Bilbao - Casco Viejo Travel Guides | Bilbao | Sub Regions | Bilbao - Casco Viejo

Tucked into a bend in the river, Bibao’s old town has something of the medina about it; on your first few forays you surely won’t end up where you might have thought you were going. The parallel Siete Calles (Seven Streets) are the oldest part of town, and even locals struggle to sort out which bar is on which street. While there aren’t a huge number of sights per se, there are dozens of quirky shops and some very attractive architecture; leisurely wandering is in order. The true soul of the Casco emerges from early evening on, however, when Bilbaínos descend on the Casco like bees returning to the hive, strolling the streets, listening to buskers, debating the quality of the pintxos in the myriad bars, and sipping wine in the setting sun.

Metro: Casco Viejo.

In 1300 the lord of the province of Vizcaya, Don Diego López de Haro V, saw the potential of the fishing village of Bilbao and granted it permission to become a town and by the end of the 14th century the town had three parallel streets: Somera, Artekale and Tendería (street of shopkeepers). These were soon added to Belostikale and Carnicería Vieja, with Barrenkale and Barrenkale Barrena coming to the party. These make up the Siete Calles, the seven original streets of the city. It was a time of strife, and the fledgling town was walled, but, at the end of the 15th century, the original fortifications came down and the city began to grow. The Siete Calles today bristle with bars and shops. Somera is a particularly interesting street; there’s an alternative feel about it, and the watering holes are proudly Basque.

Plaza Santiago. Metro: Casco Viejo.

The slender spire of this graceful Gothic cathedral rises from the very centre of the tightly packed Casco Viejo. Mostly built in the late 14th century on the site of a previous church, it was devastated by fire in the 1500s and lost much of its original form. Two of its best features are later additions: an arched southern porch, and a small but harmonious cloister (if it´s locked, the attendants will open it). Promoted to cathedral in 1950, the building has benefitted from recent restoration.

Metro: Casco Viejo.

One of a series of similar cloister-like squares in Euskadi, the ‘new’ square was finished in 1849. Described by Unamuno as “my cold and uniform Plaza Nueva”, it will particularly appeal to lovers of geometry and symmetry with its courtly, neo-classical arches. These arches conceal an excellent selection of restaurants and bars, with some of the best pintxos in town on offer. In good weather, most have seating outside in the square. If the centre seems a little empty, it is; in the past it has housed a statue, a bandstand, and, most recently, a fountain. The area, cleared for the construction of the underground car park, comes to life on Sundays, when there’s a flea market. At Hallowe’en, the square is a riot of colour, as thousands of floral wreaths for All Saints’ Day are sold.

Arenal s/n. Metro: Casco Viejo.

The Baroque façade of this 18th-century church dominates the Parque del Arenal and is attractive when sunlit. When Bilbao was a village, this was the fishermen’s quarter, and there was a tiny chapel here dedicated to Nicolás, patron saint of sailors. As Bilbao grew, it was decided to replace it with a larger church; the half- finished result suffered through two centuries of mañanas before being demolished and replaced with the current church. Inside, it’s spacious but fairly uninteresting.Behind the church, on grimy Calle Esperanza, is a frontón where there are frequent games of pelota, both organized and informal.

Plaza Miguel de Unamuno 4, T 944-155423. Tue-Sat 1100-1700, Sun 1100-1400. €3 (free on Thu). Metro: Casco Viejo.

Attractively set around an old Jesuit college, this museum houses an interesting if higgledy-piggledy series of Basque artefacts and exhibits covering thousands of years. There’s a fascinating room-sized relief model of Vizcaya on the top floor, a piece of one of the Gernika oak trees, and some good displays on Basque fishing, as well as a decent but poorly presented series of prehistoric finds. Descriptions are currently in Euskara and Spanish only, although English panels are being mooted. The museum’s centrepiece is the boarlike Mikeldi, of uncertain prehistoric origin.

The slightly shabby plaza, named for the great Bilbao poet and philosopher Miguel de Unamuno, gets very rowdy indeed on Saturday nights, when it’s the gathering place for crowds of underage drinkers. Unamuno himself was born in a house on nearby Calle Ronda: a defaced plaque is the only evidence.

Begoña s/n. Buses 3 and 30 from Plaza Circular, Bus 41 from Gran Vía. Metro: Casco Viejo (take the Begoña exit) or the lift from Calle Esperanza (€0.25), at street level, bear right, then turn right up Calle Virgen de Begoña.

Atop a steep hill above the Casco Viejo is Bilbao’s most important church, home of Vizcaya’s patron the Virgin of Begoña. It’s built in Gothic style on the site of a chapel where the Virgin is said to have appeared in former times. The 13th-century idol occupies a niche in the central retablo. The cloister is a later addition, as is the flamboyant tower, which gives a slightly unbalanced feel to the building. Within the basilica is the painting La Coronación Canónica de la Virgen de Begoña, an impressive work by the 19th-century Basque painter known as Echena, and paintings by Giordano.

From the Casco Viejo, take the lift from Calle Esperanza or leave the Metro station by the Mallona exit. From there, walk up the hill to the basilica. The park on your left is Etxebarria, formerly a factory complex. One of the chimneys has been left for good measure. From here are excellent views of the town, but you can ascend further, behind the basilica, for even better ones out to the sea.

Plaza de la Encarnación 9, T 944-320125. Tue-Sat 1030-1330, 1600-1900, Sun 1030-1330. Free. Metro: Casco Viejo.

On a lovely cobbled square, this museum, set in a former monastery, features an attractive sunken cloister. The wide collection deals in a millennium’s worth of religious art and artefacts, mostly taken from churches around Vizcaya. While many feel that the works should be in situ, it is a difficult endeavour to maintain and protect valuable artworks in near-deserted areas. The interesting pieces are accompanied by a rather sentimental portrayals.

You are, Nervión, the history of the town, you her past and her future, you are memory always becoming hope.

The Nervión river made Bilbao, and Bilbao almost killed the Nervión: until pretty recently pollution levels were sky-high. Although your immune system would still have words to say about taking a dip, the change is noticeable. If you only take one stroll in Bilbao, an evening paseo from the Casco Viejo along the river to the Guggenheim is it.

Calle Ribera s/n, T 944-157086. Metro: Casco Viejo.

Built on the site where stallholders used to come for the weekly market, this Art Deco riverside building is a permanent market of ample size. With over 400 stalls on three floors of fruit, veggies, meat and fish, it´s the major centre for fresh produce in Bilbao. Come in the morning if you want to get the true flavour; the afternoons are comparatively quiet. Skip the meat floor if you don’t want to see pigs’ heads and horse butchers.

Plaza del Arriaga 1, T 944-792036. Metro: Casco Viejo.

This large and ornate building sits just outside the Casco Viejo. On its own block, and commanding the surrounding area, it seems very sure of itself, but was only reopened in 1986, after decades of neglect. Originally opened in 1890 with miraculous new electric lighting, it was largely destroyed in a fire in 1915. It’s in plush fin de siècle theatre style, with chandeliers and sweeping staircases, but at times presents some cutting-edge art. The theatre is named after Juan Crisóstomo de Arriaga, a Bilbaíno boy nicknamed “The Spanish Mozart” when he started dashing off octets before hitting puberty. He perished even younger than Mozart, dying in Paris in 1826, ten days short of his twentieth birthday.

Metro: Abando/Casco Viejo.

Between old town and new, this parky area is a focus of Bilbao community life: a busy nexus point for strollers, lovers, demonstrators and dogwalkers. Formerly an area of marshy sand, it was drained in the 18th century. There’s a bandstand with frequent performances, often of folk dancing. From here, the Puente del Arenal crosses the Nervión to the new town.

C Arenal 3, T 944-153128 Metro: Abando/Casco Viejo.

Fans of Art Deco will not want to miss this refurbished defender of the style, unchanged from the early 20th century, when it was Bilbao’s beloved ‘meeting place’. Founded in 1871, it declined in parallel with the Teatro Arriaga opposite. Rejuvenated, it’s now as vibrant as it was in the days of Unamuno, a regular here.

Plaza Ernesto Erkoreka. Metro: Casco Viejo.

The Ayuntamiento, or town hall, was built in 1892 and is an example of the new Baroque that was, alongside Art Nouveau, a reaction to the stifling artistic atmosphere that had prevailed in Spain for over a century. It’s topped by a quirky little spire that’s a bit out of place. It was designed by Joaquín de Rucoba, who was also responsible for the Teatro Arriaga that faces it down the river.

In front, by the river, is an intriguing sculpture by the controversial Jorge Oteiza. The evocative rusted-iron work, entitled Ovoide de la Desocupación de la Esfera, has been nicknamed la txapela (’the beret’) by locals. Created in 1958, it was only recently installed here.

Metro: Abando/Casco Viejo.

Santiago Calatrava’s bridges have won him world renown, and this is among his most graceful. Inaugurated in 1994, it was a powerful symbol of Bilbao’s renewal before the Guggenheim was close to completion. Shining white in the sun like the ribs of some marine beast, it seems impossibly light. Although the footway is made of transparent glass, the Bilbao authorities have controversially covered it in non-slip plastic which blocks the view down to the water but prevents the less sure-of-foot from slipping into the river. The funky name of the structure means ‘white bridge’ in Euskara.

Funicular from Plaza Funicular, €0.50, runs Mon-Sat 0715-2200, Sun 0815-2200; summer until 2300, Sat/Sun.

In a city enclosed by hills, there are sure to be some good vistas on offer, and one of the best is from the top of Monte Artxanda. Not far from the Zubizuri, a fire-engine red funicular rises to the top, a popular weekend gathering place for the burghers of Bilbao. There are a couple of places to eat, but if the day is nice a picnic is called for.

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