Port Stops in Gijon & Bilboa

I am planning for Bilbao, myself. There is a super inexpensive Basque museum (Euskal Museoa). 3 euro, closed Tuesday. It is on the outskirts of the old town, just beyond the Santiago Cathedral. I found a bunch of walking tours on the Bilbao Tourism Office website, https://www.bilbaoturismo.net/BilbaoTurismo/en/bilbao-en-1--2-y-3-dias The website looks very promising with many ideas. I'm going in September. If you go before me, let me know what you enjoy!

I wouldn't be surprised if there's a walking tour of Bilbao, but I haven't take one. I always check first to see if the tourist office offers something. I believe the tourist office in Bilbao is near the Guggenheim. I enjoyed the museum tour offered by the Guggenheim. Rick writes about it in his guide book.

There's also the Museum of Fine Arts (closed when I was in Bilbao, but I think it's well-respected) and the large medieval center, called the "Casco Viejo". The Casco Viejo is a considerable walk from the Guggenheim. I found the walk interesting (there's some public art to see, and if you cut though the business center, there's interesting architecture from the late 19th and early 20th century. There's public transportation available if you want to conserve your energy.

If you're not really art people, you might opt for the Casco Viejo and either the transporter bridge or the fishing village of Bermeo.

I can't tell you anything about the beaches near Gijon. I suggest having a back-up plan in case you get the chilly, rainy weather that often crops up in that part of Spain. Gijon has a really small historic center, not large enough to keep you busy for long. I happen to like late 19th and early 20th century architecture (available in Gijon as well as in Bilbao); if you do not, I recommend a side trip to Oviedo.
It's an especially good destination if you like very early church architecture. Oviedo is roughly half an hour from Gijon by either train or bus.

Oviedo isn't really small, but it's a quiet sort of place. I've read that when the locals want excitement, they head to Gijon.

(Funny how Bilbao is almost always written Bilboa on these forums...it´s got to do with the English pronunciation of "o", I believe). I live half a mile from the port of Getxo, where your ship will dock, which is 9 miles from Bilbao city center. So you´ll need to get on the transfer bus or take a taxi to Bilbao. Very close to the dock, you can walk along Ereaga beach to the old fishing port of Algorta, a beautiful, unvisited spot (buses not allowed) and full of charm. Also very close, on the other direction, the Hanging Bridge (Puente Colgante), a UNESCO World Heritage Monument, very unique and quite a surprise.

In Bilbao, aside from the Guggengeim (a must, even if only from outside, although I do recommend to get in for a couple of hours maximum), there´s a beautiful river walk to the Old Quarter, also very charming and full of life and interesting spots. Not only the cathedral, but the Ribera food market, the bridges, the Arenal, the churches...And of course, all the lively atmosphere of our bars, full of pintxos and excellent (but very cheap) wine (Rioja and txakoli are the most demanded ones).

Easy to do on your own. But also quite a number of "free" tours available, easy to find on Google.