Advantages: Easy and cheap to fly to. Great place when you get there. Disadvantages: Maybe the Guggenheim doesn't quite do it for me.
...that we were going to Bilbao for a few days. “It’s a port in North-Eastern Spain, in the Basque region”, I replied, stretching my own research into the subject to its limit.
“So why are you going there?” she continued.
“Because I’ve never been there”, I returned, hoping that that was the depth of the delving – and it was.
There are several good reasons to go to Bilbao, especially off-season, but the chief one is that you now can!
You can get ... ...well until we got to Bilbao it was, anyway!
The flight should last about 1hr:40mins, but thanks to new security arrangements at Stansted, all flights were late taking off last Wednesday – welcome to the new “normal”.
The descent into Bilbao took me a little by surprise, knowing that it was a seaport – it was completely hemmed in by steeply wooded hills, some no doubt qualifying as mountains, with chalets straight from The Tyrol or Switzerland. ...
BNibbles 24.02.2003 (26.02.2003)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Bilbao (Spain)
Advantages: Lovely place, people are very nice Disadvantages: Rain - but not much
I adore Bilbao. It's so much nicer than any other place in the UK and I reckon it's the best city in the world.
I have family there, so I visit it regularly. It is in the North of Spain, so it does rain sometimes, but the weather is usually great.
The views are beautiful, and the river is very nice. If you visit places like Benidorm, you do not see the Spanish culture. I was speaking to someone about Spanish food. He had only ever been to Mallorca ... ...'English' food. To see what Spain is really about, this is where you have to go.
There's a lot to do. You can visit the Guggenheim, or perhaps go shopping along the 'Gran Via', and maybe stroll in to the Marks & Spencer and buy yourself something that the Spanish have all rejected.
Perhaps take a look inside the newly-refurbished Corte Ingles - a kind of chain of Harrod's. Or for those top quality, bang in fashion clothes, you could visit the famous' ...
danieletheridge 06.02.2001
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Bilbao (Spain)
Advantages: Cheap to fly Disadvantages: Not much stuff for children
...don’t know me I like Bilbao because of the Guggenheim. The Guggenheim is an art museum run by the Guggenheim family; they also have a museum in New York and Chicago. As well as the art I am also interested in the Architecture of it. I went to Bilbao for a 2-day trip with my Dad, he had been there before so he knew what it was like but for me it was a totally new experience. The flight there was about two hours, which flew by. I spent most of the ... ...Lunch through the Old Town, Bilbao is divided into two towns the old town which has all the Historic building. The other half was the modern town with all the Mac Donald’s and Burger Kings. We searched the old town for about 1 hour, and in the end just bought a roll. At least we had explored the town. If you are a fussy eater then you would do better to eat in the Modern town. After lunch we went on the funicular railway up to the top of the hill ...
flint 23.12.2003 (24.12.2003)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Bilbao (Spain)
Advantages: Nice city, nice people, accessible. Disadvantages: Overrated museum
Hi
Bilbao is an interesting city. It is quite post-industrial and the scars of the Basque problems are plain to see - not many people here would agree that they live in Northern Spain, they are Basque through and through.
Stayed at the Barcelo Nervion which was plush, comfortable, efficient and friendly. Slightly expensive, but then the flights ('Go', flying from Stansted, were only £25 each return). There were excellent food and bars in the old ... ...of people coming in. I had to negotiate a complex rope queueing system and I was holding up the people coming in so I ducked under the rope. Big mistake.
I digress. Go to Bilbao to see Bilbao, but don't go just for the Guggenheim, its not worth it. ...
Saturn 13.07.2001
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Bilbao (Spain)
...in the Basque Country, and Bilbao had to be the best of the whole of the north of spain. It has everything a good city needs, Sun, Sand, Shopping! Although recently there have been terrorist attacks by the basque seperatist group ETA, I would consider it to be one of the safer places to go in the Basque Country. Bilbao, otherwise known as Bilbo in the basque language, has a high student population, and has many attractions like the Gugenheim Museum ...
Simwwjd 02.04.2001
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Bilbao (Spain)
Bilbao will now and forever be known for being home to the Guggenheim gallery, along with the giant chia-pet dog called 'Puppy' outside of it. The gallery is certainly a sight to see - a very ambitious architechural oddity. I don't quite know what to make of it, it seems to just be trying too hard to be revolutionary. And it's rusting, which is a bit of a turn-off. The art inside was 'modern', which to me means pretentious and boring; I was not disappointed ... ...alley.
The rest of Bilbao is actually quite nice and fairly pretty - good shopping too.
What else can I say? I don't know what is expected of me, I was only in Bilbao for a day - and a day-trip is a legitimate type of trip, lots of people do it, but it doesn't allow you to know the city inside and out. I can only give impressions which come from a day-trip, during which most people would spend most of their time (as we did) at the Guggenheim. Aside ...
cypress 12.07.2000 (17.09.2001)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Bilbao (Spain)
Advantages: A bustling port, with friendly people Disadvantages: not being able to speak spanish, very humid.
...board the ferry) to the Bilbao city centre. I spent my time taking a taxi up to a hill to find some European birds which are only occassional visitors to Britain.
Here you can see Red-backed Shrikes (a once common breeder in Britain now extinct) in large numbers, also Sardinian and Melodious Warblers, Black Redstarts, Tawny Pipits, Booted and Short-toed Eagles, Griffon Vulture and Honey Buzzards.
On the walk back through the streets you can catch ... ...of a house, which are painted in different colours like Terracotta, Yellow, White and Pink.
By this time its getting on for 12 noon and time to get back on board the boat, the heat really turns up a few notches as well, and you find yourself dripping and dying for a drink, but there are plenty of coffee bars to quench your first for a few € Euros.
As you leave the port and set back into the bay of Biscay, it is here the best days watching starts, ...
Tonyc7 09.09.2005
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: somewhat helpful Review of Bilbao (Spain)
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