The Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao was created on the banks of a filthy river, in a run-down decaying industrial zone near the centre of this unemployment-blighted Basque city.
The museum development and the associated environmental upgrade are focused on a stunning, gleaming, metal-clad building, housing a striking collection of modern art, including a set of gigantic walk-through sculptures in steel, placed in a specially created gallery. The museum architecture is a visit in itself. The museum provides an audio handset and a well-constructed tour that takes you through the inside and around the outside of the building.
On display during my visit were works by pop artists, Rosenquist, Lichtenstein, Rauschenberg, Smith, Oldenburg, many abstract impressionist and post modern artists.
The 3rd floor was closed, being reorganised for an exhibition, so the entry price was reduced to 7€. Pretty cheap.
The coffee shop and restaurant are good quality and not overpriced. The shop has plenty of unique memorabilia and gift ware.
Outside, the parks and riverside walkway are well-used by locals, and a pleasant place to stroll, and it is very animated on sunny weekends with family groups.
The character of Bilbao city has changed since the Guggenheim. From being a scruffy, beat up, depressing old town, Bilbao has turned itself into a modern, clean, upbeat, cosmopolitan city, but still with plenty of atmosphere, and compact enough to visit on foot. Public transport is fast, cheap, clean and modern. There is plenty of parking out of the central zone.
Hotels are more expensive than many Spanish cities, including Madrid. I had a very clean and comfortable single room with en suite for 30€ a night outside the city centre, but in a district still waiting for the Guggenheim effect to reach it.