The Basque people call their semi autonomous province Euskadi. Euskadi is beautiful, with startling green forests, complemented by cloudy grey skies, and plenty of drizzle and mist. In Euskadi, Bilabao (pronounced bilbo) is the largest city. It’s thought of both as primarily an industrial city and as a primarily hip town with good dancing, great music, and fantastic art.
It’s both. 

A city where chemical effluents foul the Rio Nervíon and smoke from dozens of factories adds to the pollution the Spanish city of Bilbao is a city of trade, commerce and industry. But that isn’t all there is to Bilbao. True, it’s still a city which attracts mainly business travellers; but in it’s post Guggenheim era it’s become an attractive destination for pleasure-seekers.

The city’s spiffy new image is built on the Guggenheim, its gleaming modern buildings, a sleek new subway, parks, and a glass footbridge over the river. It has a robust nightlife and some of Euskadi’s best restaurants and bars. Bilbao also has its fair share of medieval monuments. The city’s people are amongst the friendliest and warmest in Spain, and their city, besides having a lot to offer in itself is also a good base for exploring the delightful Basque countryside.