http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/ Welcome to Been there. Your tips on the places you know - that you love, live in or have just visited - are what make this guide. http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/34624 But there’s also another option which is much more rewarding and enjoyable, and that is to be taken around by a friend who knows the place. This is essentially what you will experience if you get in touch with Bilbao Greeters and, incredibly, it is free. All you have to do is contact them in advance with an idea of what you’re interested in (culture, bars, shops, markets, architecture, football, food, perhaps even nothing terribly specific), and a wonderfully friendly local volunteer will spend up to about four hours showing you the best Where and What and How as only someone local can.
On top of that though, you’ll be getting the privilege of unique insights into the life of the city as you chat with them, finding out all sorts of things that you hadn’t even noticed, getting a real feel for the place, and you’ll part feeling that a genuine friendship has been made. That was certainly our experience and we can truly say that our contact with bilbaogreeters.com was what made our holiday so enjoyable – if only there were people like this everywhere we went!
What’s so special about the pavement? Which is the best museum to visit (clue: It’s not the Guggenheim)? Where can I see people swimming overhead? How do you stop a wet brolly soaking the shop floor? The Bilbao Greeters answered these and other questions we had not asked, and they did it for free. Best of all though, they were such lovely people. You really can’t go wrong.
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Two town centres clustered around Las Arenas and Algorta metros, Pension El Abra is good place to stay near Arenas. Try out Ereaga beach and walk to cute whitewashed Puerto Viejo for eats at lunchtime. Get a Creditrans for the metro, almost halves cost of tickets and is also valid for city centre funiculars and 'hanging' transporter bridge across the river to Portugalete - worth seeing in its own right!]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/18062 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/7406
This place would be welcome even if the food weren't as good as it is. Its lunchtime menu is a bargain at 10.50 euros - and the food is fabulous, really filling fare making full use of the wonderful local produce and, unlike so many other vegetarian restaurants, it serves great desserts - no worthy dried fruit compote, you can go for the full-on chocolate blow out.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/7406