Spain Guide
Euskal Herria: the País Vasco & Navarra
Casco Viejo
A tight-knit maze of stone lanes, the Casco Viejo holds several major sights: the beautiful Teatro Arriaga, the elegantly arcaded Plaza Nueva, the Gothic Catedral de Santiago and the Euskal Museoa Bilbao at Plaza Miguel de Unamuno 4 (Tues– Sat 11am–5pm, Sun 11am–2pm; €3, free Thurs; www.euskal-museoa.org). Housed in the former Colegio de San Andrés, with its beautiful cloister, the museum is devoted to Basque archeology, ethnology and history. Before leaving the old town, check out also the Art Nouveau Mercado de la Ribera on the riverbank (closed Sun), which offers a vast array of fresh produce and seafood.
With pollution and decay very much a thing of the past, walking west from the Casco Viejo beside the Río Nervion is one of Bilbao's greatest pleasures – indeed, it's the favourite paseo for bilbainos. Not far beyond the ayuntamiento, the pedestrian-only Puente Zubizuri, designed by Santiago Calatrava, curves majestically across the river like a vast white sail filled by a fresh wind.