Summary: Bilbao is an attractive city set on the Nervión River. It's the capital of the Biscay province and is the largest city in the Basque Country, an autonomous community in northern Spain. Layout Bilbao was built along the Nervión River, with the Casco Viejo (old town) in a bend of the river on the east side and the famous Guggenheim museum on the west bank, but about 3km away northwards. The winding of the river makes navigation by foot a little difficult, but there's a good public transport system to help you get around. On the west side of the river, the Plaza Eliptica roundabout is a focal point for many of the parallel streets, which are mostly filled with shops. Accommodation Finding a hostel in Bilbao is little short of impossible. The major hostel-booking websites mainly list pensions and guesthouses, so it gets a bit expensive if you're travelling alone. There are two Hostelling International (HI) hostels in Bilbao, but you can't book them online - you have to phone or send an email and hope they have availability. That said, if you can get in touch with them, you'll get a bed from €13.50 a night. Budget hotel brands Formule 1 and Etap both have branches about 10km from the centre of Bilbao (in opposite directions). Formule 1 starts at €32 per night for a double, and Etap starts at €42 per night. Both are great choices for the budget if you've got a car, but a little inconvenient when using public transport. in the mid-range there are a variety of character-filled pensions and guesthouses, and the high-end hotels like Carlton, Sheraton and Novotel all have a presence if you want to splurge. For more visit http://indietravelpodcast.com
