Bilbao - El Ensanche Travel Guides | Bilbao | Sub Regions | Bilbao - El Ensanche

The residents of old Bilbao had long been crammed into the small Casco Viejo area when the boom came and the population began to surge. In 1876 the Plan de Ensanche (expansion) de Bilbao was approved, and the area across the river was drawn up into segments governed by the curve of the Nervión. The design drew on classical and Renaissance models, and it was felt that the hub of the new zone should be a large elliptical plaza.The Ensanche soon became Bilbao’s business district, and today, its graceful avenues are lined with stately office buildings, prestige shops, and more than a few bars to adjourn to.

Metro: Abando.

Also called Plaza España (but not by Basques!), this is a busy focus of new-town goings-on. Bilbao’s founder, Don Diego Lopéz de Haro, stands on a monument in the centre; he certainly wouldn’t recognise his sleepy fishing village any more. Behind him looms the massive building of the Banco de Bilbao y Vizcaya, a skyscraper which can be strangely attractive as it reflects the sun. The main railway station, Abando, is just off the plaza, which is busy at all hours. One of Bilbao’s most characterful cafés, La Granja, is on the north side; a good place for early evening drinking and snacking.

Metro: Moyúa, Abando.

Spanning the entire Ensanche, Bilbao’s principal street starts at Plaza Circular. It’s lined with banks and other important buildings, including the Palacio Foral, the seat of the Vizcayan government. There are many good examples of late 19th-century architecture; the imposing and sober bulk of some of them seems to define the work ethic that drove Bilbao’s industrial boom. It’s also a key shopping street with the massive Corte Inglés at one end, and a number of other boutiques. It’s named after the founder of the town.

Metro: Abando.

A small, peaceful park in the heart of the business district, where employees of the adjacent law courts come to wind down. The headquarters of the PNV (Basque Nationalist Party) also face the gardens. There’s a statue of the writer Antonio de Trueba at one end. He wrote poems, history and stories in a simple nostalgic style, very popular with his 19th-century public, and the Queen.

Metro: Moyúa.

When the Ensanche was planned, the central focus was to be a plaza of oval shape; this busy meeting of eight streets is exactly what the planners had in mind. The inspiration for the formal garden in the centre came from France. The grand old Hotel Carlton keeps an eye over the square; this is where Ernest Hemingway used to lay down his grizzled head. He’s one of a multitude of celebrities that have stayed here but, more poignantly, the hotel was the headquarters of the republican Basque government during the Civil War before it was forced into exile after the surrender of the city. Another interesting building on the plaza (which is sometimes named Elíptica) is the Palacio Chávarri, in intriguingly spiky Modernist style, which is used by the government.

Plaza del Museo 2, T944-396060. Tue-Sat 1000-2000, Sun 1000-1400, €4.50, €10 with Guggenheim (not exhibitions here though), €2 audio guide. Metro: Moyúa.

Not to be outdone by its titanium colleague, the Museo de Bellas Artes has tried to keep up with the times by adding a modern building of its own to the existing museum. Opened in November 2001, the result is a harmonious credit to its architect, Luis Uriarte, who seamlessly and attractively fused new to old. The collection is a medley of modern (mostly Basque) art and older works – there’s also a new space for temporary exhibitions. The Basque sculptors Eduardo Chillida and Jorge de Oteiza are well represented, in addition to avant-garde multimedia work by young artists. Among the portraits, the jutting jaw of the Habsburg kings is visible in two famous works. The first, of a young Philip II, is by the Dutchman Moro, the portrait of Philip IV, attributed to Velasquéz, and similar to his representation of the same king in the Prado, is a master work. The decline of Spain can be seen in the sad king’s haunted but intelligent eyes, which seem to follow the viewer around the room. A lighter note is (perhaps unintentionally) struck by the anonymous Temptations of St Anthony, who is pestered by a trio of colourful demons.

Metro: Moyúa,

This wedge-shaped park provides a big dose of greenery to central Bilbao. It’s a pretty, if slightly tired, retreat for a walk or a doze in the sun. There’s a fountain surrounded by a very pretty colonnade draped with wisteria – it’s a tranquil place which occasionally hosts open-air concerts in summer. Below, in the park’s centre, is a pond with a desultory collection of depressed peacocks and waterfowl. On nice weekends the park fills with roaming families.

Greater Bilbao was in much need of an efficient public transport system when it commissioned Norman Foster to design an underground in 1988. In November 1995 the line was opened and the Bilbaínos were impressed with the Mancunian’s work. Foster’s design is simple, attractive and, above all, spacious; claustrophobes will be able to safely banish Bakerloo Line nightmares. Many of the stations are entered through fosteritos, distinctive transparent plastic tubes nicknamed for the architect; the station at Sarriko is dubbed El Fosterazo for its larger size.

Metro: Moyúa, Indautxu.

The pedestrianised part of Calle Ercilla tracks southwest from Plaza Moyúa and is yet another favoured spot for the paseo. It’s one of Bilbao’s premier shopping streets, with several high-class boutiques. The street ends at Plaza Indautxu, centre of the district of the same name, which is well stocked with bars.

!Jeff Koons, creator of Puppy, was formerly married to Ilona Staller, better known as La Cicciolina, porn star, Italian politician, and subject of a Pop Will Eat Itself song.

C Martin Agüero 1, T 944-448698, F 944-102474. Mon-Fri 1030-1300, 1600-1800. €1.50. Metro: Indautxu.

Bilbao’s temple of bullfighting sees most action during Semana Grande in August, when there are corridas all week. The locals are knowledgeable and demanding of their matadors, and the bulls they face are acknowledged to be among the most bravo in Spain. Tickets to the spectacles don’t come cheap, starting at about €30 for the cheapest seats. Check the website for details of corridas and ticketing. The ring also hosts occasional concerts.

The bullring is also home to a museum dedicated to tauromachy; there are displays on the history of the practice, as well as memorabilia of famous matadors and bulls. It’s one of the few museums open on a Monday, but it’s closed at weekends.

C Felipe Serrate s/n, T 944-411445. Metro: San Mamés.

Few in the world are the football teams with the social and political significance of Athletic Bilbao ; support of the team is a religion, and this, their home stadium, is known as the ‘Cathedral of Football’. Services are held fortnightly, usually on Sundays at about 1700. The Basque crowd are fervent but good- natured. Visiting fans from Spanish clubs will frequently try and wind up the home support by provocatively waving Spanish flags; the stadium usually gleefully bursts into a chant of Españoles hijos de puta, suggesting that Spanish mothers have a very old profession. This is an example of the Spanish football tradition of morbo, or the provocative rivalry between fans. It’s well worth going to a game; it’s a far more friendly and social scene than the average match in the rest of Europe. The Monday papers frequently devote ten pages or more to Athletic’s game. Tickets for games usually go on sale at the ground two days before the game.

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