Good times in dog-friendly Bilbao

We really wanted to visit Bilbao for a couple of reasons, the first (and most obvious) was to see and visit the amazing Guggenheim, and the second was to eat as many pinxos as humanly possible. We succeeded in both - but also spent some time exploring the rest of the town and were pleasantly surprised about how many other things there were to see and do, and how dog-friendly it was.

THINGS TO DO

Nervion Riverfront

The Nervion River runs right through Bilbao and is a great way to explore the city while getting a good walk with your dog. Both sides of the river are paved and have plenty of sniffing space. As you meander along, the walk offers good views both up and down the river, along with some small parks and interesting public art. There are a few bridges along the way which mean that you can easily choose the length of your walk. Here are a few other highlights from this walk:

One of the bigger areas to explore is between the river and Old Town called, Arriaga Plaza, which is located in front of the pretty Teatro Arriaga (Theatre). Across the road is a large area that is mostly paved with only the odd piece of grass, but it does have an interesting gazebo type structure.
The impressive City Hall Building sits opposite the City Hall bridge and is a great photo op.
See the Zubzuri Bridge - a large white suspension bridge.
See the thought provoking 'Las Sirgueras' sculpture that recognises the importance of women’s equality.
Walk across the interesting and angular Puente Pedro Arrupe Bridge that connects the University and park outside the Guggenheim.

The interesting Puente Pedro Arrupe Bridge

Guggenheim Museum

While dogs are not allowed inside the Museum, there is still a lot you can see and do from outside. One of the main attractions at this Museum is the amazing building and architecture itself. Because it’s been built in a great location along the Nervion River, it’s possible to get really great views and admire it from every different angle. As you walk around the building the light and shapes seem to constantly change - and we found ourselves visiting three different times during our stay so we could really explore and see it in different ways.

Outside the building are some iconic pieces of art you can also take your time to explore including;

Jeff Koons 'Puppy'. This amazing planted, living piece of art is huge and sits at the front (street side) of the building. It’s set on a plaza area so there is lots of space for photo ops here (note, as made of flowering plants I imagine it looks better at some times of the year than others).

The ‘Puppy’ has to be on your must see list!

As you head behind ‘Puppy’ down towards the river, you have the option to take the stairs (another cool photo op), or go through the adjacent park which has sloping paths and would be better for those with mobility issues.

At the bottom of the stairs is an art installation (next to the park and public plaza) that regularly lets off fog.
As you walk around the front of the building (riverfront side), there are artworks within the water feature outside the museum, including the 'Tall Tree and The Eye' which resembles a big pile of giant ball bearings…

Keep walking along the front and you'll soon see a mist start to emerge from in and around the water, which is another fog installation. This seemed to go every 15 minutes or so.

The Guggenheim is a main attraction in Bilbao

Keep going and you'll come across the famous Maman - a giant spiderlike sculpture that is a must see. Again, this artwork is in a big open area, so there are lots of opportunities to get a variety of photos with different backgrounds here.

From the riverfront you can also look up to see the La Salve bridge, which is a piece of art in itself.
If you do have a dog that is happy to be left at your accommodation for a few hours, then visiting the Guggenheim should be on your ‘must do’ list. As much of the art is oversized (and amazing), it doesn’t actually take that long to go through.

Old Town (Casco Viejo)

Old Town Bilbao is beautiful. It feels full of stories and history woven together by its narrow cobbled streets and alleys. We really enjoyed walking around and exploring this area, and while much of the higher levels are residential, on the street level you’ll find lots of great looking bars, restaurants and shops. Beats loved sniffing anything and everything here! In terms of sightseeing, there is no wrong way to go. All the streets are set up in an easy to navigate grid like pattern and while you could probably explore this area in a couple of hours, its better to slow down, stop for some food along the way and really take your time. While you'll find so many great photo opportunities in here, some of the key sights not to miss in Old Town include,

Cathedral de Satiago - located near the centre of old town, it also has a good sized square in front and you can walk around around it.
San Nicolas de Bari - an imposing looking building near the train station.
La Ribera Market - dogs aren't allowed inside, but you can still get a good pic from outside and walk around the outside, which is next to the river. From the river’s edge you’ll also see a really cool stone arched bridge nearby called San Anton Bridge.
Plaza Nueva which is a large square jam packed full of pinxos bars, but its also a really pretty plaza and its interesting to just walk around and see the buildings and bar fronts.
Plaza Miguel is another square that is near Plaza Nueva and has a number of eateries and shops around it.

Pinxos Bars

Bilbao is well known for its amazing Pinxos Bars which are dotted around the city and offer all sorts of delicious bites all day long. One of the most famous spots for inhaling Pinxos is Plaza Nueva - a large square in the centre of Old Town that is wall to wall pinxos bars. As you only need to try a couple at each place, you can work your way around a few every day! While we saw some dogs inside different ones, it’s best to just check at the door as they can be quite small spaces and you want to ensure everyone gets on and has a good time! In saying that, many places had outdoor seating, so that is a good alternative on a nice day.

Keep in mind, that at peak times of the day, weekends and summer these small bars will be much busier than usual, so consider this when heading out with your dog. We were visiting in winter, and while it was much colder, it meant fewer crowds which made it a lot easier to navigate the narrow streets and small bars with Beatle. Also, a lot of tourists seem to think its cool (its not) to throw their napkins and toothpicks on the ground… so just keep an eye on your dog if you see that happening, as they will likely hoover up anything that has food on it and no one wants that vet bill.

Bilbao City

The 'city' part of Bilbao is on the other side of the river to Old Town - while it doesn't have the same narrow streets and cobbled roads, it still has plenty of beautiful buildings to check out, as well as some small parks to explore. Some of the more interesting buildings include; the Teatro Campos Eliseos which has an amazingly detailed entry, the Biscay Foral Delegation Palace, Sacred Heart Church and the Parroquia de San Francisco de Asis Church.

Plaza Moyua is a small central park in Bilboa that has eight streets leading to it - so it can be hard to know which direction to go! But it’s a good point of reference if you want to head out to see different areas of the city. Here are our top options for exploring from here:

Option 1. Head down Calle de Elcano, your first stop is Chavarri Palace (which sits directly off Plaza Moyua) and is a really striking building. Keep walking down and you'll see Iglesia San Jose Church. From here you can continue down to Plaza de Euskadi which is a large circular park with lots of green space and wide paths. At this point you can also head to the riverfront / Guggenheim.
Option 2. Head West down Calle Gran Via Don Diego Lopez De Hard - this street has lots of bars and restaurants as well as a few green spaces and interesting buildings to see. To the right is a very large park called Dona Casilda Iturrizar - if you want to walk through its pathways instead of the main street. As you approach the roundabout you'll see the impressive Sagrado Corazon de Jesus monument.
Option 3. Head East down Calle Gran Via Don Diego Lopez De Hard - this will lead you to the main shopping district of Bilboa and eventually to Plaza Circular. From here you can either continue looking around the shopping district and its buildings, or cross the river to Old Town.

Mount Artxanda and the Funicular

If you want to get one of the best views over Bilbao then head straight to Mount Artxanda. And the best way to get there, is by funicular! Your dog can join you on the Funicular and there is an area at the front / back where you can stand with them on leash for the short journey.

The Funicular is a fun thing to do with your dog and the views at the top are fantastic

At the top it’s less than a five min walk to a large park that has amazing vistas over the river, city and mountains. Along the edge of the park you'll find lots of bright red 'Bilboa' signs which make a perfect photo, as well as some other outdoor art and sculptures. We really enjoyed going up here with Beatle and as it was winter, we also got to see snow on the distant mountains which was a nice bonus.

OTHER THINGS TO DO

For a longer walk, keep going up river past the Guggenheim until you reach the Euskalduna Coference Centre, a large building that is partially constructed from oxidised steel plates. This imposing building also has some interesting pieces of art outside, including Dodeclathos, which is an iron monolith that sits at the entrance. There is also the oversized 'Sites and Places' sculpture between the Centre and the Deusto Bridge.

GETTING AROUND

Bilboa is pretty compact so we found it easy to navigate on foot - however there is also a really good tram system that runs from the city part of Bilboa to Old Town as well as along the river (right to the Guggenheim). Dogs of any size are welcome on the tram so long as they are leased.

EAT

As there are so many places you can eat and drink with your dog I won't even attempt to list them all. In terms of dogs being allowed inside eateries, we found that just asking at the entrance (or pointing) worked for us, or basing it on if we saw other dogs there. There are a lot of dog-friendly eateries in Bilboa, and you can find a comprehensive list of these on the Basque Country travel site here

IN SUMMARY

In Bilboa there isn't much you can do that your dog can't! We love visiting places that are easily walkable, have lots of new and interesting things to see, amazing food to try and are dog-friendly - and Bilbao ticked all the boxes for us.

Good times in dog-friendly Bilbao

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