1 Day in Bilbao

Feliz Navidad- José Feliciano ♫

So I flew to Bilbao last weekend to have a festive weekend break. I wanted to visit some Christmas markets and do some festive things. But…Navidad wasn’t really Navidad-ing in Bilbao this year. Christmas doesn’t seem to be a big thing in this city. I met a girl in my hostel who said the same thing. We were both a bit sad at the lack of festivities. But I must say that I do love the atmosphere of Bilbao despite this. The city is so peaceful! and it’s the type of place where you can wander around without any solid intentions.

I was supposed to be there for the whole weekend but Vueling Airlines cancelled one of my flights which meant that I only had roughly 24 hours in the city. This seemed to be more than enough, and I want to share how I navigated 1 day in Bilbao on a budget.

Pre Travel Expenditure

Flights: £56.58– Vueling airline

Airport Transfer: £10.50– National Express (London Victoria to Gatwick Airport)

Accommodation: £33 (1 night in Latroupe La Granja Hostel)
I am not a fan of hostels but I have to say this place was perfect. I booked a small womens-only room with 4 beds, and each bed had a privacy curtain to cover the bed. It is centrally located and everything is within walking distance.

Bilbao Expenditure

Airport to city centre: € 3 BizkaiBus is the quickest and cheapest way to get to the city centre. The BizkaiBus line A3247 runs every 15 minutes and you can pay the driver with a contactless bank card. The bus stop is right outside the airport terminal.

Sightseeing: Zubizuri Bridge: free

Guggenheim Museum: €15– This is one of the most famous attractions in the city. It’s a beautifully designed museum full of art and sculptures.

Las Sirgueras Statue: free– This is a beautiful statue by the river, which shows 4 women dragging a rope.
A “sirguera” was historically a woman who pulled the river boats back to shore.

Funicular de Artxanda:  € 4.30 return fare– This funicular takes you to the top of Mount Artxanda, where you can see amazing views from the top of the city. The top was covered with Christmas decorations and red “Bilbao” letters. It is the perfect photo opportunity!

Bar El Globo: € 9 (for 3 pintxos and a glass of white wine) This is a cheap and cheerful spot in the city centre for pintxos. It was full of locals of all different age groups, which is usually a sign that you should definitely
eat somewhere.

Muelle de Ripa Christmas market: free (took me 5 minutes to walk through and I didn’t buy anything)

Plaza Nueva: free– this is a neoclassical-style square that is surrounded by places to eat.

Café Bar Bilbao: € 6 (for 2 breakfast pintxos and a coffee)

Erribera Merkatua: € 3.50 (for one “La Carolina” dessert pintxo) This is a marketplace with fresh
produce, bars, and pintxos stalls. They sell pintxos that are traditional to the city of Bilbao.

Souvenir fridge magnet- € 3

The total price for 1 day in Bilbao was…£143.88 (including flights and accommodation) It’s not the cheapest weekend trip I’ve done but also not the most expensive either. I think Bilbao is very affordable, especially to eat and drink. It seemed like most of the visitors were domestic tourists from other parts of Spain. Bilbao is the perfect location for food lovers, as you can also do a day trip to the beach town of San Sebastián (which is famous for food).

Click here to see how I did 1 night in Gdańsk Poland on a budget.

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