Bilbao Facts

The city of Bilbao is divided into eight districts, but we get a better picture of the true topography if we keep in mind that the city is divided by Nervión estuary into two halves.

Deusto

To get to District 1, called Deusto, you have to cross either the recently-built Puente (bridge) de Euskalduna or the older Puente de Deusto, which up till a few years ago still used to be raised to let big boats pass under. Walk along the Ribera (bank) de Deusto to get a glimpse of how one part of the estuary flows through city life. While here, a must-see is the Universidad de Deusto. Established in the 19th Century and run by Jesuits, this university has been the alma mater of such luminaries as the...

..., Spain's sixth-largest city and biggest port, has been described as an ugly, gray, decaying, smokestack city. But it has a number of interesting secrets to reveal, as well as good food. It serves as a rail hub from which to explore some of the Basque Country. Most of the city's sights can be viewed in a day or two. Many visitors flock here to see the controversial $100-million Guggenheim Museum, designed by American architect Frank Gehry and called "the beast" by some locals because of its bizarre shape. From afar, it resembles a gargantuan sculpture, with a tumbling-boxes profile and a 131m-long (430-ft.) ship gallery.

As the industrial center of the north and the Basque people's political...