The Basque city of Bilbao is known for one big draw, the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao, designed by the architect Frank Gehry and rated by Time Magazine as the building of the 20th century. Whilst this building is truly dramatic, Bilbao is some distance from other major Spanish cities, so if you are going to come this far, you might as well spend a few days here and visit other locations nearby. Can you do this using public transport, or do you need a hire car?

Why hire a car in Bilbao?

• Junk junk? — whatever praise may be lavished on the building, modern art isn’t to everyone’s taste, and some people will want to dismiss the Guggenheim Bilbao as just a twisted metal warehouse full of junk. Either way, we still think the building is far more memorable than its contents, and even though it should be fully appreciated against a bright blue sky and when lit up at twilight, you will still want to move on sooner or later, and Bilbao simply does not have enough in the city itself to justify more than a day trip.
• Wineries — Bilbao isn’t just a city of architecture, there are also two spectacular wineries which are both worth a visit, whether you appreciate plonk or not. Ciudad del Vino Gehry & ……
• Northern Pyrenees — drive towards the double National Park of the Northern Pyrenees, heading towards Lourdes in France.
• Picos De Europa — head west to explore the fantastic Picos De Europa. Take the cable car from Fuente De to enjoy a spectacular, but hair-raising cliff edge path.
• Pamplona — Pamplona is perhaps most famous for its annual running of the bulls, but it’s still worth a visit at any time. Going by train from Bilbao to Pamplona involves a circuitous route, it is much quicker to drive.

Why not?

• Architour — when it comes to architecture, Bilbao really isn’t just a one hit wonder. An architectural tour of the city starts were it should do when you arrive at the airport. Calatrava’s ultramodern bird shaped terminal might not be practical for some of the airlines that use it, but it is a beautiful creation for the first-time visitor. Head into the city, and you can visit another one of Calatrava’s seemingly off-balanced creations, the xxxx bridge. This is near to the Guggenheim Museum, and it is certainly worth taking the short walk along the Neviron river to appreciate both.
• Casco Viejo – like any Spanish city, Bilbao has an impressive historic district — nice, but the postcards home will all be of the Guggenheim.
• Bilbao Metro — Carornocar.com can declare a biased and when it comes to transport structures, but the Bilbao Metro, designed by British architect Norman Foster, really is truly impressive. The underground stations are true monuments to simplicity, and whereas Moscow might be famous for its lavish works of art, Bilbao’s modest system has much more in common with that of Washington DC. Locals seem to agree with this too, and the delightful steel and glass entrance canopies have been affectionately named Fosteritos (and no, you can’t eat them). Even the font and their system logo have been carefully designed, and no doubt were this a system for a larger city like Madrid, it would be an international style icon like the London tube roundel.
• Northern coast — why not hire a bike and head out of the city on the Metro towards the impressive north coast, where you’ll see many fine merchants’ mansions.
• Guernica — best known for Picasso’s Spanish Civil War painting, Guernica can be easily reached by train from Bilbao. Why not continue to the delightful fishing village of Bermeo?
• Basque cities — take the narrow gauge coastal line towards delightful San Sebastian, and even on to Biarritz in neighbouring France. From here you can take the scenic route up the Nive valley to St Jean-Pied-de-Port
• Santander — another scenic train route is to take the narrow gauge FEVE towards Santander, where you will enjoy Green Spain at its best.
• The Wineries of Rioja can be visited by bus tours – but if you want to visit by public transport, it is much harder. Bodega Ysios is outside . The Racimo Train is a tourist road train that follows two routes out of Laguardia (Biasteri), including one route which takes in Ysios – but you will still need to get to Biasteri, which is around 10 miles northwest of Logrono. Marques De Riscal is on the edge of Elciego, also a similar distance from Logrono, about 5 miles southwest of Ysios.

Conclusion  — there is clearly much more to enjoy here than just the world-famous Guggenheim Museum, but this can be done perfectly well without a car. Considering that many of Bilbao’s transport facilities are impressive features of architecture in their own right, it is certainly best to appreciate a little bit more of this city on foot and by Metro before instantly heading for the car keys. A hire car will of course give you more flexibility outside of the city, but there are equally many enjoyable and scenic train routes which can be taken.

Verdict — no (soft)

File under: Bilbao car hire advice - yes or no?, Bilbao airport car rental.