Hotels in Bilbao

What to see by foot: Bilbao

Spain's sixth largest city, Bilbao has benefitted greatly of late from a government renewal project, of which the Guggenheim project is one of the main beneficiaries. Most of the city's sights can be viewed in a day or two.

The new futuristic-looking Guggenheim Museum, devoted to modern art, is the cornerstone of this major redevelopment project of the city's waterfront. This amazing building contains 19 galleries and was designed by Frank Gehry, an architect from Los Angeles. Among the museum's displays are European and American art of the 20th century by the likes of Picasso and Andy Warhol.

The museum's exterior, consisting of swirls clad in titanium and great panels of glass supported by steel girders, is almost indescribable. The overall effect of this elaborate design is to give the appearance of scales on a fish.

Bilbao has several churches, one of which is the fine Gothic Church of Santiago, dating from the 14th century. The city also boasts a number of museums, with collections ranging from archaeological finds relating to the history of the Basques, to contemporary works of art. The Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology has excellent Roman prehistoric and Iberian exhibits.

Signs of revitalization are also seen in a flashy new space-age Metro system designed by Sir Norman Foster of England, and a new airport terminal, the work of Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava.

A big plus for the city is the superb quality of food. There are many bars and fine restaurants in the Casco Viejo (old quarter), lying on the right bank of the Nervion.

Selection of hotels in this region:

Barcelo Nervion Hotel
Sheraton Bilbao Hotel
Husa Jardines de Albia
Abba Parque Hotel
Zenit Bilbao Hotel
NH Deusto
Hotel Petit Palace Arana
Hesperia Zubialde
Silken Gran Hotel Domine

Click below for a full list of hotels and online booking

Holiday Inn, Travel Inn, Marriott, Travelodge, Hilton, Hyatt, Novotel, Best Western, Comfort Inn, Swallow. <*pagetitle*> <*countrydescription*> from www.cheaphotelbookings.com

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