Old Quarter

The pedestrian streets in the heart of the Old Quarter (the ‘seven streets’) go back to the origins of the city of Bilbao.

The visitor will not only find the city’s oldest churches and monuments here: the Cathedral of Santiago (St. James); the Arkeologi Museoa (Archaeological Museum of Biscay, located in calzadas de Mallona) and the Euskal Museoa (Basque Museum, in Unamuno Square); the Church of San Antón; the Municipal Library of Bidebarrieta; or the Plaza Nueva, but also an ideal place to try out the cuisine served in numerous bars and restaurants, and experience the popular custom of txikiteo and pintxos (tapas). The area is also the scene of several festive and leisure events in the form of concerts and street theater; the busy market of Santo Tomás; or the biggest ‘open shopping center’ in Europe.