Shopping

Most of the city's shopping is centred round the Plaza Moyúa area, where the streets of Calle Rodriguez Arias and Calle Iparraguirre are lined with stores and boutiques. Head to Gran Via for department stores like Marks & Spencer and El Corte Inglés, or the Calle San Martin for high end fashion stores and boutiques, while the Ensanche and Old Town all the big designer names can be found.

The beautiful historic shopping district of Casco Viejo features a good selection of specialty stores, while a visit to the Ensanche Market and Riverside Market is a must for anyone looking for fresh meats, breads, vegetables and other local produce. The Old Quarter of Bilbao is home to the largest covered city market in Europe and makes for a great shopping location for an afternoon.

Great souvenirs to pick up while in Bilbao include Basque handicrafts such as linens and Basque dolls. Also a basque beret, known locally as txapelas, and souvenir artbooks from the Guggenheim.

Most shops in Bilbao are open from 10am, with many shops taking a long break for lunch during the siesta hours, and reopening round 4pm or 5pm until as late at 8pm. Shopping hours are shorter on Saturdays while on Sundays, most stores are closed.