Luxury holidays in Bilbao

When to go

Spring and autumn mean mild days and cool evenings, but we’d say light jacket-weather is a worthwhile trade for less crowded museums.

Getting there

• Planes

  Fly direct to Bilbão Airport from European hubs including London Gatwick, Manchester and Paris Charles de Gaulle. From there, it’s a 20-minute drive to the city centre; or you can take Bizkaiabus’s A3247 bus to Gran Vía, the city’s main thoroughfare.

• Trains

  Reach Bilbão Abando train station from Barcelona in under seven hours, and from Madrid in under five. It’s a walkable city, but hop on the metro to whizz between the city centre and quaint seaside suburbs.

• Automobiles

  Bilbão is a strollable city and has a solid metro system, so only bother with a car if you have a Basque Country road trip in your sights.