The quirky ‘Manchester of Spain’ with trendy bars, decadent food and a ‘garden city’

Bilbao, city of pintxos, art and eye-popping architecture.

But if you look beyond the Guggenheim (an iconic modern art museum like no other) and the plethora of food tours on offer, you will find a remarkable place shaped by grit, creative spirit, and proud traditions.

When I visit in October, I discover it is that increasing rarity in Europe: laidback and genuinely affordable.

It’s lively, but not crowded, and I always manage to find a seat on public transport. On a colder day, I notice the cafés are bustling with chattering locals – no wonder, when an espresso and a glass of wine each cost around £2.

To dig deeper, I explored the city with local guide Miriam Ruiz López from Basque Bound, following her insider suggestions to experience its overlooked corners.

This is the Bilbao you should see, beyond the tourist traps.

The ‘Manchester of Spain’

Working-class pride, industrial heritage and bold modern architecture bond Bilbao with Manchester, its northern English cousin.

Both cities have reinvented themselves through culture and design. On one side, the Guggenheim and a regenerated riverside; on the other, a vibrant music scene and new waterside communities.

And we can’t forget football. ‘Here, it’s like a religion. I’m not joking,’ Miriam tells me. Bilbaínos’ pride for their team is fierce, another thing they share with Mancunians.

The Athletic Club’s flags hang everywhere around the city, from balconies to boats. The team is owned by its members and recruits only players born or trained in the Basque region.

If you want to find out more, a tour of San Mamés Stadium is a must (£19 for adults, £7 for children, free for under 6).

Whilst exploring the city, you may come across the district of Iralabarri. At first glance, its colourful terraced houses and tidy streets might remind you of British housing estates – and you wouldn’t be far off.

Built around 1916, the neighbourhood is inspired by Victorian England and nicknamed ‘the Notting Hill of Bilbao’. The entrepreneur, Juan José Irala, owner of a legendary bakery, built it to provide quality housing for his employees.

Some even say that the Ikurriña – the red, green, and white Basque flag – was inspired by the Union Jack.

However, don’t be swayed by these comparisons. Locals are extremely proud of their Basque heritage.

If you like context when you travel, you should make time for a visit to the Museum of Basque Nationalism.

This small collection features a mix of archaeology, anthropology, folklore and history, explaining how Basque traditions have mutated and survived into the present. You can visit it for free on Wednesdays, or get in with an audioguide for £4.50 on other weekdays.

A creative spirit

In recent years, Bilbao has transformed into a modern, creative hub. Recent cultural policies have helped, with grants and bespoke spaces to give local talent room to experiment.

Zorrotzaurre – a long artificial peninsula in the Nervión river – is a clear expression of this shift.

Though still in development, this once-industrial area now proudly displays murals on abandoned factories, cultural centres (such as ZAWP Bilbao), workshops and coffee grinders. On Sundays, locals flock here to hang out at the vintage market in the old biscuit factory, a jumble of vinyls, retro furniture and curious relics.

Cross the river, and you’ll find Bilbao La Vieja (or Bilbi for those in-the-know), one of the city’s most eclectic districts.

It’s a patchwork of graffiti, tattoo studios, trendy bars (check out Bihotz Café) and clothes shops that haven’t surrendered to chains. Grab a coffee at Bar Marzana 16 and sit outside, watching the world go by, or walk around some architectural gems, such as Casa Cuna and Atxuri Station.

Then there’s Azkuna Zentroa, my favourite place in Bilbao, confirmed after repeat visits.

It’s one of those buildings that has to be seen to be fully appreciated – a ‘multi-purpose venue’ that’s actually a utopic urban ecosystem. This former wine warehouse brings together a cinema, library, gym, pool, event spaces, restaurants and one of the best design shops in the city under one roof. All of it rests on 43 surreal columns, in different shapes, colours and materials – a celebration of our shared history and diversity.

An industrial heart

For decades, Bilbao was a place of hard labour: busy, polluted and coated in industrial grime. By the 1980s, the city had fallen into deep decline.

A sweeping regeneration plan – and the arrival of the Guggenheim Museum in 1997 – triggered a turnaround now studied worldwide as the ‘Bilbao Effect’. The transformation was so dramatic that in 2010 the city was awarded the Lee Kuan Yew World City Prize, often called the Nobel Prize of urbanism.

But, whilst maybe not obvious at first, Bilbao’s industrial past still trickles through every corner. For more than a century, the city was a powerhouse in iron, shipbuilding, and trade, and a place where people came seeking work. Back then, the Nervión was lined with factories, cranes and docks.

One of the most significant sites was the Euskalduna shipyard – now transformed into a beautiful conference centre and concert hall resembling a vessel under construction. Go for a stroll along the river to admire this huge building, or join one of their free guided tours on Saturdays to learn more.

Just outside, the bright-red Carola crane stands as a lone survivor. Legend says it was named after a woman so beautiful that her daily walks across the yard enraptured workers and slowed down production.

The nearby Bilbao Maritime Museum (strangely camouflaged both in location and name as Itsasmuseum Bilbao) fills in the rest of the story, delving into the city’s nautical evolution.

Further along the river but reachable by metro, the Vizcaya Bridge offers a glimpse of Bilbao at its industrial peak. Completed in 1893, it’s the world’s oldest transporter bridge, and it’s still functional to this day.

Mining played a crucial role in shaping the city and the region. Just steps from the Michelin-starred restaurant Mina, you’ll find the old access gallery to the San Luis mine.

This is now closed, but local groups are campaigning to reopen it and organising small tours upon request. If you are near plaza Saralegi, in the Miribilla neighbourhood, make sure to check out the old calcination furnace – a striking structure that dominates the square. Once used to process ore, it stands as a powerful reminder of Bilbao’s past, and is free to visit.

Bilbao’s metro system (below) is another symbol of this reinvention.

The sleek glass entrances – known locally as Fosteritos after their designer, British architect Norman Foster – look like something out of a futurist film.

The city tour with Basque Bound was organised by Bilbao Turismo, but don’t expect us to sugarcoat anything – our reviews are 100% independent.

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