Recommended place to stay:

Hotel Miro

Bilbao, Basque Country, Spain

|www.mirohotelbilbao.com|

Official star rating:

Last updated: 03 December, 2023

Expert travel writer: Dana Facaros

This petite, light-filled hotel by Barcelona designer Antonio Miro is emblematic of post-Guggenheim Bilbao, with chic, black and white minimalist rooms, contemporary photographs, library, a cool spa and laid-back, helpful staff. There’s an honesty bar and free umbrellas to borrow on rainy days.

The location, on Bilbao’s ‘Golden Mile’ of exclusive shops and restaurants (the Gran Via), is superb – and only a five-minute walk from the Guggenheim and the Museum of Fine Arts.

Upper floor rooms with a river view are best: the views at night, when the Guggenheim is illuminated, are spectacular.

Surrounding area

The neighbourhood is the Alameda de Mazarredo, a reclaimed industrial zone now replete with avant-garde architecture to complement the adjacent Guggenheim, all arranged around a new riverfront park. It’s thrumming by day but quieter at night, and the shops, pintxos bars and restaurants of the city centre are a 10-minute walk away.