{"id":11157,"date":"2019-05-27T13:00:00","date_gmt":"2019-05-27T13:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.isango.com\/theguidebook\/?p=11157"},"modified":"2019-05-24T10:27:11","modified_gmt":"2019-05-24T10:27:11","slug":"bilbao-barcelona-short-trip-two-great-destinations","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.isango.com\/theguidebook\/bilbao-barcelona-short-trip-two-great-destinations\/","title":{"rendered":"Bilbao and Barcelona: One Short Trip With Two Great Destinations"},"content":{"rendered":"

Ready for a road trip? You don\u2019t have to decide between Bilbao and Barcelona<\/a>, you can do both!\u00a0From Bilbao\u2019s delicious pintxos to Barcelona\u2019s mouthwatering tapas, it\u2019s a mini-road-trip that combines the soft breeze of the Atlantic ocean with the mild winds of the Mediterranean. It\u2019s easily done by car, train or plane. Jump in and let’s get going!<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Bilbao<\/h4>\n

\"Bilbao-to-Barcelona\"<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a little embarrassing to admit, but I seem to plan most of my trips around food. My calendar should read coffee-breakfast-snack-lunch-treat-drink-dinner-dessert-tea etc. instead of times and numbers. Bilbao works just great with this schedule! The city is easily digested in small doses, as the only really major must-see is the Guggenheim Museum. Try to get there very early or very late, to avoid crowds. Once inside, don\u2019t rush around but idle about and let the building enfold you. \u00a0Enjoy!<\/p>\n

The contrast between Guggenheim and the older buildings in Bilbao is interesting, and I really like the way they compliment each other. To balance the difference, I took the metro (only 6 stops) to see the\u00a0amazing Vizcaya Bridge and its\u2019 hanging condola, which crosses the river Nervion to the town of Getxo. The Bridge has been declared a\u00a0World Heritage Site\u00a0by\u00a0UNESCO.<\/p>\n

Back in the city, one more innovative architectural site caught my attention; Azkona Zentroa, a contemporary cultural centre. Its\u2019 run-down old brick buildings have been restored and are now sustained by 43 different, sculpture-like pillars designed by Philippe Starck. Very intense!<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

On the road<\/h4>\n

\"Nuestra-Se\u00f1ora-del-Pilar-Basilica\"<\/p>\n

The flight from Bilbao to Barcelona takes only a little over an hour, but we decided to drive. Making short breaks over coffee and lunch (again, food is what is important!). By car, it took close to seven hours. The fastest route is the motorway passing the city of Zaragoza, and the roads through Pamplona take a little longer. We stopped in Zaragoza, which would have been worth a more extended visit. We just quickly checked out the baroque Nuestra Se\u00f1ora del Pilar Basilica, a famous pilgrimage site.<\/p>\n

I don\u2019t usually like driving, but on this trip, the views made it very pleasant and not boring at all. Distant mountains, endless vineyards, traditional olive groves, fruit trees, cornfields, medieval villages and factory areas, so much to see!<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Barcelona<\/h4>\n

\"Bilboa<\/p>\n

Thank you, navigator, we would not have made it without you! Barcelona is filled with one-way streets, that force you to manoeuvre bizarre routes. Once the car was returned, moving around by foot felt easy and straightforward.<\/p>\n

On this trip, I spent a whole day walking around Vila de Gr\u00e0cia, a neighbourhood in the\u00a0Gr\u00e0cia<\/em>\u00a0district. It was a Saturday, so the streets were filled with local farmers produce, arts and crafts, live music and board games for the children. Families had packed their babies, grannies and dogs along, and they were happily enjoying the day off eating tapas and meeting with friends. I could get used to this, lovely lazy days!<\/p>\n

Wanting to avoid the crowds at Las Ramblas<\/a> and having seen the Gaudi architecture before, I decided to visit the Castell de Montju\u00efc on Sunday. It\u2019s located on top of hill Montju\u00efc, in the middle of a park area very close to Barcelona\u2019s city centre. It was a fantastic way of spending the day outdoors. I had some exercise, enjoyed great ocean views, hoped to find dragons hiding in the dungeons of the old castle (did not) and finally cheated on the way back down by riding the exciting Funicular<\/a> carriage. Again, it paid off getting up there early, as it seemed to get very busy after midday.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Cafes, bistros and bars!<\/h4>\n

\"Bilboa-and<\/p>\n

Since my travels are all about food ?, I have to confess that there were so many nice cafes, bistros and bars in Bilbao and Barcelona, that I can\u2019t make a complete list. If I had to choose, highest marks would go to \u2019Bistro Guggenheim\u2019 in Bilbao, which served a delicious and reasonably priced lunch, and to \u2019Lascar 74\u2019 in Barcelona, a tiny peruvian inspired seafood restaurant.\u00a0 For a relaxed holiday mood, simply follow the locals and stuff yourself with endless pintxos and tapas, enjoyed with dry and cloudy ciders or basic lagers and wheat beer.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

So, there we are. Bilbao and Barcelona. Two great cities and one perfect road trip. Osasun, Salud and salut, my Basque, Catalan and Spanish friends!<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Ready for a road trip? <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":29,"featured_media":11203,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[19,12,261,1167],"tags":[210,231,292,1000],"yoast_head":"\nBilbao and Barcelona: One Short Trip With Two Great Destinations<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Fancy a road trip? Then Bilbao and Barcelona make for the perfect break. Two great cities with plenty of food and culture. 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