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]]>Guggenheim Museum Bilbao
The Guggenheim Museum is a popular attraction thanks to both its unique architecture and the artwork collection it houses. Its building, designed by Frank Gehry, is often regarded as one of the most important contemporary architectural works in the world. Also, here you’ll find works of notable Spanish and international artists, including Richard Serra, Willem de Kooning, and Francesco Clemente.
Museum of Fine Arts of Bilbao
If contemporary art isn’t your thing, then give the Museum of Fine Arts a chance. The museum houses art ranging from the 12th century to the present and has an impressive collection that includes more than 10,000 works of art. This includes paintings from El Greco, Francisco Goya, Pablo Picasso, Rembrandt, and many others.
Erribera Merkatua
You probably didn’t come to Bilbao for shopping but don’t miss an opportunity to visit Erribera merkatua. This historic market covers an area of 110,000 sq ft, making it the biggest covered marketplace in Europe. Here you’ll find all sorts of products and goods, including authentic Spanish food and drinks.
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]]>Have you ever thought about planning a soccer-centric trip to Spain? If so, don’t pass up the chance to visit these three stadiums and catch a game to feel the country’s passion for the game.
San Mames (Athletic Club)
Athletic Club’s San Mames Stadium is the home of Bilbao’s Athletic Club and is often known as “The Temple” due to its sleekness and elegance. Here, over 50,000 rabid Athletic supporters gather to cheer on their team, one of Spain’s best and most historic clubs.
Benito Villamarin (Real Betis)
Real Betis is one of the two main teams in the large Andalusian city of Sevilla, and it definitely has one of the craziest and most passionate fan bases around. Viewed as the “little brother” in Sevilla, their fans have a chip on their shoulder and show up en masse to scream and support their club.
Mestalla (Valencia CF)
Valencia is the home of Valencia CF and the historic Mestalla Stadium, one of Spain’s best-known soccer venues. You’ll be amazed at the North Stand’s extreme steepness and the cozy dimensions of the lower sections, which allow loud fans to get up close and personal with players.
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]]>Guggenheim Museum Bilbao
The Guggenheim Museum Bilbao boasts over 250 pieces of modern and contemporary art. Designed by Canadian-American architect Frank Gehry, Bilbao’s Guggenheim is a must for art lovers and culture seekers.
Cross the Nervión
The Hanging Bridge is a stunning piece of architecture. It is also the world’s oldest transporter bridge. You can travel across the bridge for just 40 cents.
Explore Casco Viejo
The oldest part of the city is Bilbao’s Casco Viejo. It is a bustling area filled with quirky shops and colorful markets. There are also plenty of bars and food stalls, so you can easily spend a whole afternoon browsing.
Swim in a Rooftop Pool
The Azkuna Zentroa is a new leisure space featuring a fantastic rooftop pool. You can admire panoramic views of the city, while you swim and can even watch people walking below through the pool’s glass bottom.
Enjoy Delicious Authentic Cuisine
Bilbao boasts an impressive selection of charming Spanish restaurants. It’s a brilliant city for sampling the local cuisine. Pintxos is the Basque version of tapas, so keep a lookout for bars offering it.
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]]>Guggenheim Museum Bilbao (Basque Country, Spain)
Opened in 1997 after only four years of construction, this museum of modern and contemporary art designed by the famous architect Frank Gehry, completely transformed the city of Bilbao. This resulted in what is now known as the “Bilbao Effect,” bringing over one million visitors yearly and boosting the economy of the whole region.
The museum has hosted over a hundred exhibitions to this date and has successfully become the Basque city’s landmark. The main structure is made out of silver titanium, sandstone and glass, appearing airy and playful, with complex, swirling forms that resemble different shapes from each side. Every year, it is flooded by art and architecture fans from all over the world.
Hemisferic Museum (Valencia, Spain)
Built in 1998, as the first of eight buildings in the City of Arts and Sciences complex, The Hemisferic is a Laserium, Planetarium and IMAX cinema all in one. This remarkable building designed by Santiago Calatrava, is one of the most important modern tourist destinations in the city of Valencia.
Its iconic half-sphere shape reflects in the surrounding 24,000 square meter wide water pool, creating the illusion of the eye as a whole, which sparked the nickname “Eye of Knowledge.” The symbolism is meant to represent the observation of the world that visitors can experience by enjoying numerous audiovisual projections this place has to offer.
Kunsthaus Graz (Austria)
This museum was built in 2003, when Graz held the title of the European Capital of Culture. It was designed by architects Sir Peter Cook and Colin Fournier, whose idea was to step away from the usual museum structure, and experiment with shape and form. This resulted in a bulbous shape with numerous skylight shafts that protrude from the top, making the building look like a giant alien heart.
Despite its strangeness and the contrast it makes with the more traditional historic architecture around it, it has become a beloved landmark of the city.
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]]>So, why is this bridge so special?
In 1893, architect Antonio Palacios designed a bridge that would cross the Nervion, linking the towns of Getxo and Portugalete. Located on opposite sides of the river, it would save residents of the two closely-interdependent towns from having to take a boat or a long route to get to the other side.
Palacios was a protege of Gustave Eiffel, so it’s not surprising that the idea he had was revolutionary. Instead of constructing a simple bridge, Palacios designed a bridge that contains a top level for pedestrians and a bottom level that utilizes a gondola to transport cars and other methods of transportation.
The unique design and method of transportation that the Bizkaia Bridge utilizes has worked for the past 127 years, and still transports cars and people from one side of the other to this day. For a small fee, you can climb to the top of the bridge and walk from Getxo to Portugalete.
Be sure to see the Bizkaia Bridge if you ever find yourself in the Basque Country!
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