Biscay

At a glance

Biscay (Bizkaia in Basque) is the economic and demographic powerhouse of the Spanish Basque Country: 1,159,368 inhabitants (2024) over 2,217 km². Its capital, Bilbao (Bilbo in Basque), with about 348,000 inhabitants in the municipality and more than a million in its metropolitan area, has become since 1997 one of the symbols of culture-led urban regeneration — the ‘Guggenheim effect’.

The province has 113 municipalities grouped into seven comarcas (districts). The Ibaizabal and the Nervión meet here to form the Bilbao estuary (ría), and the coastline alternates between cliffs and estuaries.

A little history

Prehistory: the Santimamiñe cave (Kortezubi) shows an almost complete sequence of occupation from the Middle Palaeolithic to the Iron Age, as well as Magdalenian paintings.
1199: Balmaseda becomes the first villa (chartered town) founded in the Lordship of Biscay.
1300: Bilbao is founded by Diego López V de Haro, Lord of Biscay.
Middle Ages: the General Assemblies of Biscay (Juntas Generales) meet under the Tree of Guernica, the first known specimen of which was planted in the 14th century.
1876: abolition of the fueros (the traditional charters and local laws); a separate tax regime, the Concierto Económico (Economic Agreement), is established as early as 1878.
19th–20th centuries: the Bilbao area becomes one of the most industrialised in Spain.
26 April 1937: Guernica is bombed by the German Condor Legion and the Italian Aviazione Legionaria, at the request of Franco’s Nationalist side. Picasso paints Guernica in response.
1997: the Guggenheim Bilbao (Frank Gehry) opens on 18 October.

Must-see sights

Guggenheim Museum Bilbao — Gehry’s titanium icon, with works by Richard Serra (The Matter of Time) and Jeff Koons (Puppy, Tulips).
Bilbao’s Casco Viejo (old town) — the ‘Seven Streets’ (Zazpikaleak), the city’s original core, and Santiago Cathedral; next door, the Ribera Market (1929, rationalist style with Art Deco touches).
Bilbao Fine Arts Museum.
Vizcaya Bridge (Portugalete/Getxo) — the Puente Colgante, a UNESCO World Heritage Site (2006) and the oldest transporter bridge in the world (1893).
Guernica — the Tree of Guernica and the Casa de Juntas (Assembly House). The town was bombed in 1937.
San Juan de Gaztelugatxe — a hermitage on an islet linked to the coast by a stone bridge, then 241 steps. It stood in for Dragonstone in Game of Thrones (season 7).
Bermeo — fishing port, old quarter and the Ercilla Tower (late 15th century), home to the Fishermen’s Museum.
Lekeitio — an old fishing port, with San Nicolás island, which you can walk to at low tide.
Urdaibai Biosphere Reserve — UNESCO (1984), estuary and marshes, Santimamiñe cave.
Balmaseda — the first villa in Biscay (1199), with its Living Passion on Maundy Thursday and Good Friday, performed by more than 600 local residents.
Bilbao Maritime Museum — the estuary and its history.
Alhóndiga (Azkuna Zentroa) — a cultural centre designed by Philippe Starck in a former wine warehouse.

Main towns

Bilbao — Guggenheim, estuary, Casco Viejo
Guernica (Gernika-Lumo) — thousand-year-old oak, symbol of democracy
Bermeo — fishing port, maritime heritage
Lekeitio — an authentic coastal village
Getxo — beaches, Belle Époque villas
Durango — main town of Durangaldea
Balmaseda — Enkarterri, Living Passion

Must-try food and drink

Bacalao al pil-pil — salt cod gently cooked in olive oil with garlic and chilli, in an emulsified sauce. A traditional Basque dish.
Biscay txakoli (DO Bizkaiko Txakolina, 1994) — a lightly sparkling white wine, traditionally poured from a height
Marmitako — tuna and potato stew, the dish of the tuna fishermen

Living traditions

Bilbao’s Aste Nagusia — the ‘Great Week’, 9 days starting on the first Saturday after 15 August, with an international fireworks competition and Marijaia, the symbol of the fiesta since 1978.
Trainera regattas — races between traditional rowing boats; the most prestigious, the Bandera de la Concha, is held in San Sebastián on the first two Sundays of September.
Basque pelota — in Bilbao, matches are played at the Frontón Bizkaia.
The aurresku — a traditional dance of honour.
Bertsolaritza — improvised poetry in Basque.

Curiosities and anecdotes

The current Tree of Guernica is not a thousand years old: it is the fifth known specimen, planted in 2015. The first dated from the 14th century; the trunk of the ‘Old Tree’ (1742–1892) is preserved under a small temple in the garden.
Miguel de Unamuno (born 29 September 1864), philosopher and writer, was born in Bilbao. A sculpture of his head has stood on Plaza Unamuno since 1984, near the house where he was born.
Athletic Club de Bilbao (founded in 1898) only signs players born or trained in the Basque Country (on both sides of the border), a policy applied since 1911. Eight Spanish league titles.
The Guggenheim cost $89 million; according to the provincial authorities, the tax revenue generated by its visitors paid back the cost within the first three years. It welcomed more than 1.3 million visitors in 2025.

Photographing Biscay

The Guggenheim at sunset — Gehry’s titanium catches fire
San Juan de Gaztelugatxe from the coast — the 241 steps winding up to the hermitage
The Bilbao estuary from the Zubizuri bridge (Calatrava) — white arch, urban reflections
Bilbao’s Casco Viejo in the early morning — empty streets, painted façades
Lekeitio at high tide — San Nicolás island surrounded by the sea
Ribera Market — the stalls and atmosphere of the covered market