Bilbao, city of museums

The Biscayan metropolis weaves an accessible cultural network spanning more than 110,000 square metres of floor space, where the international avant-garde, historical heritage and local creativity coexist just a stone’s throw away

Bilbao, once the mecca of heavy industry on the Iberian Peninsula for almost two centuries, has cemented its urban transformation into the City of Museums and quality of life.

The main pedestrian thoroughfare linking the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao (9,000 m² of exhibition space out of a total of 24,000 m²) and the refurbished Museum of Fine Arts (8,500 m² of usable floor space following its extension) epitomises this ongoing cultural transformation.

A walk of less than five minutes connects these two extraordinary art galleries. Alongside them, just a couple of minutes’ walk away, are the fascinating Sala Rekalde and the innovative Alkar Contemporary gallery.

This solid backbone is complemented by the extensive refurbishment of the Euskal Museoa (5,000 m²), recently reopened in the Old Town, the Arkeologi Museoa (3,000 m²), the Museum of Artistic Reproductions in San Francisco and the Museum of Sacred Art in Atxuri, which together provide up to 5,000 m² of additional exhibition space.

The Itsasmuseum, the museum of the estuary and the sea, contributes 27,000 m² across its indoor spaces and outdoor quays.

And there are a few more besides. In total, the city houses almost 60,000 m² of galleries spread across just 3 kilometres.

This high density makes Bilbao one of the European cities with the highest proportion of square metres dedicated to art and heritage per inhabitant. And it turns a walk into an amazing cultural experience.