Bilbao snapshot

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Rarely has a city's reputation been changed so rapidly by one building. Bilbao, in northern Spain and the largest city of the Basque region, has seen its fortunes transformed by the Guggenheim Museum.

Once a predominantly industrial city, tourism is now a major part of the city's economy. Those landing at the car ferry port from Britain now linger and explore Bilbao, Spain's fifth largest city.

The city and its suburbs are home to almost a million people, many speaking Basque. They live along the banks of the Nervión River, indeed the origin of Bilbao's name is the Basque 'bi albo' meaning 'two river banks'. A major port, the docks have moved downriver, creating space for major urban renewal which has led to the upsurge in tourism.

World landmark

Developments include a new metro system designed by Sir Norman Foster; the EuskoTran tram line; the striking Zubizuri Bridge; and the Euskalduna Palace, a cultural centre. Most of all, the Guggenheim Bilbao Museum, designed by Frank Gehry, has become a world landmark since its opening in 1997.

The Basque nation lives in an area traditionally known as Euskal Herria, located around the western end of the Pyrenees on the Bay of Biscay, with Bilbao at its centre. Most of the area is in Spain but 250,000 Basques live across the border in France around Biarritz and Bayonne.

The nation is often said to be Europe's oldest, although this isn't strictly true. The Basque language is thought to stand on its own, unlike other European languages which belong to the large Indo-European language family.

What does make Basque unique is that it has been spoken continuously in situ (that is in its current area) for longer than other modern European languages elsewhere in Europe, hence the claim to be Europe's oldest nation.

Guggenheim Museum

Unusually for a revolutionary building, it was built on time and to budget. The museum's permanent collection focuses mainly on 20th century art with traditional paintings and sculptures very much in a minority.

Installations and electronic exhibits predominate with the only permanent exhibit, 'The Matter of Time', a series of huge weathering steel sculptures designed by Richard Serra. The exhibitions change often with many themed exhibitions such as Chinese or Russian art.

Bilbao is an ideal base for exploring northern Spain, the mountains of Picos de Europa and the Pyrenees. Inland, the city's of Vitoria and Pamplona are important cities in Basque culture while San Sebastian and Santander are Basque coastal centres.

There is a car ferry route from the UK (Plymouth) with Brittany Ferries and Bilbao Airport is now served by budget airlines. Cruise liners are now calling in the port since the opening of the Guggenheim Museum.

Every month our travel writers comb the web for city break deals to Bilbao. Visit our Bilbao holiday shop to browse through the latest offers.

• Bilbao Tourism- Official Spanish Tourism site for Bilbao