Museo Guggenheim Bilbao

Guggenheim Bilbao: The Building Is the Exhibit, But the Collection Is Better Than People Think

The Guggenheim Museum Bilbao opened in 1997 and is credited with transforming Bilbao from a declining post-industrial port city into a major European cultural destination. The “Bilbao Effect” – the idea that a single landmark building could revitalise a city’s economy and image – became a template studied by urban planners worldwide and repeatedly attempted elsewhere with mixed results. The effect was real in Bilbao. The city recovered, and the museum has been consistently profitable as a cultural institution, which is unusual.

The building was designed by Frank Gehry. It is covered in titanium panels that change colour with the light, from silver to gold to a particular orange in late afternoon. The structure wraps around a former industrial quayside on the Nervion River, with the river facade designed to interact with the water and the city bridge that passes overhead. The building does not make sense from a single vantage point; you need to walk around it and look at it from the bridge, from the river bank, from the old city across the water. From different angles it is different buildings.

Inside the Museum

The collection is permanent and temporary. The permanent collection focuses on post-1945 American and European art and is more substantive than visitors who come primarily for the architecture often expect.

Richard Serra’s “The Matter of Time” occupies the largest gallery in the building, the 130-metre-long ground floor nave. It is a series of large weathering-steel sculptures: curved plates and spirals of rusted metal, some 4 metres tall, installed in a sequence that visitors walk through. The work is not visible from outside the sculptures; you walk between the plates, and the experience is spatial and acoustic in a way that changes as you move. It is one of the most significant large-scale permanent installations in any museum in Europe and worth the admission price by itself.

Jeff Koons’ “Puppy,” a 12-metre-tall West Highland White Terrier covered in flowering plants, is installed on the museum’s main approach terrace and is arguably more photographed than anything inside. Louise Bourgeois’ “Maman,” a large steel spider sculpture, is in the exterior plaza near the river. Both are permanent installations and are visible without a museum ticket.

The temporary exhibitions change annually and have historically included major international shows; check the museum’s programme before visiting to see what is current.

Admission and Booking

Admission is 18 euros for adults, with reductions for students and under-12s free. Tickets can be purchased online (advisable in peak season) or at the door. The museum is open Tuesday to Sunday; closed Monday except on public holidays.

A combined ticket with the Museo de Bellas Artes de Bilbao (2 kilometres from the Guggenheim, holding a more traditional collection from medieval to the 20th century including significant Basque and Spanish painters) costs 16 euros and is good value.

Pintxos and Eating

Bilbao’s old city (Casco Viejo) is 15 minutes’ walk from the Guggenheim and is the correct place to eat. The pintxo bars on Calle Garcia Rivero, Calle Barrencalle, and around the Mercado de la Ribera serve Basque bar food at approximately 2-3 euros per piece: bacalao croquetas, txangurro (spider crab), fresh anchovies on bread, tortilla, a range of things on skewers. The convention is to order a txakoli (a slightly fizzy, acidic white wine from the coastal Basque Country, poured with altitude from the bottle to aerate it) and work along the bar.

For a sit-down meal, Bilbao has a concentration of Michelin-starred restaurants reflecting the Basque region’s status as one of the most serious food destinations in Europe. Azurmendi (3 stars, though outside the city in Larrabetzu) and Nerua inside the Guggenheim (1 star, Frank Gehry interior) are the obvious prestige options. Nerua requires booking weeks in advance and costs approximately 100-150 euros per person without wine.

Getting to Bilbao

Bilbao Airport has connections to most major European cities, and Ryan Air routes from the UK and Ireland have made it considerably more accessible. From the airport, the Bizkaibus A3247 runs to central Bilbao in approximately 30 minutes for about 3 euros. The metro from Abando or Moyua stations is a 15-minute walk from the Guggenheim.

From San Sebastian, Bilbao is 1.5 hours by bus (ALSA or Pesa services running hourly) and is a natural part of a Basque Country itinerary that includes both cities. San Sebastian’s old city and beach are also worth two days.