kc1

Our cruise ship is stopping in Bilbao for one day, and we are torn between taking the ship's 5 hour tour "Old Bilbao with Guggenheim Museum" (stops at Artxanda Hill, Guggenheim Museum, guided walk around the Old Quarter, etc.), or venturing out on our own. I believe the cost of the tour is $92 Canadian.

I would appreciate anyone's thoughts and/or suggestions that will help us make a decision.

Thanks so much!

Robert2533

$92 Canadian isn't bad for a 5-hour tour. Who are they using as a tour guide? Tours by Basque (www.toursbybasques.com) is probably the best service in Bilbao and they work with some cruise lines.

You can do the Guggenheim on your own. I'd buy the tickets in advance, but walking around the old quater, the Casco Viejo, of Bilbao is best when you have someone who knows the best pintxos bars.

Southam

If you are interested in art, Bilbao possesses a handsome fine-arts museum which, though not as flashy as the Gugg, contains a substantial collection. https://www.museobilbao.com/in/

kja

I found it very easy to visit Bilbao on my own. And I agree with Southam -- the museum of fine arts (Museo de Bellas Artes de Bilbao) merits a visit by anyone with an interest in art, IMO.

kja

Oh, and the Museu Vasco, too, for its fascinating presentation of Basque traditions.

joannyc

Well, don't flame me but I enjoyed the exterior of the Guggenheim more so than the art inside. I am not a modern art fan.

Bilbao is easy to see on your own, just do some research beforehand.

kja

Actually, I agree with joannyc (as is so often the case ), though I'm sure it depends on what temporary exhibits the Guggenheim is hosting.

sandralist

Rather than featuring its not-very-compelling and often repulsive permanent collection, the Guggenheim in Bilbao, like the one in New York, showcases temporary exhibits. So it really does depend what's on when you are there, and whether your cruise ship guide will know anything about that exhibit. However, the Richard Serra installation in the Bilbao is a masterpiece that truly does belong to the Basque country -- whereas Gehry's building is surely one of his lesser works artistically whatever its notoriety, and is more along the lines of another roadside attraction (which in fact what it was designed to be and can be counted as a total success on that level). But you don't need a guide to see either the Serra or the building.

http://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2005/jun/22/art

If there is anything of interest to see in Bilbao other than what is inside the Guggenheim probably helps to have a guide to find it, especially if you have limited time.

kimhe

You could pefectly well do a tour of Bilbao on your own, here's two to the point guides with a couple of dozens highlights: http://www.euskoguide.com/places-bas...ilbao-tourism/
http://tourism.euskadi.eus/en/top10/...aa30-12376/en/

Never been inside the Guggenheim, even though I followed the construction step by step in the 90's and have visited Bilbao some ten times since it opened. But what a spectacular building! How the opening of the Guggenheim museum in 1997 created the so called "Bilbao effect" is a very interesing story in itself: http://uk.phaidon.com/agenda/archite...museum-bilbao/
http://www.theguardian.com/cities/20...s-50-buildings

But if the guide is a very knowledgeable local, as the ones in toursbybasques suggested above, a guided tour would of course be great and probably leave you with a strong wish to come back and spend some serious time both in Bilbao and in the rest of the fascinating Basque Country, the culinary heartland of Spain if not all of Europe. Go for the fabulous pintxos! http://www.euskoguide.com/food-drink...untry/pintxos/

Micheline

I agree with Joannyc. I did not at all like the Gugenheim's offerings but we very much enjoyed the restaurant lunch. A guide to find the best bars would have been good.
Maybe you can find a tour that does not include going inside the museum. Next time we go we will do more reading to find the best attractions. Love the Basque Country.

bilboburgler

having worked amongst large steel vessel manufacturing I can promise you that Richard Serra's stuff is the scrap we used to turn out

sandralist

The meal I ate at the Guggenheim museum was hands down the only bad meal I had in the Basque region.

bilbo, in post after post, the lack of taste, discernment and curiousity you put on display is at least consistent. Carry on with the burger tours.

kja

@ bilboburgler -- too bad you and your coworkers didn't find a way to market spare scrap metal more effectively! But maybe it takes an eye -- or a name -- to put those pieces together....;-)

bilboburgler

sandra, hurtful, something has made you angry, you are allowed to let it go

kja, so true

Micheline

I think Gehry's building is beautiful. Too bad you didn't like you meal sl. We thought it was delicious and great value.

Robert2533

sl probably ate at the Bistró Guggenheim Bilbao, not at Nerua, which has one Michelin star and is run by chef Josean Alija, who was at El Bulli under Chef Ferran Adrià.

HappyTrvlr

The Audio guide at the Guggenheim is excellent if you go on your own.
I happen to like Serra's work. The building is beautiful and worth visiting.

Micheline

We ate at Nerua. I still the have the cool artsy black & white paper tablecloth under glass on my coffee table. It has Nerua scribbled all over and Josean Alija signed it.

kc1

Thank you to everyone for their comments, especially those with attachments to do further research.

We made the difficult decision to do the tour. One of the reasons was to bypass any lineups getting into the Guggenheim. Hopefully our guide will lead us to one of the great bars for pintxos!

I also appreciated the suggestions for other museums in the area, but hubby has his heart set on the Guggenheim.

It looks like we'll have to return to the Basque region very soon!

Thanks again,
kc1