Weber, thanks!! SIser, you will have time to do what you´re planning, Bilbao is a small town and distances are not big. It´s a city that has changed its urban landscape completely in a few years and worth a longer visit. From the airport to the Guggenheim it´s just 15 minutes. You may also visit the adyacent museum of fine arts, second to El Prado in importance in Spain. For some info on the area, my blogs as a local, mugalari.wordpress.com and blogseitb.us/basquetourism.

I'm sure Spain, and especially Bilbao, will not suffer if certain people decide not to visit, even for a few hours.

Don't miss the amazing new conversion of an old wine factory/warehouse called the "Ahlóndiga" by Phillipe Starke.

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=433422

Or you could rent a car upon arrival. Drive to Gehry's wine hotel


http://www.starwoodhotels.com/luxury...ropertyID=1539

then next day continue onto Bilbao and fly back to Madrid in the late afternoon/evening. Drop off charges if any, are low.

The Bilbao airport bus, BTW, drops you across the street from the Guggenheim. Price: 1E or so.e

How could you not like San Sebastian?

The OP doesn't really like Spain - although in another post she mentions she has traveled to ALL regions of Spain except the islands. So, she must have spent a great deal of time traveling extensively in Spain to have ocme to this conclusion ;)