I first visited Bilbao in 2009 en route to the Picos de Europa hike.

I enjoyed it that time and was keen to return in 2026.

My cheap flight from London got me downtown after midnight. Beautiful. The streets empty.

Building this weird — form over function — museum worked for Bilbao. The small city was transformed into a major tourist destination.

This time I stayed 4 nights total, before and after a week on the Camino del Norte hike.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

I stayed at 3 different excellent hostels. They all cater for pilgrims walking the Camino.

Bilbao is quite walkable with many pedestrian paths — though the attractions are quite widely spaced.

Salt fish in the main market.

It seems to me that Basque separatist movement, happily, is is now pursued strictly through legal, democratic politics via regional parties like the left-wing coalition EH Bildu and the more moderate, conservative Basque Nationalist Party (PNV). Violence killed more than 850 over the years.

The Museum of Fine Arts was FREE for a week while I was there. Quite good.

I picked up my Camino passport (Credential) at the Cathedral and caught a bus to the French border to start my week long hike back to Bilbao.

Definitely visit Bilbao, if you get the chance.

My one regret is running out of time to make the side trip to the coastal islet of San Juan de Gaztelugatxe. I’d even made a graphic. 😀