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Each one a single question, answered in full
- 01
Eating & DrinkingHow do pintxo bars in Bilbao work?
In Bilbao people eat out standing at a bar counter, one or two pintxos and a small drink at a time, then on to the next bar. What a pintxo is, how it differs from a tapa, how to order and pay, what to drink with it, and the local specialities to look for.
- 02
Getting HereHow do you get from Bilbao Airport to the city?
Bilbao Airport is at Loiu, over the hills north of the city. The airport bus to the Plaza Elíptica and the Intermodal bus station, taxis, and the direct coaches to San Sebastián and Vitoria-Gasteiz, and how to choose between them by where you are staying.
- 03
The Bizkaia BridgeHow does the Bizkaia Bridge gondola work?
The Bizkaia Bridge does not carry traffic over the river: a gondola hanging from a high girder ferries cars and people across the mouth of the Ría. How the transporter bridge works, why it was built that way, what happened to it in the Civil War, and how to ride it and walk across the top.
- 04
The GuggenheimHow was the Guggenheim Bilbao built?
Frank Gehry's museum looks as if its curves were thrown together at random, but it was built on time and on budget with the help of aerospace software. How it stands on the soft bed of the estuary, why it is clad in titanium scales, how its galleries are arranged, and what to look for when you visit.
- 05
When to ComeWhat is Aste Nagusia, Bilbao's Great Week?
Bilbao's main festival fills nine days after mid-August with concerts, fireworks over the river and the festival tents of the konpartsak along the Arenal. When it falls, how it began in 1978, what the txupinazo and Marijaia are, and how to plan a visit around it.
- 06
San MamésWhy does Athletic Club field only Basque players?
Since 1911 Bilbao's football club has played only players born or trained in the greater Basque Country, and it has never been relegated from Spain's top division. What the rule says, where it came from, how the club makes it work, and what it means for a visitor at San Mamés.
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