Jaunted

Museums

Destination: Bilbao, Spain

February 8, 2007 at 11:40 AM | 0 Comments

Step off the beaten track of Spanish tourism with a detour to Bilbao, a modern city nestled in the heart of the Basque country.

What To Do?: If you've made it this far you absolutely have to go to the Guggenheim Bilbao, if only for its Jeff Koonz statue "Puppy View 4" (a giant dog) and river views. But the Euskal Museoa (Basque Museum) is a great place to start your trip by getting acquainted with Basque culture -- not only is it a small and well organized museum, it's smack dab in the middle of the casco viejo, the oldest part of town. And there are plenty of mom-and-pop restaurants nearby to give you your fix of pintxos, or Basque tapas.

Getting There: Air France flies from New York to Bilbao's uber-modern airport via Paris (a seven-hour flight followed by a two-hour flight). Or fly through Madrid or Barcelona and pick up a discounted fare through Vueling. EasyJet flies to Bilbao from Londson-Stansted, base for Eos and MAXjet.

Where To Stay: The advantage of staying here, as opposed to Madrid or Barcelona, is you can usually find a great deal just by wandering around. If seat-of-your-pants travel isn't your thing, check into the Ria de Bilbao Residencia -- a hostel that looks like a hotel but is priced (at $33/night for a double private room) like a campground.

Bonus Tip: While most people in Bilbao speak Spanish, secession-hungry activists have been campaigning for a revival of Euskara, a language resembling almost no other in Europe which separatists claim is proof the Basque civilization predated anything in Spain or France. Maybe a little far-fetched, but make sure you catch some Euskara speakers in action or at least on the news.

[Photo: Nick Mariette]