Recommended hotels are:
Our Madrid office has two suggestions: Hotel Lopez de Haro (newer and more
modern) and Hotel Ercilla (very classic in the center of the city).
Because both were busy, our 2002 visit was scheduled for:
Hotel in Bilbao: Silken Indautxu Plaza Bombero Etxaniz S/n
Bilbao, Vizcaya 48010. Telephone: 011.34.94.42.11.198
Fax: 011.34.94.42.21.331. The Silken Indautxu was okay, but it was not exactly close to the Guggenheim,
the shopping district or to the Old Town area.
Why not stay at the newly-opened hotel directly across from the Guggenheim? Why enjoyed looking at the
museum in different lights. This hotel is:
The question for the American visiting Bilbao is what else to do beside seeing the Guggenheim. We have a few ideas.
The Fine Arts Museum is an excellent facility that offers a survey of all periods of art in beautifully lit and arranged
uncrowded rooms. It has an excellent gift shop for the lover of art books. Don't miss the outdoor cafe facing
a lovely park, great for people watching.
You also should wander around the Old Town area, "Casco Viejo." This is old Bilbao, and while our minds were dazzled
by images of the Guggenheim, we enjoyed our walks in the Old town very much. Allow time for sitting and people watching
in the Plaza Nueva. (We wanted to visit the Basque Museum, but were never there at the right time. It looks like
an interesting collection in an historic building. The story of the Basques has been a real mystery for thousands of
years.)
I think we missed a bet by not riding the subway. It is said to be clean, modern and beautiful. The stations
are by the famous architect, Norman Foster. The subway also offers easy routes to the ocean and to near-by towns.
http://www.metropla.net/eu/bil/bilbao.htm
