28/08/2009
Bilbao - Wiki Travel Guide - Travellersp…
Bilbao
Introduction
Bilbao is the capital of Biscay prov ince and the largest city in the Basque Country of Spain. This port city boasts a population of around 350,000 people within its borders and almost a million in the greater area.
Brief History
Bilbao was first founded in 1 300 by Don Diego and grew slowly ov er the nex t couple of centuries, as it slowly swallowed surrounding v illages. In 1 51 1 , the Consulate of Bilbao was granted to the town by the roy al gov ernment. This made Bilbao a major ex port centre for wool and iron works, such as famous swords, to the rest of Europe. The decline of the Spanish Empire at the end of the 1 7 th century , threw the city into a Bil ba o cit y r efl ect i on decline. Bilbao sprung back again in the 1 9th century during the industrial © A ll Rig h t s Reser v ed folt z.4 5 rev olution because of its mines, steel and shipbuilding abilities. By the beginning of the 20th century Bilbao was the wealthiest city in Spain with an economy focused around heav y industry . During the civ il war Bilbao sided with the Republican Gov ernment and the city fell to Franco on June 1 9th, 1 937 . During the Franco era, Bilbao ex panded greatly . This growth was fueled by heav y industry and thousands of immigrants from different areas of Spain. In 1 983 the city was besieged by heav y floods that killed sev eral people and did lots of damage to the older parts of the city . In the last few y ears the city has undergone a major urban renewal to remov e the cities dependence on heav y industry . This includes mov ing the port away from the city centre and opening up sev eral new areas for tourism. The city has also started a massiv e planting project to make the city look more green.
Neighbourhoods
The city is div ided up into 8 districts and then into sev eral sub neighbourhoods.
Sights and Activities
Museums
Guggenheim Museum Bilbao is a wonderful museum located along the riv er. The museum was designed by world famous architect Frank Gehry and is considered one of the most spectacular Deconstructiv ism building in the world. Most of the collection is on constant rotation while there is a small permanent collection, which is pretty good. The Guggenheim tramway stop is about 1 00 meters away from the museum. Bilbao Fine Arts Museum (Museo de Bellas Artes) houses a wide collection of art dating from the 1 2th century to the present. With ov er six thousands pieces to ex plore there is plenty to see here. The Gu ggen h eim a t Bil ba o, Spa in museum is located in the Doña Casilda Iturrizar park. © A ll Rig h t s Reser v ed m fikse Basque Museum is a museum dedicated to the history and culture of the Basque people. Maritime Museum is located on the docks and dedicated to the history of boat building in Bilbao.
Churches
Santiago Cathedral is an interesting cathedral with a foundation dating back to 1 300. The church is a mix ture of 1 5th century Gothic and later Gothic Rev iv al. An interesting feature on the church is the custom of local merchants stone carv ings along the buttresses of the main v ault. Saint Anton Church
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28/08/2009 Bilbao - Wiki Travel Guide - Travellersp… Basilica of Begona was originally constructed in the 1 6th century and is a mix ture of Gothic and Baroque sty les. In 1 942 a bomb was set off at the entrance of the basilica targeting carlists and the damage was not repaired until 1 993. Saint Nicholas of Bari Church. Santos Juanes Church. Saint Vincent Church.
Other Sights and Activities
Arriaga Theatre (Teatro A rriaga) is a wonderful neoclassical opera house located in the heart of the city . The theatre was restored in 1 985 after the A ugust 1 983 floods. Artx anda Funicular is a funicular railway that connects the city centre to a wonderful green space on the nearby A rtx anda Mountain. This is a great place to relax and there are sev eral restaurants, hotels to v isit and the v iew is amazing. Bizkaia Delegation Palace is a large mansion that is home to the ex ecutiv e branch of the gov ernment of Biscay prov ince. City Hall is built in a Baroque sty le and is home to the amazing Arab Hall that is decorated in a NeoMudejar sty le. Chav arri Palace is a Flemish sty le building located on Moy ua Square. A n interesting feature is that none of the sets of windows are equal to each other. Currently the palace hosts the representation of the Gov ernment of Spain in the prov ince. Plaza Nuev a is a large neoclassical square that was built in 1 821 . The main building on the square is the Basque Language A cademy . Ribera Market. San Mamés Stadium is a wonderful place to watch a football game. Zubizuri is an amazing foot bridge that many say sy mbolizes modern Bilbao.
Events and Festivals
Sem anan Grande is Bilbao's primary annual festiv al beginning the Saturday of the 3rd week of August. The main features of the festiv al are strongman games, liv e music, street entertainers, bullfighting and nightly fireworks. Ev ery y ear the festiv al is different so it is best to pick up a program once y ou arriv e. Bilbao Liv e Festiv al is a large annual music festiv al, which features Rock and Pop music. The festiv al is held ev ery y ear in late June.
Weather
Bilbao has a mild oceanic climate. The av erage temperatures in January are around 9 °C and in July the av erage is around 21 °C. Occasionally there can be some ex tremely hot day s in the summer because of strong winds from the south come through the mountains. There is roughly 1 200 mm of precipitation per y ear with most of it coming in the form of rain.
Getting There
By Plane
Bilbao Airport (IATA:BIO, ICAO:LEBB) is the most important airport in Basque Country and Northern Spain. The airport is located 5 km north of Bilbao in the municipality of Loiu. The new terminal, designed by Santiago Calatrav a, was opened in 2000 and handles ov er four million passengers a y ear. The airport has regular connections to almost ev ery city in Spain, most major cities in Europe and limited serv ice to Northern Africa. It is possible to take public bus 3247 ev ery 30 minutes from Moy ua square to the airport and the trips takes 1 5 to 20 minutes. Currently there is a plan to ex tend the train to the airport.
By Train
Bilbao-Abando Railway Station (Estación del Norte) is the main train station in town. It has regional commuter trains, domestic trains and international trains. Check the Spanish Railway website for more information about schedules and prices.
By Car
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28/08/2009
Bilbao - Wiki Travel Guide - Travellersp…
By Bus
Eurolines links Bilbao with other Spanish cities and other European countries.
By Boat
P&O Ferries link Santurtzi, near to Bilbao, to Portsmouth UK.
Getting Around
By Car By Public Transport
Metro Bilbao was opened in 1 995 and currently has 2 lines. This sy stems is used by more then 85 million passengers per y ear. Bus serv ice in the city is v ery good and there are ov er 43 different lines. This bus sy stem won a prize a few y ears ago for efficiency and quality of serv ice.
By Foot By Bike
Eat Drink Sleep
Budget
Show 1 0, 25, 50, 1 00 properties Search: Property Bilbaoflat Hotel Bilbao Jardines Petit Palace Arana Hostal Central Iturrienea Ostatua Bilbao Akelarre Hostel Pensión A rias Husa Spa Jardines de Albia Residencia Blas De Otero Ria de Bilbao Hotel Bilbi Hostal Don Claudio Lopez de Haro Showing 1 to 1 3 of 1 3 entries Address Ronda Street BILBA O Jardines Nº 9 48005 Bilbao Vizcay a Bidebarrieta, 2 Esquina A renal A lameda Recalde 35 A 1 Santa Maria,1 4 Morgan 4 6 Pablo de Alzola 1 3, 1 º San V icente 6 C / De Las Cortes, 38 c/ Ribera de Deusto 32 Miribilla 8 Hermogenes Rojo 1 0 Obispo Orueta 2 T y pe Apartment Hotel Hotel Guesthouse Guesthouse Hostel Guesthouse Hotel Hostel Hostel Hotel Guesthouse Hotel Popularity 1 00 % 88 % 86 % 84 % 83 % 81 % 77 % 77 % 75 % 75 % 75 % 70 % 53 %
Mid-Range Upscale
Work Learn
Univ ersity of Deusto is one of the most distinguished academic institutions in Spain. With one of its two
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28/08/2009 Bilbao - Wiki Travel Guide - Travellersp… campuses located in Bilbao this a great place to study . Basque Language Academy (Euskaltzaindia) is an institution dedicated to the preserv ation and research on Basque language and culture.
Keep Connected
Internet Phone
See also International Telephone Calls
Post
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