Guide to Bilbao, Spain

Have you heard of Bilbao? It’s one of Basque Country’s gems. Basque Country is technically in Spain but they want their own independence. It’s the region in the northwest coast near the France boarder. I absolutely LOVED Bilbao. Although it was raining often (Bilbao gets a lot of rain. Don’t forget your umbrella!), it’s beautiful and welcoming. And surprisingly vegan friendly!

Where to Stay:

We stayed in the Ganbara Hostel. It was a great hostel, no complaints. They have very friendly staff who are very happy to help you with directions or tips for the city. Keep in mind it's a hostel and bunkbeds are a given. 

What to Do:

You may have heard of the Guggenheim Museum in New York City. Well there are more locations and one is in Bilbao. The museum is a work of art itself, designed to look like a fish. The museum is full of modern art and while we were there, the main exhibit featured Niki de Saint Phalle. Pictured above you can see her "Nanas", her famous women sculptures. 

The Guggenheim’s interest in featuring art has spilled into the rest of Bilbao. You can find artwork surrounding the museum. There's a gigantic spider sculpture near the river and and even larger flower sculpture named "Puppy" in front of the Guggenheim. Puppy was suppose to be a temporary exhibit but became permanent when Bilbao fell in love. And I did too. A large flower puppy? YES. 

Eat pintxos! Pintxos are Basque Country's tapas. They are typical open faced sandwiches with a skewer through the middle. Pinxtos are all laid out on the bar for you to choose. Let your tastebuds go wild! 

Where to Eat (Vegan):

Typically when I am traveling to a city, I would use these resources to find vegan options. This wasn’t the case in Bilbao. Vegan options just fell into my lap. It was such a pleasant surprise!

Tirauki is a bar that specializes in vegan pintxos. We had no clue we'd find vegan pintxos! It was a lovely coincidence. & they were very delicious, featuring vegan cheese and tofu. 

On the same street there is Muga Taberna which also featured vegan items on their menu. I had a vegan quesadilla with a ton of vegetables. It was kind of greasy but that bar food for you. I’d suggest trying something else at Muga Taberna. :) 

Hot Dog's House is an omnivore restaurant that has a vegan hot dog and hamburger. They’re prices were perfect. I admittedly had a lot vegan hot dogs there. The staff was lovely, a very comfortable place to go.

I absolutely LOVED Bilbao. I really want to go back and eat more vegan pintxos. (I miss them. ;)) Would you ever consider visiting Bilbao?

- Christina

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