Bilbao is the departure port for AMA Waterways sailings nearly year-round, peaking from April through October, while Oceania, MSC, and Holland America ships call at the port on broader European itineraries.
Set along the Nervión River in Spain's Basque Country, Bilbao spent generations as a shipbuilding and steel hub before reinventing itself as a center of art and design. The titanium curves of the Guggenheim Museum anchor that transformation, drawing visitors to its riverside galleries, while the arcaded streets of Casco Viejo preserve the medieval old town's markets, plazas, and pintxos bars. A short drive inland, the town of Gernika holds deep historical weight as the site of the 1937 bombing that inspired Picasso's famous painting.
Most calls dock at the Getxo terminal, with a shuttle or short ride required to reach central Bilbao. Walking tours through the old quarter pair naturally with a tapas introduction, offering an easy way to sample regional flavors alongside the city's layered architecture and industrial past.
Pavlus Recommendations
How our planners would spend a day in Bilbao.
Tour the Guggenheim Museum
Frank Gehry's titanium-clad landmark houses bold contemporary art inside equally striking galleries. Book timed tickets ahead, as lines can be long, and allow at least two hours.
Sample Pintxos in Casco Viejo
Hop between bars in the medieval old quarter, where counters overflow with Basque small bites and local cider or txakoli wine. Plaza Nueva is a good starting point for grazing.
Day Trip to Gernika
Visit the town forever tied to Picasso's anti-war masterpiece, with a peace museum and rebuilt center reflecting on the 1937 bombing. Reachable by a short drive or train from central Bilbao.
