Bilbao, Basque Country, Spain uses Europe/Madrid, currently CEST (UTC+02:00). Clocks move back 1 hour on 25 October 2026.
Bilbao is a city in Spain, with a population of about 347,300. Local clocks move forward and back with daylight saving time each year.
The band below is your local scale — accent shows when everyone's business hours overlap. Add or remove a city on the left and this updates too.
Written for people arriving, calling in, or planning a trip around the time difference.
Bilbao lies in a valley in the Basque Country of northern Spain, along the Nervión river a short way inland from the coast. The Casco Viejo on the east bank is the medieval core of seven streets, while the Ensanche across the river is the nineteenth-century commercial centre.
The Guggenheim Museum, whose titanium curves transformed the city's fortunes, is the obvious draw and the building matters as much as the collection. The Fine Arts Museum nearby is excellent and much less visited, the Ribera market is among the largest covered markets in Europe, and the transporter bridge downriver is a World Heritage site.
The metro, tram and funiculars cover the city well and the centre is walkable. The river walk links the old town to the Guggenheim, and San Sebastián is around an hour away.
Late spring through early autumn is the most pleasant. This is the wet, green side of Spain, with rain possible in any month and a mild climate that rarely turns extreme.
Spain uses the EUR, calling code +34.
Spain uses the euro, and Spanish is the everyday language with Basque also official and visible on all signage. Pintxos are eaten standing at the bar in the old town, and cards are accepted almost everywhere.
