Most visitors to Bilbao head for the Guggenheim and the cathedral, but the right bank of the river and the edges of the Casco Viejo, the old town, hold some of the city's best stories. This guide follows five of them, from the 19th-century City Hall upstream to the market and church that stand where the town began, then up to Plaza Unamuno and the Basilica of Begoña on the hill.
Bilbao City Hall
Bilbao's City Hall stands on the right bank of the estuary, at the end of the bridge that carries its name. It was designed by Joaquín Rucoba, the architect of the Arriaga Theatre, and built between 1883 and 1892 on the site of a former convent in the Uribarri district; until 1890 the city council had its seat in the old town. The building has a grand Baroque-inspired front facing the water, and its best-known room is the Arab Hall, decorated in Neo-Mudéjar style with patterns that recall the Alhambra in Granada and used for official receptions and weddings.
- The front of the building, best seen from the Puente del Ayuntamiento, the bascule bridge that links it to the Abando district across the river.
- The riverside walkway in front of it, which you can follow upstream towards the old town.
Ribera Market
On the right bank of the Nervión, next to the Casco Viejo, the Mercado de la Ribera occupies the site of an old square beside the church of San Antón. The current building, designed by Pedro Ispizua, opened on 22 August 1929, with around 10,000 square metres of floor space, and it is often described as one of the largest covered markets in Europe. In 1990 Guinness recognised it as the most complete municipal food market, and a renovation of the structure, stalls and services began in 2009. Today more than 60 traders sell meat, fish and shellfish, fruit and vegetables, cheese, cured meats and mushrooms, and there is a section for local farmers.
- The long riverside front of the building, which you see best from the opposite bank.
- The fish and shellfish counters, which are busiest in the morning; this is a working market, so go early and buy something.
Church of San Antón
The church of San Antón stands beside the bridge of the same name, at the point where Bilbao began. The town received its charter in 1300 from Diego López V de Haro, and in 1334 King Alfonso XI of Castile built a castle and a defensive wall here that also worked as a barrier against floods. The first church on the site was consecrated in 1433, and the larger building you see today was essentially finished around 1510, in late Gothic style, with three naves under rib vaults and a flat east end with no apse.
Later centuries added to it: a Renaissance main portal carved between 1546 and 1548, a balcony in 1559, and a Baroque bell tower finished in 1775, with an octagonal upper part topped by a dome and lantern. The interior was used as a cemetery until the 19th century, and the severe floods of 1983 damaged its furnishings and doors. The church and the bridge both appear on Bilbao's coat of arms, a sign of how central it has always been to the city. It is the last stop of our scavenger hunt.
- The foundations of the 14th-century town wall, found in excavations in 2002, which can be seen behind the altar.
- The view of the church and the bridge together from the riverside, the same pairing you see on the city's coat of arms.
Plaza Unamuno and the Basque Museum
At the top of the Casco Viejo, Plaza Unamuno is named after Miguel de Unamuno, the writer and philosopher born in Bilbao on 29 September 1864. He became rector of the University of Salamanca and wrote works such as the essay The Tragic Sense of Life and the novel Mist; he died in Salamanca on 31 December 1936, under house arrest. The square is one of the stops of our scavenger hunt.
On the square is the Basque Museum (Euskal Museoa), which opened on 3 July 1921. It occupies the ground floor around the Baroque cloister of the former Colegio de San Andrés, a school run by the Jesuits until their expulsion from Spain in 1767; the church next door, the Santos Juanes, was the college church. In the middle of the cloister stands the Mikeldi idol, an ancient carved stone figure brought from Durango, and since 2018 a glass roof has covered the courtyard.
Basilica of Begoña
In the Begoña district, above the old town, stands the Basilica of Begoña, dedicated to Our Lady of Begoña, the patron saint of Biscay. Work began in 1511 and took about a century, to designs by Sancho Martínez de Arego; the main entrance dates from the middle of the 16th century, while the present tower and part of the exterior were built between 1902 and 1907 under José María Basterra. Because it formed part of Bilbao's defences, the basilica was damaged in the 19th century, and the Carlist general Tomás de Zumalacárregui was fatally wounded nearby. It is not on the scavenger hunt route, but it rewards the climb.
How to see them in one walk
Start at the City Hall and look at its front from the bridge. Walk upstream along the riverside into the Casco Viejo, then go up to Plaza Unamuno and the Basque Museum. From there, climb to the Basilica of Begoña if you have the energy, and come back down to the old town. Finish by the river at the Ribera Market and the church of San Antón, ideally in the morning, when the market is busiest. If you start late, swap the order and keep the market for the next morning.
See Bilbao with World City Trail
Our Bilbao scavenger hunt turns the city into a game you play on your phone. The route links 10 stops, from Doña Casilda Park to the church of San Antón, and four of the places in this guide are among them: the City Hall, Plaza Unamuno, the Ribera Market and San Antón, along with Doña Casilda Park, the Guggenheim, Zubizuri, the Arriaga Theatre, Plaza Nueva and Santiago Cathedral. At each stop you solve a puzzle and learn a story, at your own pace.
There is also a self-guided walking tour and an outdoor escape game in Bilbao, for people who prefer a different format.
Play the Bilbao scavenger hunt →
Take the self-guided walking tour of Bilbao →
Play the outdoor escape game in Bilbao →
Facts checked in October 2026.