Wake at Plaza Nueva with coffee at Café Bar Bilbao, spend mid-morning exploring the Gothic Catedral de Santiago and Museo de Bellas Artes (15-min walk). Lunch with locals at Mercado de la Ribera's food stalls, then pintxo-hop along Calle Ledesma and Calle Correo until aperitivo hour. Dinner at a proper restaurant around 21:30, then live music or cocktails near the Guggenheim's riverside path.

Wake at Plaza Nueva, coffee at Café Bar Bilbao, explore the Gothic cathedral by 10am. Lunch: pintxos crawl down Calle Licenciado Poza until 2pm. Afternoon museum or Museo Guggenheim walk-by (20 min away). Evening: vermouth hour at any bar, dinner at a txoko if you know someone, or formal meal at Mina, then dance until 3am at clubs near Avenida del Ensanche.

Start with café con tostadas at Cafetería Iruña, then climb to Plaza Indautxu for street views and window shopping. Lunch on pintxos at nearby bars, explore the quieter residential streets, then return for aperitivos at 7pm and dinner-bar hopping until midnight.

Start with coffee at Café Iruña overlooking the Nervión River, then walk the Deusto waterfront toward the Guggenheim. Lunch at a pintxo bar on Avenida Lehendakari Aguirre, explore the University of Deusto campus (Gothic architecture), and end with txoko-style dinner at a local txuleta restaurant before bar-hopping along the avenue after 10pm.