bayonne-tourisme.com Official website of Bayonne Tourist Office - San Sebastián, Bilbao

SanSebastian

Situated only 40 minutes away from Bayonne with direct motorway access, San Sebastian is the jewel of the Spanish north coast. Its magnificent bay, dominated by Mount Igueldo, attracts tourists from all over the world every year.

Its old town (the old part) is home to a large number of tapas bars. You can stroll through its pretty streets, eat "pintxos" or shop in its many charming boutiques. You can also stroll along the famous La Concha beach, an urban beach with a lot of history, considered one of the best in Spain and Europe. In addition, on both sides, you can climb both Mount Igueldo and Mount Urgull to enjoy wonderful views of the city. To get to Mount Igueldo, there is a funicular railway that will take you to the top, where you will also find a Belle Epoque amusement park. You can also wander around the romantic area and visit numerous museums, including the Chillida Leku Museum, the San Telmo Museum, the Science Museum and the House of History.

At the end of the port, facing the ocean, is the Aquarium, where hundreds of species accompany visitors on their journey. Among other things, it has a 32-metre 360° tunnel suspended in the sea, the only one of its kind in Europe.

Bilbao

Bilbao is an example of a city that has been able to adapt to change without losing its identity and culture. A city of industrial origins, it has at the same time become a modern and cultural place. That is why, architecturally, you can enjoy both its old town and new buildings designed by different award-winning architects. In addition, Bilbao has a great cultural offer with several museums and theatres, as well as several World Heritage Sites.

You can walk up Mount Artxanda and enjoy the city from a different perspective. And, if you have walked enough, you can get there by bus or funicular.

One of the wonders of this city is the Guggenheim Museum, the symbol of Bilbao. It has become the cultural and tourist engine of the Basque Country. Its spectacular construction (Frank O. Gehry, 1997), covered with titanium plates, has an important private collection, but it also shares with New York and Venice the largest private collection of modern and contemporary art in the world, from both a quantitative and qualitative point of view.

The Museum of Fine Arts, which is one of the most important museums in Spain, houses three collections of painting of great value: ancient art (El Greco, Zurbarán, Goya and Van Dyck), contemporary art (Gauguin, Bacon and Tàpies) and Basque art (Regoyos, Zuloaga and Iturrino).

Bilbao is, without a doubt, a very attractive, lively and festive city.