The transformation Bilbao has gone through in the last few years represents a complete change in any way. The city has gained life and dynamism by becoming a city provider of services, dedicated to an environmental and urban recreation.

Far from the image of an industrial city full of grey buildings, Bilbao is now facing a past and a future full of surprises. This city is becoming more and more attractive for visitors. Luckily, and since tradition is not connected to modernity, Bilbao still has its old centre which has not changed. Commercial and gastronomic traditions in the old centre in Bilbao have become a must-see for travellers.

The old centre in Bilbao is one of the most important markets in Europe where most of the main historic monuments of the place are put together in some of the largest culture centres (museums, libraries, etc.) and with over 800 shops, 200 hotels and the biggest covered municipal market in Europe.

This is all provided in a nice place thought for pedestrians that invites travellers to walk around and enjoy in their free time. The centre of Bilbao shows the real foundations of the city. Classic shops, avant-garde shops and international brands are all found in one place. Bilbao also offers restaurants with a gastronomy that attracts millions of travellers annually.

There are two buildings that have joined the movement for change in the city: the amazing Guggenheim Museum and the Euskalduna de Congresos y de la Música Palace. These two cultural referents represent a new bet in a city that wants to recover spaces so that citizens and travellers can enjoy from them when visiting Bilbao seeking a new city.

When the American architect Frank O. Gehry built the Guggenheim Museum, he did that knowing he would be building an amazing piece of the most avant-garde architecture in the XX century. Covered in titanium and stone, this amazing building represents a stranded boat in the Nervión River and generates all kinds of opinions and surprises.

The Guggenheim Museum is a must-see for art lovers that visit Bilbao and make it a fundamental part of their trip around the city. The Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation, based in New York, conducted the operation by providing part of their own permanent collection and helping organize temporary exhibitions. The Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao is almost twice as big as the New Yorker version. Visitors can enjoy from all the 18 areas of the museum, and appreciate the art not only found in the works but also in each spot on the museum.

The collection found in the Museum has the works of some of the most important artists in the second half of the XX century such as Eduardo Chillida, Antoni Tàpies and Andy Warhol, among others.

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