Bilbao Reborn: Feasting in the Comeback City

Bilbao is one of Europe’s great comeback stories, transformed from an industrial port city into a cultural and culinary capital. On this full-day tour, we’ll explore that transformation through the markets, bars and family-run institutions that have shaped the city. We’ll begin in the Casco Viejo at Mercado La Ribera, tasting market specialties before stopping for classic Basque breakfast sandwiches and cider. From there, we’ll visit a preserved-fish shop to learn about Bilbao’s obsession with salt cod, then continue to a century-old bodega for pintxos and txakoli. Along the way, we’ll taste artisanal cheeses, modern takes on classics like tortilla and cod pil pil, and afternoon pintxos at a beloved family tavern. We’ll finish with Bilbao’s whimsical Carolina pastry and a walk to the Guggenheim, where the story of the city’s remarkable rebirth comes full circle.