3 days in Basque country 23-25 Oct

Consider a day trip to Gernika. It's an easy train ride from Bilbao. The Peace Museum and Assembly House are definite highlights.

Thank you so much for the suggestion

Yes, Bermeo and Gernica are on our itinerary on 24 Oct
Do you have a favorite local restuarant recommendation for this day?
taste more important than ambiance :-)

My suggestions:

23 Oct Bilbao sightseeing including Guggenheim museum in the evening - what not to miss? local non touristy food reco?

• In the old town, don´t miss the Ribera market, best in the morning (most stalls close at 2pm) church of San Antón (the oldest building in Bilbao), the 1397 cathedral of Santiago and its square, Plaza Nueva…

• Going up by Gran Vía (main) street you´ll find Diputación street, there´s a statue of John Adams with some of his kind words on the Basques, after his visit here in 1780 with his sons John Quincy and Richard. Right there, El Globo bar offers very good pintxos and La Viña del Ensanche has a great menu, for foodies and not expensive.

• Funicular of Artxanda, one every 10min, once on top go left for great views from the balcony overlooking the city, right for Restaurante Txakoli, wonderful views and great menu, anything will be excellent and rightly priced.

• ZUBIZURI bridge, how a beautiful bridge was such a big fail in architecture (Google for more info...), and Isozaki Towers, depending on where you look at them it seems they enter or they exit the river...

• And don´t miss Azkuna Zentroa, a former wine warehouse transformed into a civic centre by French designer Philippe Starck, don´t miss the columns (all very peculiar, showing all architectural styles) and the transparent swimming pool!! Also, a rooftop bar with great views for excellent cocktails.

• You may like to visit the Puente Colgante (aka Puente Bizkaia), the unique transporter bridge, a UNESCO World Heritage Monument, accessible on our safe, clean, modern and cheap subway system. Something unique in the world. Also, beaches nearby, if you have the time it´s a beautiful promenade right of the bridge until you reach the Puerto Viejo of Algorta, quaintest little place with bars and restaurants, locals only.

Lunch is our main meal of the day, not dinner, so I´d recommend to enjoy the affordable daily menu, offered at many restaurants in the old town and in other parts of the city, for around 20eur including half a bottle of wine per person.

24 Oct San Juan de Gaztelugatxe and nearby villages - tips for best photography spots and places to stop nearby

Bermeo, Mundaka, Elantxobe, Ea and Lekeitio are must-sees, as well as the beaches of Laga and Laida near Ibarrangelua. There´s the Urdaibai Bird Center, if you like to take pictures of the birds at this Reserve of the Biosphere. Ereño is a very nice town on the way to Lekeitio.

A great restaurant is Baserri Maitea, in Forua. Other good option is Remenetxe, right outside Gernika. A bit pricey, both of them, but worth it.

If you are into this kind of stuff, there are many caves that were inhabited by
prehistoric man in the north of Spain.

Altamira is well-known but the actual cave is now closed to the public and
you can only visit a replica.

There are others where you can book a tour and actually see the real art
that was drawn 12-15,000 years ago. For example, Las Monedas and El
Castillo are a short drive from Santillana Del Mar. If this is of interest,
book online ahead of time with the actual provider (not Viator or some
other reseller). The tours are small and will most likely be sold out by
the time you arrive in Spain.

Thank you so much all for these excellent tips

Will certainly follow your suggestions for Bilbao

Will go to El Castillo cave.
It's on the way back to Bilbao. In the morning we want to drive and walk around costa quebrada.
Do we need to prebook online or is it alright to buy at the office?
online price E15 pp. Is there a price difference for buying at the office?
We will be there on Sun, 25 Oct and it's open tlll 3:30
I am trying to find out if there are any English tours or audio guide available.

Thanks again

You have to buy online as you need to prebook and buy your tickets for your visit, it´s not just "popping in" and getting on a tour. All caves are very limited in the number of persons per group (I think it´s just 7 now), so they need to arrange the groups and the visits.

All tours are in Spanish, unless you buy the whole capacity of the group (7 x 15EUR) and request a fully private tour in English.

No audio guides, no self-tours...the caves and the conservation of the paintings require visits by expert prehistory guides. Of course, no pictures allowed inside the caves, bring adequate shoes and clothing, you´ll find it to be as it was thousands of years ago (no rails, very few steps inside...conservation is prime).

OK thanks!

which easy hike/walk would you recommend for the costa quebrada area that would be most scenic and not overly strenuous?
I presume at end Oct it should be fairly easy to find parking by the trail.
We are willing to start early

To add to my original and Mikel's comments about the cave tours, when we visited a
couple of weeks ago, we were the only two people for El Castillo so the guide gave
the tour in English. For Las Monedas, it was half Spanish/half English speakers, so
the guide started in Spanish and then gave a shorter explanation in English. I would
say just let them know before the tour that you are English speakers, and the guide
will do their best to keep you engaged.

Good to know that guides are willing to accomodate.
There are 4 in our family visiting el castillo, We don't have time for 2 caves because we are trying to do some scenic walks in the morning. Any recommendations?
Hoping and praying for good weather!!

Just take into account that you´ll be there on a very busy day for the caves, a Sunday, and the majority of the group will be Spanish.