough campsite, Camping Sopelana. The site is laid out along the cliff top with views from some pitches down to the sea below. Probably the best pitches are those in an area actually designated for tent camping. We visited in the off season so it was ok to park our van in there. This area has great views down to the sea, complete with unbeatable sunsets above. The beach below is easily reached on foot from the camping (although the walk back up is definitely a bit harder!). The Metro stop (for regular trains into Bilbao) is a 20 min walk in the other direction.

Gaztelugatxeko Doniene

Impossible to pronounce but well worth a visit. Continue northeast along the coast for another 30km from Sopelana (you’ll need to drive) and you come to Gaztelugatxeko Doniene. It is a rocky island, flanked by impressive natural sea arch features. The island is connected to the mainland only by a thin, man-made bridge of rock. Fans of Game of Thrones will recognise the location as Dragonstone, a popular filming location from the hit TV series.

When visiting, you are directed to park high up on the hillside above and descend the many many constructed stone stairs down to and over the bridge, before climbing back up another 200 or so steps on the island side to reach the ancient (though somewhat reconstructed) monastery, the Monasterio de Gaxtelutxe. It is apparently local legend to ring the bell outside the monastery 3 times on arrival, before making a wish. Be warned, it is a strenuous walk (especially with children), but well worth it for anyone brave enough to take it on. For those wanting an easier option, it is possible to just walk a short way down to reach a viewpoint. At the start of the walk is also a decent cafe to either recuperate in if having completed the walk, or build up some energy and courage before setting off. The island is a popular tourist attraction and can get very busy in summer or on public holidays. It is best to either try and visit at a quieter time if you can, or aim to arrive early in the morning to beat the crowds.

San Sebastian

Continuing further to the east eventually brings you to the city of San Sebastian. If visiting the Basque region, its perfect sandy bay, atmospheric old town with pinxto tapas culture, and historic seaside charm definitely shouldn’t be missed. For more ideas for what to do when you get there, see our guide for how to spend 48 hours in San Sebastian.

In Summary

Bilbao is a fun and lively city to visit, providing a good insight into Basque personality and cultural traditions. While the spectacular Guggenheim Museum may be the city’s best known tourist attraction (for good reason), the city also has lots more to offer visitors and is a very family friendly destination. There is comfortably enough to keep you busy for a good few days, particularly if you also plan on visiting some of the surrounding coastal attractions. If you’re short on time though, I hope I have at least been able to provide some useful information to help you to best plan a day trip to Bilbao with children.

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• Author Details

Children of Wanderlust Administrator

We are Rachel & John, parents from the UK with 4 small children. After persuing separate jobs for many years, including being an experienced science teacher, we have now moved to Spain for a fresh challenge. We have always had a passion for travel and exploration. Nowadays, that means bringing our 4 children, Savannah (9), Aurora (7), Easton (5) and Tiago (3) along with us. This oftens means taking a road trip in our beloved vintage camper, touring all corners of Europe and Morocco. We hope that you enjoy reading about our family adventures all over the world.

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