What a wonderful place to spend a weekend – unfortunately we only had a few hours as a cruise stop, part of a 7-day western Europe cruise on Princess.
After a free shuttle bus ride (probably provided by Bilbao tourism rather than Princess Cruises) we had only a few hours to explore the town. Dominating the riverside area is the modern art Guggenheim Museum, so let’s start there. Ok, modern art can be a bit of an acquired taste – and we didn’t acquire a taste for it all. But, for a €10 entrance fee, can you really go wrong? We did, however, take the opportunity to see an Andy Warhol “Marilyn Monroe” picture. The ground floor exhibition was incredible, with enormous steel structures to get close to and walk in-between.
The design of the building itself is, of course, a work of art and the commentary provided goes into great detail about the construction as well as the pieces on display. On one of the first floor walkways you face a complex glass wall – look carefully and you can pick out your reflection multiple times.
Observing the “no photos” signs inside the halls we only took pictures outside – the metal flowers, the flower cat, and the giant spider.
There’s a wide pedestrian walkway along the river that leads, in about a mile, to the Old Town. Easy to find – across an old bridge! An easy wander through the area – with no traffic to contend with – and not a chain store in site.
With limited time we had to make our way back along the river to catch the bus back to the cruise ship – and join a queue of hundreds of others doing the same. So, it’s on our list for a weekend break with time to explore more, enjoy a boat trip, and try some of the restaurants in the Old Town.
whilst the sun shines 