I traveled to Bilbao, Zumaia, Getaria, and San Sebastian in the Basque Country of Spain for 6 nights and 8 days from February 5th (Wed) to 12th (Wed). First, I would like to introduce Bilbao, the largest city in the Basque Country.

There are no direct flights from Japan to Bilbao, so this time I took flight JL043 departing from Haneda at 9:50 to London Heathrow Airport, then IB0720 to Madrid Airport, and then IB0441 to Bilbao Airport, arriving at 23:15. Iberia Airlines from Narita or via Frankfurt Airport would allow me to get there with just one transfer, but I chose to fly via London and Madrid because it is more convenient to depart from Haneda and I wanted to ride the A350-1000 that was newly introduced on JAL’s London route.

Feb. 6th (Thr)
Since I arrived at the hotel late at night yesterday, I had a late breakfast and left the hotel at 9:30 and headed to the nearby Guggenheim Museum first. The hotel in Bilbao was the Vincci Consulade De Bilbao, pictured here, facing the Nervion River.

From the hotel entrance you can see the Guggenheim Museum shining golden in the morning sun.

Upon entering the museum, you are greeted by a statue of a puppy covered in grass and flowers, which is made even more adorable by the occasional small bird that approaches it.

The entrance to the museum is down the stairs on the right side of the photo. The building is one of the most admired pieces of modern architecture. The curved building on the right looks like a ship.

The interior is also designed with many curves.

The exhibits were mainly contemporary art, and on the day of the event, works by Paul Pfeiffer were on display.

As I walked along the river, I observed a crowd gathered around the spider statue front of the bridge.

After leaving the museum, I headed to the Vizcaya Bridge, a World Heritage Site. I took the tram from Guggenheim Station near the museum, got off at San Mame Station, then changed to the subway at Portugalete Station, and the Vizcaya Bridge was in sight. I bought a Barik card in advance, which can be used on all public transport and even on dBus in San Sebastian, giving me a great discount.

There is an elevator that takes you up to the bridge, but the elevator on this side is out of service, so I took a gondola to the other side. People sit in carriages on both sides, and cars and motorcycles are carried on a board between them.

If you look from below you can see that it is suspended by thin wires.

I bought a ticket (senior ticket €8) at the shop on the other side, and took the elevator to the top, where there was a walkway. It was well-built, so there was almost no shaking and I was able to walk safely.

Looking towards the mouth of the Nervion River, a magnificent view unfolds.

On the other side, I could see the riverside path that I had walked along from the station.

The bridge itself is also supported by wires.

It was lunchtime, after I got off the elevator I went a bar called El Puente near the square where I had two pintxos (crab with shrimp, and snail) with white wine. It wasn’t the restaurant I had planned on going to, but the food was delicious and I was satisfied.

After the meal, I took the subway from Areeta Station and got off at Casco Viejo (Zazpi Kaleak) Station, which is a station in the old town. First, I decided to go to the bar Gure-Toki that I had planned to go to. It is a listed in Michelin restaurant guide and is also listed in the Spanish restaurant guide Macarfi.

You order at the counter and they bring it to your seat.

Rabas (Squid Ring Tempura)

Cangrejo (crab tempura) tasted like soft shell crab and was very delicious with its strong flavor.

Vieira (scallops) are also well seasoned.

It faces the courtyard-like Plaza Nueva and has its own entrance, as well as terrace seating outside.

I then walked around the old town and made our way to the Cathedral of Santiago.

I paid the joint admission fee (€7) also available at San Antonio Church and toured inside.

The light from the stained glass illuminates the interior and is very beautiful.

Next, I proceeded to San Anton Church. I had intended to visit the Ribera Market en route, but it was a day when the market and shops were closed.

The Church of San Anton is also an old Gothic style church.

I took the tram from Ribera Station, close to the church, got off at Abando Station and headed to El Golbo, a long-established, award-winning bar.

On the left is a potato and truffle gratin, and on the right is a spider crab gratin, both of which were delicious pinchos and I was very satisfied.

Today I had lunch and dinner at three pintxo restaurants, then returned to the hotel to prepare for my trip to San Sebastian the next day.

Feb. 10th (Mon)
Since my flight from Bilbao Airport tomorrow is early in the morning, I returned to Bilbao from San Sebastian today. I arrived at the hotel in the afternoon, so I immediately had lunch at Cafe Iruna, a long-established restaurant nearby.

The entrance is simple, but once inside you’ll find the interior has a historic feel. There is a pintxo corner near the entrance, but today I decided to enjoy a leisurely lunch course in the restaurant area at the back.

You can choose from three different appetizers, main dishes, and desserts, but for the appetizer I chose the squid ink risotto. It has a rich flavor and goes perfectly with the mayonnaise served on the right.

The main dish was sauteed sea bass, which the sauce really brought out the flavour and went really well with the accompanying shrimp and mussels.

When I opened the lid of the dessert, I found a pudding-like cheese filling that didn’t have much flavor, but when I added the honey on the side it had a subtle sweetness.

I had three glasses of bottomless wine and felt €21.90 for this course was good value.

I still had some time left, so I took a bus to the Bilbao Museum of Fine Arts.

The two statues hanging from the ceiling are grotesque, but there are also paintings by famous artists on display. Photography is not prohibited, so I will introduce some of the paintings on display.

Antonio de Guezara’s paintings during the exhibition

Pablo Picasso

El Greco

Admission is free, so it’s worth stopping by if you have the time.

When I first planned my trip, I thought there was nothing to see in Bilbao except for the Vizcaya Bridge, a World Heritage Site, but it turned out to have many tourist attractions and a gourmet town that rivals San Sebastian with many famous pintxo restaurants. If you go to the Basque Country, this is a city you should stop by.