Picture this: I rocked up to Gatwick Airport, a carry on suitcase and a colleague in tow, with absolutely no idea where I was going. Yep, this is exactly how my trip to Bilbao started.
My visit to Bilbao was part of a work trip for Secret London and Journee, where myself and my colleague were sent on a mystery holiday. Journee plan and book your flights, hotel, and most activities, and you only find out where you’re going and what you’re doing once you’re at the airport! Read my review of Journee, how they work, and our review of their whole offering in my dedicated article here and watch the reel here.
So, to avoid making an SEO cardinal sin, and duplicating content, this blog post is going to be solely about Bilbao, in the same vein as my other Twenties In Transit city guides. However, I’ve gotta start by saying, I HIGHLY rate Journee, I would go on another Journee trip in a heartbeat, and if you’re on the fence about booking a mystery trip with them, JUST DO IT.
The food
Despite many trips to Spain since childhood, I didn’t know much about Bilbao or the Basque Country before my visit - apart from the fact that it’s known for its food. My goodness, it is a foodie’s paradise. The area has a high concentration of Michelin-starred spots, and in general, food is very well priced. I ate pintxos every single day, and my fave Spanish omelette twice a day, throughout the trip.
On our first evening, we went to Cafe Bar Bilbao in the palm-lined Plaza Nueva for dinner, opting for a selection of pintxos instead of a main meal. Everything tasted fresh, and had fantastic flavour. The tomato sauce on the mussels were divine, while the calamari was seasoned so well. The bread, topped with fresh tomatoes and salty anchovies were chef’s kiss.
My favourite activity of the trip was one of the ones organised by Journee: a pintxos and wine walking tour. We learnt so much about pintxos and its place in Basque culture, how it differs from tapas, and of course, enjoyed some amazing food and wine. Each pintxos we ate was a work of art, and packed lots of flavour and more ingredients compared to the area’s main meals. I tried things I wouldn’t have tried if I was simply dining out on my own (e.g. the olive oil collagen on cod and bread; it looked like my nemesis cheese, but was so delicious). My favourite pintxos of the night was in the last bar: shredded duck cooked in a peanut sauce, topped with a caramelised apple. All the wines we tried were excellent too.
The tour was a small group one, and our group gelled well. We all had a laugh as we learnt (and failed to execute) the special pour of the Isastegi Sagardo Naturala cider, and went on to get dessert at the ice cream shop Gelati Gelati with its numerous flavours (I’m talking doughnut flavour to mojito flavour). It was on this tour that I discovered my new favourite drink, a kalimotxo, which is a mix of red wine and coke. Our British brains may say it shouldn’t work, but it really does; it lightens the taste of both drinks, to make a refreshing mix.
The culture
On the food tour, we learnt a lot about the Basque Country’s history - as we walked from place to place, we made some stops where the guide pointed out important structures, and we got a bit of a history lesson in one bar too. It was so interesting; as always, I realise how little we learnt about certain histories at school…
On a separate tour, we headed to Guernica, which was bombed in 1937. It was a sobering visit, learning about what happened on that fateful day, and seeing how the city was rebuilt. We also learnt about the conflict with Picasso’s painting, which our guide advised was bestowed to the Basque people, and still hasn’t been returned to Basque Country (it now currently resides in Madrid).
We got to see the old Guernica tree, which is in a mausoleum, and the new one, which to this day is ceremoniously used for new parliaments and marks the place where important matters are decided.
The sites & surroundings
I know I said I wouldn’t go too much into the Journee aspect of the trip, so that you check out my dedicated Secret London review and the reel on Secret London’s IG, but I have to shout out the incredibly detailed guidebook and itinerary the Journee team created. It had everything from how to get to the airport to advice on local tipping culture, plus listed local sites to visit. The whole city is very walkable - I averaged at 20k steps per day because we saw so much!
One of the main sites of Bilbao that most people know is the Guggenheim Museum. Modern art isn’t particularly my thing (though making up stories about what each piece represents is); however, the museum itself is a particularly striking, cool building. I also loved the Puppy statue outside, and loved the face there were birds living inside the flowers of the big dog. Contrary to this, I did not love the Maman statue… horrid thing. Elsewhere in the city, we visited the Doña Casilda Park, with its beautiful fountains, and headed up above the city via the Funicular for fantastic views of the terracotta rooves and lush green mountains. I loved that the repetitive Bilbao sign formed a gate… and a great photo op.
Although I’ve never watched Game of Thrones, I did visit Gaztelugatxe (Dragonstone aka home to my fave Emelia Clarke). BOY, that was a hard climb. However, the camaraderie of the rest of the group on the tour kept me going, and it was a beautiful view from the top. I also loved how it looked with the staircase winding up the island’s cliff face too. The guide made sure we understood the importance of respecting the nature in the areas surrounding Gaztelugatxe too.
In conclusion, it was a fantastic trip. If Journee hadn’t matched me with Bilbao, I would have probably overlooked the destination, and that would have been a big mistake! We had good weather on most days, but even the thunderstorm on our last evening (and the resulting dash back to the hotel in flip flops) didn’t dampen our love for the city. Once again, I highly recommend Journee, but also a visit to Bilbao.