Bilbao

Bilbao is the capital of Bizkaia and the largest city in Euskadi-Basque Country. The city carries in its urban fabric the imprint of different eras, with the medieval Casco Viejo as its starting point and the major architectural transformations of the 1990s as a contemporary counterpoint. The most internationally recognised element of that transformation is the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao, designed by Frank Gehry, whose titanium structure has become a global architectural landmark and a leading centre for contemporary art. The Casco Viejo preserves the scale and rhythm of historic Bilbao: its Seven Streets, the Plaza Nueva and the Ribera Market remain spaces of everyday commercial and social life, as well as landmarks of the city's urban heritage.\n\nBilbao has a well-established cultural programme — museums, theatres, exhibitions and both local and international festivals — along with a gastronomic scene rooted in Basque culinary tradition. Athletic Club, the football team with deep ties to the identity of the city and the whole of Bizkaia, is also part of the cultural fabric of this destination.