The northern Spanish city of Bilbao is the largest city in Basque Country, built along the banks of the Estuary of Bilbao about 10 km from the Bay of Biscay and encircled by a small mountain range. In part due to the emergence of the Bilbao Guggenheim Museum and recent infrastructure developments, Bilbao has undergone somewhat of a modern renaissance. Tourists to the city will especially enjoy the architecture, art scene, cuisine, and die-hard support of the Bilbao football club. Running in Bilbao is a cinch, since the main city is fairly compact and many of the best routes are overlapping. If you’d like to have an in-person guided running experience in Bilbao, we highly recommend our friends at Go! Running Tours.
The best places to run in Bilbao center on the well-linked trail system along the Estuary de Bilbao and the 44 km “Green Ring” that connects many of the city’s urban and forest parks. For a longer park run, Europa Parkea is the best bet, while we’ve mapped out fun tours of the Cultural Highlights, Downtown Parks, and Old Town and the Barrios Altos with the help of Go! Running Tours and Running Tours Bilbao.
Even though Bilbao is fairly walkable, a well-run metro system and a range of public trams and buses make getting around the city simple. There are some boat transport companies as well, but they are primarily geared towards sightseeing, which is easy enough to do on foot.
