hi
im off to Bilbao in september for 3 days could you give me information about things to do (bearing in mind im not into art galleries) ive looked through the archives of this subject on MMs board but its time consuming and i miss some topics by whizzing through, much help is appreciated thanks.

Does your visit include 15 Sep? That's el día de Cantabria celebrated from Laredo to San Vicente de la Barquera, including Santander and Comillas. It's a holiday in Cantabria and a lot of things will be closed; but there are Concerts, etc.

As for Bilbao itself, stroll thru its Casco Viejo; have coffee with a pastry in Plaza Nueva; do some 'people watching! You may have an opportunity to visit and sample some chorizos at el Mercado Central.

i actualy arrive on the 15th sept, is it a carnival?

Its a great night out in the Casco Viejo, loads of bars and pixtos, there seemed to be one street that was very "Basque"
Also try and visit Cafe Irun, there's a bloke in the corner who cooks very tasty pincho morunos whilst you have a drink at the bar

Bilbao's a difficult city ,, Fiercely patriotic ,, I've been a few times for a week stay.. My flatmate#s boyfriend is from Bilbao and we went there together. Even he said to me he was pleased to be back in friendly Madrid !
BUT , Bilbao is beautiful .

so do you mean they dont like tourist/foreigners in general, that does not bother me, but it is nice if people are nice and helpful after all i am

No not at all, they love tourists I've been three times and each time I have found the locals to be extremely friendly, they like nowt better than to regale you with tales from their basque struggle, they will also be at pains to remind you that its ATHLETIC, not Athletico Bilbao
Bit dissapointed with the Guggenhiem though, fantastic on the outside but often the exhibits could be better

Blueterrier .. How I agree with you about the Guggenheim !!!! I've spent a couple of weeks on 2 seperate journeys to Bilbao and the Guggenheim building still sends shivers down my spine .. It's so spectacular .. And if you walk there from the casco viejo , that first view of it at the end of the street with the puppy flower sculpture in front , is dazzling .The exhibits inside are not good ( personal view ) . They also have a gourmet restaurant which I tried ( something like 120 euros for one person ) .. Great food but at a price !
I found the Basque people to be a bit reserved and , as I've mentioned , I have Basque friends who agree with me . I was SO surprised to see signs outside some bars that said ( in English ) : Tourists remember you are not in Spain .. you are in The Basque Country .. Spain is a terrorist nation etc.... Grafitti saying "puta Espana " ( Can i say that here MM ? .. Sorry if not )
I LOVE El Pais Vasco ... but you have to watch what you say if you discuss politics .
Billy - Make sure you go to Donastia ( San Sebastian ) .. great place and I would totally recommend San Juan de Gaztelugatxe Spectacular walk and near to Bilbao .
And what ever you do , do not miss Portugualete and the "Puente Vizcaya" ..Go across the river on a suspended cable car .. really cool .
And pintxos .... you can really eat good in Bilbao .. But we found it more expensive than Madrid ! Steve

well thats me fine then because i know nothing about art and know even less about politics, i am going to go to San Sebastion to see what its like (mainly due to the Fact my hero Ivan Campo was born there) like the spound of the cable car, and we realy like good food, sounds as though it will be great,im now (even if i was before) realy looking forward to the trip and the tapas bars are going to take some hammering.
Any more suggestions are more than welcome thanks everybody