Bilbao Casco Viejo

Bilbao was founded in 1300 and grew from seven parallel streets on the right bank of the Nervion, Las Siete Calles, which still form the core of the old quarter. The Gothic cathedral of Santiago, on the Camino del Norte, has a fifteenth-century cloister; the Plaza Nueva, a neoclassical arcaded square of 1851, holds a Sunday market of books, coins and birds and a run of pintxo bars along its arcades; and the Mercado de la Ribera, an art deco covered market of 1929 on the riverbank, is one of the largest in Europe by floor area. The quarter is where Bilbao eats: pintxos are set out on counters and paid for at the end, a system based on trust that visitors sometimes fumble.

What you actually see

• Las Siete Calles - the seven original streets of the 1300 foundation.
• The Plaza Nueva - an 1851 arcaded square with a Sunday market.
• Mercado de la Ribera - a 1929 art deco market on the riverbank.
• The pintxo counters - bars with food set out and paid for on leaving.

When to go

April to June and September to November; Bilbao is wet in every season and the quarter is largely covered or close-built, which helps. Thursday evenings, the txikiteo, and weekends are when the bars are fullest.

Honest expectations

Bars are crowded and standing is the norm. The pintxo system varies between places, with some serving from the counter and others cooking to order, and knowing which takes a moment. Rain is genuinely frequent.

Nearby

The Guggenheim lies downriver; the Ribera market and the Nervion walk connect them.