One Day In Bilbao – Trip from Paris to Marbella by Car
When looking at the photos in my telephone from our car trip this winter from Paris to Marbella I am thinking what a fantastic vacation it was. We spent overnight in Bilbao, and this city impressed me to the bottom of my heart.
Another Spain
The Basque Country is perhaps the most picturesque part of Spain. The road resembled a serpentine among impressive mountains fully covered with dense vegetation. Bilbao itself is full of surprises. We arrived late in the evening and stayed in the hotel located on the top of the hill with views over the city and the sea. At this time Bilbao resembled a kaleidoscope with thousands of lights.
The hotel where we stayed is called Hotel Artetxe. It was nice, cozy and dog friendly. Location is also very convenient – just 5 minutes drive and we were in the center of the city.
In despite being late we took a night walk around the city. It was quite empty and we could enjoy all main attractions completely on our own.
The Basque country is completely different than the rest of Spain. This can be seen with the naked eye of any traveler immediately after crossing the border of the region. There is more greenery on the both sides of the road, the streets in the cities are somehow cleaner than in the coastal villages, and the people on the streets seem unusually relaxed and peaceful, as if they have nowhere to hurry and nothing to worry about….
The green capital of the Basque country
Bilbao is a rather big city. Many people say that for a complete set of all the advantages of a hypothetically impeccable tourist Mecca, there is not enough ocean, like San Sebastian has. Perhaps there is some truth in it. But the full-flowing river Nervion, with beautifully arranged banks, crossing the entire city, partially replaces the ocean promenade for tourists. By the way, it is on the boulevards and the parks along the river that we enjoyed walking the most.
Arriving in Bilbao is better for three days to calmly explore the city. Renting a car is recommended to move around. We felt like one day is definitely short to discover all its beauties. However, even few hours is enough to fall in love with it. The streets are neat, the food is awesome (tapas from here are famous all over Spain) and the people are very friendly.
Each guest of the city is independently able to get to know the wide green streets, walk through beautiful parks and squares, sit on a high bar chairs in one of the hundreds of tapaserias and drink a large glass of cool draft cider, which the region is famous for.
City of lovers
People living in Bilbao can be described as unusually cheerful, as if they were under the influence of light antidepressants.
During a walk along the central part of the city, you will find many cozy green corners and alleys with an uncountable number of comfortable benches. And on each such plane for relaxation you for sure find a couple in love, carried away by the endless process of hugs and touches.
Cultural capital
Up to three million visitors come to Bilbao every year for tourist purposes. Many go to the notorious Guggenheim Museum, and some just wander along the tidy beautiful avenues and eat delicious sandwiches. These are people from all over the world, from children to older couples.
After all, what is a modern city? These are not only streets and squares, highways and skyscrapers. These are primarily people inside it. Alive, with their own stories and way of communicating. And when in one place there are so many bright individuals, being among them, seeing their life, faces, listening to a speech already becomes a real experience. The level of culture, good taste in clothing, pleasant manners are so charming.
On a finishing note I want to mention a fantastic lunch that we had on the way from Bilbao to Marbella in Burgos. The place is called Casa Ojeda and their lamb made in traditional stove was traumatically delicious. So if you are in Burgos, don’t miss visiting this restaurant.
