Where to Stay in Bilbao: Best Areas and 5 Hotels

Bilbao is compact enough to walk from the Old Town to the Guggenheim along the river in about half an hour, as we did. So working out where to stay in Bilbao is mostly about which side of the river you’d rather wake up on, whether you’re bringing a car, and how much you want to spend.

We based ourselves here for our Basque Country trip, at an ibis just outside the city with free parking, since we had a car the whole time and only came back to sleep (more on it below ↓). The five hotels in this guide are the ones we picked for location, from Old Town guesthouses to a four-star by the Guggenheim, with prices we checked for June. Only here for the day? Our one-day plan has the route.

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Which Area to Stay In

Where to stay in Bilbao comes down to four areas: here’s what each is like, and where our picks sit. Bilbao’s low-emission zone only applies on weekdays, and only in the newer centre: our FAQ ↓ has the details for drivers.

Casco Viejo (Old Town): the medieval streets by the river, with the cathedral, La Ribera market and most of the pintxo bars. We found it small and compact, with not that much going on compared with San Sebastián’s Old Town. It isn’t in the low-emission zone, but you can’t drive in either: it’s a pedestrian zone watched by number-plate cameras, so leave the car at the Arenal car park on its edge. Four of our five are here: Casual Arriaga ↓, Letoh Letoh ↓, 7 Kale ↓ and Bilder ↓.

Abando and Indautxu: the newer centre across the river, with Gran Vía, Abando station, Plaza Moyúa and the shops. We liked it more than the Old Town: it’s nicer to walk around, with more to see. It’s inside the low-emission zone, which only matters if you’re driving an older car. None of our five is here, so browse places to stay in Abando, or look at an apartment ↓.

The Guggenheim side (Abandoibarra): the riverside around the museum, with the Puppy outside it and the Fine Arts Museum and Doña Casilda park a few minutes away. It’s part of Abando, so it’s inside the low-emission zone too. Vincci Consulado ↓ is here.

Outside the city, with a car: Barakaldo, west of Bilbao along the river, has chain hotels with free parking near the motorway, about 15 minutes from the centre by car and outside the low-emission zone. That’s where we stayed.

Sleep Well, Spend Less

Bilbao’s Old Town is compact enough that almost any address in it puts you within stumbling distance of everything worth seeing, which means a well-chosen budget stay here can outperform a mid-range hotel in a less interesting location. These two do exactly that. For mid-June, our four Old Town picks were all within about €30 a night of each other, and when we first checked in spring, they came out in a different order, so it’s worth comparing all four for your own dates.

1. Casual Arriaga

Best for: Solo travellers, couples and families on a budget who want a central base without spending much.

Casual Arriaga takes a simple idea and does it well: a small guesthouse from the Casual Hoteles group, with nine rooms in the heart of Bilbao’s Old Town. It’s not trying to be a boutique hotel, it’s honest about what it is, and for mid-June it was the cheapest of our five.

The location is the real draw. It’s right next to the Arriaga Theatre, steps from the pintxo bars and close to every form of public transport Bilbao has, with the tram and the metro a couple of minutes’ walk away.

Rooms come with balconies in the superior and family categories, and the family room, which sleeps up to four, is a solid choice if you’re travelling with children and want to keep costs down without giving up a central location. The entry-level rooms are compact, and there’s no breakfast, though every room has a fridge and a kettle. For a short city break where you’ll be out exploring most of the time, Casual Arriaga is one of the most sensible choices in Bilbao.

2. Letoh Letoh Bilbao

Best for: Couples and design-conscious travellers who want a stylish, well-located base and who take their morning coffee seriously.

Letoh Letoh is a small, modern two-star in the Old Town, with its entrance on Calle Víctor. It’s a one-minute walk from Santiago Cathedral, two minutes from the Arriaga Theatre and under two kilometres from the Guggenheim. The rooms have a clean urban look, with parquet floors, rain showers in the superior rooms and balconies in some.

The detail that might tip the decision for the right kind of traveller is the coffee: Letoh Letoh partners with Syra Coffee, a specialty roaster that sources from small farms, for its in-house offering. Breakfast is a to-go option at extra cost. Couples rate the hotel particularly highly, and it suits a city break built around eating well, walking and seeing great art.

It isn’t one for families with a baby, though: there are no cots or extra beds.

Character Without the Eye-Watering Bill

These two cost a little more, and you get something for it: breakfast and the most room for families at 7 Kale, a restaurant and a boutique feel at Bilder. Both are in the Old Town.

3. 7 Kale Bed & Breakfast

Best for: Families and anyone who wants breakfast included in the heart of the Old Town.

7 Kale is a small bed and breakfast run by its host, Patricia, on Calle Santa María in the historic heart of Bilbao. It puts you within walking distance of the Arriaga Theatre, Santiago Cathedral and some of the best pintxo bars in the city, and the Guggenheim is a short tram ride away (or a longer walk). The location is difficult to fault.

Rooms range from compact doubles to triples, rooms for four and a suite with two bedrooms, two bathrooms and a living room, which makes it the most flexible option on this list for families. Cots are free, though children from three are charged as adults. Breakfast is included, a continental spread with a Spanish touch of olive oil and tomato, and it sets you up well for a long day on your feet.

The 24-hour electronic access means you come and go on your own schedule, and free luggage storage lets you enjoy your last hours in the city without dragging bags around.

4. Bilder Boutique Hotel

Best for: Couples who want a proper boutique hotel in the Old Town, with a restaurant downstairs.

Bilder is a 39-room boutique hotel on Calle Correo, at the edge of the Casco Viejo by the Arenal and a few minutes’ walk from Abando station. Its motto is about believing in the power of detail, and its reviews suggest the staff live up to it. La Palma, the restaurant downstairs, serves Basque and Mediterranean food from breakfast to dinner, and there’s a lounge with views for guests.

Breakfast isn’t included: it’s an à la carte brunch, paid separately. The rest is practical: free luggage storage, early check-in and late check-out if you need them, and an adapted room for guests with reduced mobility. There are suites too, and cots are available.

When Only the Best View of the Guggenheim Will Do

Our splurge pick is on the Guggenheim side of the river, and it happens to come with a private yacht.

5. Vincci Consulado de Bilbao

Best for: Travellers who want the Guggenheim on the doorstep and a room looking out over the river.

Vincci Consulado is a 93-room four-star on Alameda Mazarredo, between the Isozaki towers and the Guggenheim, looking out over the estuary. The museum is a five-minute walk away, and the rooms facing the estuary or the Guggenheim are the ones to book if your budget allows.

The restaurant, Kondutxo, and the Mirador terrace take Basque cuisine seriously, and the rooftop terrace looks straight out over the estuary and the museum. The detail that really sets Vincci apart is the yacht: the hotel has its own, the Laukariz, for private trips along the Basque coast. Cots are free for under-twos.

The catch, apart from the price, is the distance from the pintxo bars: the Old Town is about 20 minutes away on foot, or a short tram ride.

With Kids? Look at an Apartment

With our son, we’d look at an apartment first: we don’t have to eat out for every meal, and it usually costs a bit less. When the flights are already the expensive part of a trip, that’s how we keep the rest under control. It works for longer stays too, with or without children.

Look for one with a lift and a washing machine, and close to a metro or tram stop if you won’t have a car.

If you’d rather have a hotel, 7 Kale is the one we’d book with our son, for its family rooms, free cots and breakfast. Casual Arriaga has a family room for up to four, with a fridge and a kettle but no breakfast. Letoh Letoh has no cots or extra beds, so it isn’t one for a baby.

How to Choose the Right Stay for Your Bilbao Trip

Bilbao is compact enough that location matters less than it might in a larger city: the Old Town, the Guggenheim and the estuary are all connected by the tram, and most things are walkable. That said, the right hotel still shapes how your trip feels.

If you want the pintxo bars, the cathedral and La Ribera on your doorstep, the four Old Town picks all do that at similar prices: Casual Arriaga and Letoh Letoh cost the least, 7 Kale includes breakfast and has the most room for families, and Bilder has a restaurant downstairs. If you want the Guggenheim and the estuary views to be part of your stay rather than something you visit, Vincci Consulado is in a different league. And with a car and a tight budget, a hotel outside the city with free parking, like the ibis we stayed at ↑, keeps costs down.

One practical note for drivers: cars can’t get into the Old Town, and the newer centre and the Guggenheim side are in the low-emission zone on weekdays. Our FAQ explains what that means for you, and each entry above has its parking.

Final Thoughts: Where We’d Stay in Bilbao

Bilbao is small enough that none of these five leaves you far from anything, so it comes down to who you’re travelling with.

As a couple, we’d book Bilder or Letoh Letoh. With our son, it’s an apartment or 7 Kale, for the family rooms and the breakfast. For a splurge by the Guggenheim, it’s Vincci Consulado. And if you have a car and every euro counts, a basic hotel outside the city with free parking, like the ibis we used, does the job.

FAQ: Where to Stay in Bilbao