Bilbao
A city with a strong personality, taking care of its traditions and looking to the future
The Bilbao estuary, present throughout the city's history, links the old centre with Arata Isozaki's avant-garde architecture and its outstanding expression, the Guggenheim Museum, which has played a special role in the spectacular transformation of the city.
The city
Bilbao is a municipality in the north of Spain. It is also the name of the capital of the province and the Vizcaya region in the Basque country. The city has a population of 352,700 according to the 2011 census, and is the largest centre of population in the Basque country. It stands on the River Nervión.
History
Founded in the early fourteenth century and thanks to the Crown of Castile, Bilbao became a centre of trade on the Cantabrian coast, exporting wool and, to a lesser extent, iron from the quarries. Business activity grew during the nineteenth century and at the beginning of the twentieth century the city underwent major industrialisation. It thus became the centre of the second most industrialised region in Spain, after Barcelona. This led to a substantial increase in population and various municipalities in surrounding areas became part of the city.
A service-oriented city looking to the future
Today Bilbao is a city specialising in services. It is undergoing a far-reaching process of aesthetic, economic and social revitalisation, with one of the city's most famous icons, the Guggenheim Museum, at its heart. This is evidenced by the award received by the Mayor of Bilbao in 2012 from Britain's City Mayors Foundation. Iñaki Azkuna achieved international recognition for his work on the transformation the city has undergone since the 1990s.
Culture, gastronomy and leisure facilities
Year after year, Bilbao is visited by large numbers of tourists. Its gastronomy, based on Basque cuisine, makes it an attractive destination for all those who enjoy good food. The city offers an impressive range of gastronomic experiences, together with cultural activities, concerts, leisure facilities and other events of interest. Hospitality also plays an important role in Bilbao, with hotels in all districts of the city. One of the best-known and most popular hotels in the centre of Bilbao, in the business and cultural heart of the city, is the Silken Indautxu, which reflects the development of this city with its distinctive personality.
Hotels in Bilbao
The facilities offered by the Silken Indautxu are the best in Vizcaya. It is ideal for romantic getaways, candle-lit dinners, relaxing breaks and much more, options you can enjoy at any time of year. If you book through our official website, you will also be guaranteed the best rates and can take advantage of our free cancellation policy. And you will not have to pay until you reach the hotel!
