The Basque Country & Northern Spain

Bilbao is the largest city in Basque Country and in the province of Biscay with a population of more than 347,000 and over 1,000,000 in the metroplitan area. It is about 10 miles south of the Bay of Biscay, From its founding in the 13th centurey, Bilbao has been an important commercial and, later, industrial city, the second largest in Spain after Barcelona. This was due to its thriving port activity based on the export of wool and iron commodities extracted from the nearby mines to all over Europe. It was once an economy based primarily on steel and shipbuilding, but today Bilbao is experiencing an ongoing social, economic, and aesthetic revitalisation process, started by the Bilbao Guggenheim Museum in the 1990s. 

Probably because of its cool wet climate, the area hasn’t attracted the British ex-pats to the extent that Portugal and southern Spain have. So, tourists need to be aware that people speak primariy Spanish and Basque.and English does not seem to be as commonly understood as in other places in Spain.

The city is very easy for tourists to get around. It’s possible to easily see most of the important places by walking, but there is a metro and good bus service as well. Bilbao is a clean city with great food, art, and friendly people.