There are cities you discover by walking through them. Bilbao, in July, is a city you hear.

Every summer, for three days, Mount Kobetamendi becomes the focal point of the European music scene. It is a green balcony suspended above the estuary, and up there, Bilbao BBK Live is not just a festival that takes place in Bilbao: it is a festival that could only take place here, in a city that learnt from iron how to transform itself without losing its memory.

At Tayko, we see this as part of the same story we tell from our building. Culture isn’t just an add-on to the journey. It is the journey.

Twenty years of Kobetamendi: the 2026 edition 

From 9 to 11 July 2026, the festival will celebrate its 20th anniversary in its usual venue: Kobetamendi, with the whole town at the foot of the stage.

The line-up for this anniversary brings together Robbie Williams, David Byrne, Interpol, Alabama Shakes, Calvin Harris, Charlotte de Witte, FKA twigs, IDLES, Lily Allen, Richie Hawtin and Soulwax, alongside voices from the national scene who are well worth listening to closely: Dellafuente, Dani Fernández, Ralphie Choo, Xoel López and Queralt Lahoz.

But anyone who reduces BBK Live to its line-up is only seeing the surface. During those days, music spills over from the hills and flows down into the city. Concerts ring out in the squares, spaces that lie silent for the rest of the year come to life, and the whole of Bilbao changes its rhythm. The festival begins long before the first chord is struck.

How to get to BBK Live from Tayko Bilbao 

Staying in the city centre has one advantage that you only realise on the first night: coming back from the countryside and finding that the city is still there with you.

From Tayko Bilbao, right in the heart of the Old Town, the Metro Bilbao and tram stations are just a few minutes’ walk away. Both connect to San Mamés and the BEC, the two departure points for the official shuttle buses to Kobetamendi (€3.80 each way). Buses run continuously throughout the day and also after the concerts finish, when the city is still awake.

Would you prefer a taxi? The journey from the hotel to the shuttle bus area takes around 10 to 15 minutes, depending on the traffic.

Before the first concert, the city 

A tip from someone who lives here: don’t leave Bilbao until the last day.

Before heading up the hill, the estuary invites you to take a leisurely stroll. The Casco Viejo, the very neighbourhood where our building stands, retains the human scale of the Siete Calles. The Guggenheim remains the finest dialogue between the titanium and iron that founded this city. And the terraces in July are bathed in that long northern light that you won’t find in the guidebooks.

Because there are festivals that could take place anywhere. BBK Live only makes sense in Bilbao: the city isn’t just the backdrop to the show. It’s part of it.

Staying close to history 

At Tayko, we believe that a great journey isn’t about attending an event, but about understanding the place that makes it possible. If you’re coming to Bilbao BBK Live 2026, stay where the city tells its own story: in the centre, by the estuary, in a building that has its own soundtrack too.

Tayko Bilbao. The start of your story in the city.