Bilbao and San Sebastián

May 20, 2026 7:50 pm Paula

Bilbao, a city in northern Spain, has a population of 359,000. It is the vibrant capital of the Basque Country. The Basque language is a unique language spoken by approximately 800,000 in northern Spain and southwestern France. It is not related to any other known language in the world, including Spanish and French. Luckily, most people we encountered, spoke some English!

Once an industrial powerhouse, the opening of the Guggenheim Museum in 1997, (by Canadian born architect Frank Gehry) transformed Bilbao into a world-class cultural and culinary destination. The Museum grounds are 8 acres, and it took us awhile to find the main entrance whilst fighting the rain/hail. Definitely got drenched that day.

But once inside, we enjoyed exploring the exhibits. The first set is for our Grandchildren, as inspiration.

Our hotel was quirky but right on one of the most well-known streets in Bilbao. ‘Calle Ledesma’ has become an authentic gastronomic route. There were so many bars, restaurants and pintxos nearby! We are learning to push our way up to the bar!

In the Basque Country, pincho or pintxo is a small bar snack and very popular. They are similar to tapas but are usually ‘spiked’ with a skewer or toothpick, often to a piece of bread.

Teatro Arriaga Antzokia opera house and area

Mercado De La Ribera – we always love a good market!

Santiago Cathedral, a 14th-century landmark with a dramatic Gothic spire and Iglesia de San Nicolas Built in 1756. This Catholic church offers a baroque facade & an octagonal interior within a square.

Azkuna Zentroa – A massive former wine warehouse redesigned into a vibrant cultural, leisure, and fitness center. It seemed almost deserted? (Swimming pool in the ceiling!)

The shopping was also incredible in our neighbourhood, there was an El Corte Inglés a block away. We poked around there and picked up a few groceries. The mid-day and after work crowd spills out on the sidewalks with their cocktails 

Rain was brutal at times but the sun never failed to come out and make our day. We both have at least half of our suitcase that is untouched. Our cold weather clothes are well used and we sense that soon we will be shedding some layers!!

Some of the food we have enjoyed in Bilbao!

We loved Bilbao and discovered so much more about this vibrant city than we did in 2015!

 

San Sebastián

The bus ride from Bilbao to San Sebastián, was a quick 90 minute trip on an odd double decker bus. It was set up more like a train with our seats facing two other passengers across a narrow table, and the back of the bus. There was no overhead storage so everyone had their backpacks squeezed under the seat or on the table top.

We loved our hotel here! It was movie themed and we stayed in the Julia Roberts room. The cafeteria had great food which was lucky because when we headed into the centre that evening, it was quiet and empty. However, we totally forgot it was Sunday and everything was shutdown! The next morning, the city was alive and vibrating – what a difference and change in our perception of San Sebastián.

San Sebastián (known as Donostia in Basque) is a beautiful coastal city in Spain’s Basque Country, a mere 20 kilometers from the French border. World-class gastronomy and sweeping bay views are its claim to fame; and we can attest to that! If you are a foodie and love the beach, this is your spot.

La Concha Beach is recognized as one of Europe’s best beaches, with  calm turquoise waters. The beach is covered in fine golden sand and outlined in iconic white railings. It’s so big, it doesn’t fit in photos! 

San Sebastián has one of the highest concentrations of Michelin-starred restaurants per capita in the world. We had lunch at one on our last day and sampled the tasting menu. It was amazing!

The city’s true culinary calling though, is the pintxos—the Basque version of tapas. Our hotel provided us with a guide and map of their selection of ‘the best pintxos and restaurants’. We are pretty sure every tourist had the same map, judging by the lineups. Our lunch was Meal of the Day but come evening, the guide enabled us to hop between the bustling bars in the Old Town. We sampled several of their bite-sized delicacies! Joe was sure busy using the guide and Google Maps to plan our daily routes!

The Neo-Gothic, Cathedral of the Good Shepherd was built in the last years of the 19th century.

The church of San Vicente, built in the early 16th century in Basque Gothic style. 

We Ubered to the opposite end of the bay, and took the historic funicular up to the top of Mount Igeldo for a panoramic view over the entire bay and Santa Clara Island.  

A picturesque 45 minute walk around the bay took us back into the old town.

Sand art!

We spent 4 nights in San Sebastián and we thoroughly enjoyed it. We had two sunny days! The people were friendly and spoke good English. But the unforgettable food….you’re just going to have to experience that yourself. We’ll tag along!

Next stop, Pamplona and Rioja wine country! Weather forecast is 30+!

Will chat soon!

Paula and Joe

 

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