Eat

Zortziko is acknowledged as Bilbao’s best restaurant and the hushed, plush dining-room certainly feels like a temple to its Michelin-starred chef Daniel Garcia’s cooking. The tasting menu includes dishes such as roast suckling pig with cinnamon oil and white asparagus (zortziko.es)

La Deliciosa, in the pretty old quarter of Casco Viejo, is a more relaxed, but none the less stylish, affair. Cooking is simple – we tried the steak, fried potatoes and sautéed wild mushrooms – but top quality (ladeliciosa.net)

Drink

Come sundown, the cobbled streets of the old town are packed with people drinking txakoli, a local white wine, and nibbling on pintxos, the Basque take on tapas. The most delicious morsels can be found at Irrintzi (Santa Maria 8) and Gatz, a few steps away

With its antique tiles, wood panelling and ornate mirrors Café Iruña has real Moorish charm. The perfect place for an aperitif or a coffee (cafesdebilbao.net)

Shop

Ricas Y Famosas is a small but well-stocked boutique in the centre of town that specialises in pretty party pieces by labels such as See by Chloé and Hoss Intropia (Calle Elcano 18)

Sleek and stylish, Sa’d Joyas is a jewellers selling unusual, minimalist pieces by local and international designers. Its selection of beautifully crafted rings is reason enough to have your credit card at the ready (sadjoyas.com)

Peek inside La Alacena del Víctor Montes – a deli and restaurant – where the shelves groan with foodie delights, such as foie gras, jamón ibérico and Basque idiazábal cheeses (victormontesbilbao.com)

Do

Is it a shoal of whales; a fleet of ships; a tin of sardines? Don’t just gaze at the Guggenheim museum from the outside – the space inside is almost as impressive as the exterior (guggenheim-bilbao.es)

Continue your architectural odyssey with a ride on Norman Foster’s Metro or a trip to Santiago Calatrava’s Sondika airport and bridge

Fly with

Vueling flies from London Heathrow to Bilbao daily from £104 return (vueling.com)