Wine Tasting in Bilbao: Txakoli and Rioja

You can go on your own: the Old Town bars work without a guide. A tour adds a route chosen for you, explanations and usually drinks and a set number of stops. Read the inclusions rather than judging by price.

A ticket gets you in; a guide explains the building and selected works. Offers differ in whether the museum ticket is included, in group size and in language, so read those three lines. The museum is closed on Mondays for most of the year.

The city sits on the estuary, inland, so it has no city beach; the beaches are on the coast at Getxo and Sopelana. Boat tours exist, but they are a small group and follow the estuary: a short city cruise, a longer one to Portugalete, and sailing from Getxo.

If you go on your own, yes: entry is free but limited by time slot, and slots are reserved online, often weeks ahead in busy periods. Guided day trips handle access for you; check that the listing says access is included.

Yes, but they are long days: the Rioja tours in our list run six to nine hours and the San Sebastián and Biarritz tours around ten. San Sebastián is a destination in itself and has its own tours starting there.

The Bizkaibus 3247 runs from the arrivals hall to the centre in roughly 20 to 30 minutes, about every half hour. Taxis are faster to book but cost more.