Start at the Guggenheim (morning light on titanium), walk the Casco Viejo's narrow medieval streets, grab pintxos at La Viña or Xemei for lunch. Afternoon: climb to Basilica de Begoña for city views, explore Plaza Nueva's arcaded galleries, end with vermouth and anchovies at a standing-room txoko near Siete Calles.

Start your morning at the Basílica de Santiago, then work through the Siete Calles (Seven Streets) for architecture and street-level history. Lunch on pintxos along Calle Santa María or Calle Ledesma. Afternoon: Museo de Bellas Artes or a quieter museum like Museo Vasco. End with dinner at a txoko (private gastronomic society) if you have a local connection, or a dinner pintxo crawl in Plaza Nueva.

Start at Plaza Moyúa admiring the 1920s architecture and grab coffee at a modernist café. Mid-morning visit the nearby Museo de Bellas Artes. Lunch at a traditional pintxo bar on Calle Ledesma, then wander the pedestrian streets discovering art deco shop fronts and hidden plazas. End with vermouth and local conversation in a neighborhood txoko or traditional bar.

Start at Museo de Bellas Artes de Bilbao to see Goya and Basque masters, then walk uphill through the Deusto campus absorbing Belle Époque university architecture. Lunch at a local pintxo bar near Plaza Arriquibar, afternoon spent in quiet contemplation at the neoclassical library or wandering the Paseo del Arenal waterfront, ending with txakoli wine at a neighbourhood bodega.