Here, the rain has its own name: sirimiri. That fine mist that doesn’t quite get you wet, and which has shaped the character of this city just as much as iron or the estuary. Bilbao doesn’t defend itself against the rain; it lives alongside it. That’s why, when the sky clouds over, the city doesn’t shut down: it changes scene and moves to its museums, its bars and its cafés.

Here’s our guide to a grey day in Bilbao. It might just turn out to be the best day of the trip.

Museums with the peace and quiet they deserve

A rainy day is the perfect excuse to finally pop into that place you always walk past.

The Guggenheim Museum Bilbao is at its best when the sky is overcast: Gehry’s titanium loses its sheen and reveals a different surface, more reminiscent of the steel used in the shipyards that this city remembers so well. Inside, its galleries offer a whole morning’s worth of contemporary art without you needing to look out of the window even once.

A fifteen-minute walk away, the Museum of Fine Arts houses one of the most comprehensive collections in northern Spain, ranging from the 16th century to contemporary Basque painting. It is a museum best explored at a leisurely pace – the sort that you appreciate all the more the less rushed you are.

The estuary, even with an umbrella

Just because it’s raining doesn’t mean you have to give up on water. The estuary remains the backbone of Bilbao, and much of its urban stretch – from the Zubizuri Bridge to the area around the Guggenheim – can be easily explored under an umbrella or sheltered by the arcades. There’s something very ‘Bilbao-like’ about strolling along the estuary on a grey day: the city looks just as it has seen itself for centuries.

The bar as a refuge: pintxos in the Old Town

If there’s one plan made for rainy days, this is it. The Casco Viejo is home to the city’s best bars on streets such as Somera, Barrenkale and around Plaza Nueva, just a stone’s throw from the hotel. The ritual is simple and has been perfected over generations: seek shelter, order a gilda and a txakoli, watch the rain from inside, and move on to the next bar when it eases off. In Bilbao, this isn’t just waiting for the rain to stop: it’s the plan.

The Covered Ensanche: shopping and cafés

Gran Vía and its surrounding streets are perfect for an afternoon’s shopping without even having to open your umbrella, amongst international brands, El Corte Inglés and local shops. And when you fancy a break, the Abando area is home to a range of speciality cafés where you can while away the afternoon without a care in the world, with a book or simply watching the world go by.

Azkuna Zentroa: the jewel of grey days

If you had to choose just one interior in Bilbao, let it be this one. The Azkuna Zentroa, the city’s former wine exchange, was reimagined by Philippe Starck around 43 columns, no two of which are alike. Today it hosts exhibitions, a cinema and spots where you can simply relax. It’s one of those spaces that explains Bilbao better than any brochure: a building steeped in history that someone saw with fresh eyes.

Bilbao in grey is Bilbao in its original form

Rain isn’t just this city’s Plan B: it’s part of its identity. When the sky is overcast, Bilbao is less crowded, more local, closer to its true self. Many visitors find that their fondest memory of the city is set to the soundtrack of a light drizzle.

And if the weather makes you want to stay indoors, why not do so in a building that tells its own stories? At Tayko Bilbao, the rain beating against the windows of the Old Town is part of the experience.

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