Changes are still taking place. We are constantly adapting to present and to the current needs of the city. Even the old Alhóndiga, a former wine warehouse located in the centre of the city that had lied idle for quite a long time, has been transformed in the new Azkuna Zentroa, a place for meetings and culture that surprises visitors and locals alike with its 43 different columns, designed by Philippe Starck, and its glass-bottom swimming pool in the ceiling, which can be seen from the atrium bellow. 

Abandoibarra has undergone a remarkable transformation in the last few decades. It has changed from being an industrial and port area to becoming a place for knowledge, destined for recreational and cultural activities. It is now a really modern open-air museum, where we can admire the works by the greatest architects of our time. The fact is that Bilbao is one oof the cities with the most Pritzker prizes per square metre, thanks to structures such as the Isozaki Atea glass towers by Arata Isozaki; Metro Bilbao, the underground system designed by Norman Foster; the urban development that is taking place in Zorrozaurre, conceived by Zaha Hadid; the skyscraper at Garellano, designed by Richard Rogers; the white UPV-EHU Paraninfo conference auditorium built by Álvaro Siza; the new Deusto University Library planned by Rafael Moreno; or the tallest building in the Basque Country, the Iberdrola Tower, ideated by César Pelli. 

However, the project that unquestionably sparked the change and is nowadays an unmistakable symbol of the new Bilbao is the Guggenheim Museum, one of the most relevant buildings in the late 20^th-century architecture designed by Pritzker award-winning Frank Gehry. Art can be appreciated not only on the inside, but also in its surroundings. Its custodian Puppy, a lovely West Highland Terrier designed by Jeff Koons, also delights us with its colourful tulips outside the museum. Maman, a giant sculpture of a spider created by Louise Bourgeois, looks over the river near the Arcos Rojos that Daniel Burén designed for La Salve Bridge, next to the pond where Anish Kapoor’s Tall Tree & The Eye spheres stand. At the foot of the museum, the mist and the fire are the main protagonists of the Fog Sculpture created by Fujiko Nakaya and the Fire Fountain by Yves Klein. 

Apart from these iconic buildings of modern architecture, picturesque corners full of history are hidden all over Bilbao. The Siete Calles in the old town is an excellent example of it. It is the place where Bilbao was born, a maze of lively streets filled with shops of all kinds, surprising museums, restaurants and bars where you can take pleasure in our food and eat delicious pintxos. At one of its ends, leafy trees are lined up at the Paseo del Arenal on the bank of the river, a place that was once a beach where boats were built and fixed. Puente de la Merced is the bridge that connects the old town with the bohemian neighbourhood of Marzana, and the visitors who cross it are watched by pairs of mysterious winged creatures who grant wishes to those who walk by. 

Next to the city centre, we can visit the vibrant and colourful ‘English Quarter’ in Irala. It features English style houses that date back to the beginning of the 20^th century, built to accommodate the families of the people who worked at a baking factory nearby. Located opposite the district of Deusto, on the left bank of the estuary, lies the Carola Crane. This towering structure of steel was once in charge of unloading the goods that were brought by the ships into the town, and now bears witness to the history of the Botxo. From mount Artxanda, one of the city’s green lungs, you can enjoy a panoramic view of Bilbao, which is exactly what Frank Gehry did before deciding on the best location for the Guggenheim Museum. 

Without the slightest doubt, one of the best ways to take in the essence of the city of Bilbao is by following the Bridge Route, a walk along the path the Nervión River follows towards its mouth. The route begins at the Puente de San Antón, which is the same bridge that appears in the coat of arms of the city together with the adjacent church of the same name. Downstream, past the Puente de la Ribera, the traditional Ribera Market, and the Puente de la Merced, the route takes you to the Puente del Arenal, where the first cast iron bridge in the country was built, connecting the medieval Casco Viejo with the more modern Ensanche. 

Walking past the Puente del Ayuntamiento – in front of the city hall – and the Zubi Zuri – Calatrava’s white bridge –, the route continues towards the Puente de La Salve, from where sailors used to say their prayers to the Virgin of Begoña while looking at the basilica above. The Pedro Arrupe footbridge – with its dragonfly-like shape – and the Puente de Deusto – which back in the day opened to let boats pass through – link the right bank with Abandoibarra. The curved outlines of the Puente Euskalduna and the Euskalduna Conference Center fill the space that not so long ago was occupied by a major shipyard. Before arriving at the estuary’s mouth, the imposing Bizkaia Bridge stands between the towns of Portugalete and Getxo as a trace of our industrial legacy, and one of the World Heritage Sites that Biscay is home to. 

With this mixture of cutting-edge design and historical heritage, in close connection with the world but always mindful of its traditions, Bilbao is truly a one-of-a-kind city.