Located in the northern part of Spain, Bilboa is the largest city in Basque County. Although it has much to offer in the way of history and 
culture the real draw for any first time visitor is the Guggenheim Museum.
Your ship will dock in the port of Getxo and shuttles were offered by our cruise ship between port and the city of Bilboa for $15 US per person return. The drop off point was about a 5 minute walk from the museum. Tickets can be purchased online for the museum at https://tickets.guggenheim-bilbao.eus/en/ for individuals and groups. They can be printed at home and the price is the same as buying them at the door. The price of the ticket also includes an excellent audio guide. On the day we arrived there were three large cruise ships in port and we were able to walk past that huge lineup and into the museum.
The Guggenheim Museum Bilboa, designed by Canadian-American architect Frank Gehry, offers modern and contemporary art. It opened in October 1997. The building itself is one of the highlights of your visit. It appears from the distance as a wave gleaming gold in the sunlight. Spend a good portion of your visit wandering around outside to appreciate the architecture and the art installations, including a flowery Scottie dog and Mama, the giant spider.
When you get inside you will find an eclectic mix of video, written and spoken word art, paintings and sculptures. As much as I love art and art history this collection was somewhat outside of my purview. The only artist I recognized was Andy Warhol and the chance to see one of his original Marilyn Moore studies was worth the price of admission. That and the giant spider.
From the museum it is about a 20 – 30 minute walk along the river to the Old Town. There you will find quaint shops and an open air 
market tempting you with stalls laden with all manner of prepared foods.
If you are not into walking that far there is a street straight away from the Museum, and marked on the tourist map, the offers a great selection of restaurants. We spend an hour tasting tempting tapas in one crowded restaurant and washing them down with rich red Spanish wine. I am not sure what brand of wine it was as we just asked for the house wine but I can tell you any Spanish wine is excellent.
From there we travelled further down the street until we found a bakery offering espresso and the local pastries. Either way you cannot go wrong with the food in Spain.
Although Bilboa is not a common port on very many European cruises it is a worthwhile destination. A world renowned art collection, excellent wine and the rich history of Basque country makes this a city that should not be missed.