Photo: kallerna, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
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Guggenheim and Abandoibarra: art and architecture by the river
Your local guide
Ane Uriarte
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Highlights
- Frank Gehry's titanium curves, from outside
- Richard Serra's Matter of Time, described
- Louise Bourgeois's spider sculpture, Maman
- The Zubizuri footbridge and Isozaki towers
- Shipyards that stood here until the 1980s
About this tour
This session covers Bilbao's Abandoibarra riverside, from Frank Gehry's Guggenheim building to Louise Bourgeois's Maman sculpture on the plaza outside it and the Zubizuri footbridge further along. The camera stays outside the museum's walls while the guide describes what fills its largest gallery inside. The riverbank itself gets its own story, from working shipyards until the 1980s to the district built here since.
The call opens with a short sound check, then follows the riverside stop by stop, with time for questions about the buildings and sculptures along the way. A short list of the stops and the museum's current exhibitions follows by message once the call ends.
This suits anyone interested in architecture or contemporary art, whether planning a visit to Bilbao or simply curious from home. It also suits anyone who remembers the shipyards and wants to see what replaced them.
Included
- Live video walk with a local guide
- Questions to your guide all the way
- A short list of places to visit later
Not included
- Internet connection
- Travel to the city
Itinerary
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Welcome and sound check 7 min
The guide joins the video call, checks the picture and sound with you, and gives you a quick sense of Bilbao before heading out.
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Guggenheim exterior 21 min
Frank Gehry's titanium curves catch the light differently every few steps around the building, and the guide describes Richard Serra's The Matter of Time, the steel sculptures filling the museum's largest gallery inside, since the artworks themselves stay behind the ticket line.
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Maman spider sculpture 21 min
Louise Bourgeois's spider sculpture, Maman, stands on the riverside plaza outside the museum, tall enough to walk beneath, and the guide explains what drew her to make something this size.
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Zubizuri bridge and Isozaki towers 21 min
The walk crosses the white curve of the Zubizuri footbridge and passes the Isozaki towers, and the guide explains that shipyards filled this stretch of riverbank until the 1980s, before Abandoibarra became what it is now.
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Your questions 14 min
Time to ask anything about Bilbao: prices, safety, food, or whatever you are curious about.
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A short list to keep 6 min
Before you go, the guide sums up with a few things worth remembering: a dish to try: Pintxos and Casco Viejo, worth a slower look.
Good to know
- A stable wifi or mobile connection makes the picture smoother than a shaky one.
- Any phone, tablet or laptop with a camera works. You watch, the guide does the walking.
- Times are shown in Madrid time, so check the time where you are before you book.
- The session is not recorded, and recording it yourself is not allowed. Feel free to take your own notes.
- Ask questions any time, out loud or in the chat. The guide will pause to answer.
- Sessions run in small groups, up to 12 people, so there is room for everyone to ask something.
Questions about this tour
What will the session cover?
The guide walks through Bilbao, showing you Guggenheim Museum Bilbao and Casco Viejo live on camera, plus whatever else you would like to see.
What happens if my connection drops?
Rejoin with the same link within a few minutes and the guide will catch you up on anything you missed.
Can I ask the guide questions during the session, or is it a fixed script?
Anything, any time. Sessions leave room for your own questions throughout, not just at the end.
Do I need any background in art?
No. The guide explains what matters as you go, whatever you already know or do not.
How it works
- You get one join link after booking.
- Join from any device: phone, tablet or laptop.
- We meet on Google Meet; the link comes with your booking. I walk Bilbao live with my phone and you ask anything as we go.
Times shown in Madrid time (CET)
Cancellation
Flexible
- Cancel up to 24 hours before the start: full refund.
- Cancel less than 24 hours before the start, or no-show: no refund.
- If the guide cancels or the date does not reach its minimum group: full refund.
- Cancel in My Account → Bookings; the refund is calculated from the start time in the tour's local time.
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Only travellers who booked and paid through Locals Guide and whose tour took place can leave a review, within 60 days of the tour. Every review is marked "Verified booking". We check reviews before they appear and publish positive and negative ones alike; we remove only reviews that break our rules (insults, personal data, unrelated content). Guides cannot pay for, edit or hide reviews, and ratings are the plain average of all published reviews.
Next: Wed 11 Nov · 12 seats left From 24,00 €
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