Nestled in the north of Spain, just about fifteen kilometers from the Cantabrian Sea, Bilbao is the largest city in the autonomous community of the Spanish Basque Country, also known as Euskadi.

With just over 340,000 inhabitants in the city itself (and nearly one million in the metropolitan area), Bilbao is a human-scale city with a strong and proud identity.

Bilbao offers an alternative to the classic sun, beach, parties, and siesta combo. Here, you don’t come to sunbathe on a crowded beach or dance until dawn to blaring reggaeton.

Bilbao represents a different Spain — not the one that’s been sold to international tourists for years. It’s more discreet, a little rougher around the edges, but truly fascinating.

The economic and cultural capital of the region, Bilbao was long defined by its industrial past — steel production and port activity. Grey, dull. But it’s precisely from this history that its spectacular transformation emerged.

In just a few decades, the city has risen from its industrial ashes to reinvent itself through culture, architecture, and design.

Today, Bilbao is a city crossed by the Nervión River and surrounded by lush green hills, where concrete meets contemporary art, where both Basque and Spanish are spoken, and where local traditions blend with bold modernity.