Town · Basque Country, Spain · 43.26°N 2.93°W
Bilbao, Spain
Bilbao is a city of 347,342 people in the Basque Country, with a hospital 1.4 km from the centre and Bilbao Airport (BIO) 4 km away.
Weather now
Forecast: MET Norway (CC BY 4.0)
Normal for November, 1991-2020
15°high · low 10°C · 17 rain days
Who Bilbao suits
Generated from the data below by published rulesGood fit for
- Car-light living105 grocery stores within a 15-minute walk and public transport close by
Weaker fit for
Nothing stands out as a weaker fit.
What makes Bilbao stand out
- Bilbao has the most cafés within a 15-minute walk in the Basque Country (137).
- Bilbao has the most grocery stores within a 15-minute walk in the Basque Country (105).
- Bilbao has the most restaurants within a 15-minute walk in the Basque Country (593).
A fact appears when a town ranks first for a measure in Spain, in its region, or among towns of similar size there.
Car-free living
97/ 100
Top 1% in Spain
Based on: Grocery stores within a 15-minute walk, Pharmacies within a 15-minute walk, Cafés within a 15-minute walk, Distance to the nearest train station, Distance to the nearest bus station
Access to services
95/ 100
Top 1% in Spain
Based on: Distance to the nearest hospital, Distance to the nearest airport with scheduled flights, Grocery stores within a 15-minute walk, Doctors and clinics within a 15-minute walk, Schools within a 15-minute walk
How precise is each number?Town-levelmeasured or computed for this townModelledestimated from a grid or a modelRegionalonly available for the wider area
Bilbao compared with Barcelona
Pick another town in Spain to see the differences in plain terms.
- Average January highShown for reference: at least one value is not precise enough to call a difference.Bilbao Regional12°CBarcelona 13°C
- Average July highShown for reference: at least one value is not precise enough to call a difference.Bilbao Regional22°CBarcelona 27°C
- Days with rain per yearShown for reference: at least one value is not precise enough to call a difference.Bilbao Regional180Barcelona 92
- Days above 35°C per yearShown for reference: at least one value is not precise enough to call a difference.Bilbao Regional0Barcelona 0.5
- 13 min less daylight in DecemberDaylight on 21 DecemberBilbao 8 h 58 minBarcelona 9 h 11 min
Housing & costs
Official · INE Spain, EurostatAt these medians, a 70 m² home costs about €245,000 to buy.
Rents, prices and crime are published for each municipality as a whole, not for single towns. Municipalities with too few new leases get no rent figure.
Climate today
Regional · ERA5-Land reanalysis 1991-2020Month by month
Regional · ERA5-Land reanalysis 1991-2020August is the warmest month (23°C average high) and January the coolest (12°C). November is the wettest (157 mm) and August the driest (65 mm).
Best time to visit
- Sea at 20°C or warmer ModelledJuly to SeptemberOpen sea nearby, monthly average
- JanuaryAir 12°Sea 13°16 rain daysCrowds: Low
- FebruaryAir 12°Sea 12°15 rain daysCrowds: Low
- MarchAir 14°Sea 12°15 rain daysCrowds: Low
- AprilAir 15°Sea 13°17 rain daysCrowds: Medium
- MayAir 18°Sea 15°15 rain daysCrowds: High
- JuneAir 20°Sea 18°13 rain daysCrowds: High
- JulyAir 22°Sea 21°13 rain daysCrowds: Peak
- AugustAir 23°Sea 22°13 rain daysCrowds: Peak
- SeptemberAir 22°Sea 20°13 rain daysCrowds: High
- OctoberAir 19°Sea 18°15 rain daysCrowds: Medium
- NovemberAir 15°Sea 16°17 rain daysCrowds: Low
- DecemberAir 13°Sea 14°16 rain daysCrowds: Medium
Crowd levels are for Basque Country as a whole: nights booked through online platforms in 2025, against the region's busiest month (Eurostat).
Each month links to its own page with temperatures, rain and daylight.
Is it getting hotter?
Regional · ERA5-Land reanalysisDays above 35°C per year
Both measured periods come from the same reanalysis as the climate section. The bars run to 10 days.
Healthcare & getting around
Town-level · straight-line distancesWithin 1.2 km of the centre
- Grocery stores105
- Pharmacies71
- Doctors & clinics79
- Train stationYes, 0.3 km
30 min by car
- Hospitals16
- Sea beaches23
- People912,690
60 min by car
- Towns over 10,00028
- Hospitals33
- Sea beaches88
- People1,463,806
- Nearest train stationBilbao La Concordia0.3 km
- Nearest bus stationEstación de Autobuses de Abando0.4 km
- Nearest hospitalCruz Roja Victoria Eugenia1.4 km · 4 min by car
- Nearest airport with scheduled flightsBilbao Airport (BIO)4.4 km · 12 min by car
Distances are straight lines from the town centre. Drive times are by road in free-flowing traffic (OSRM on OpenStreetMap roads); people counts add up the towns reached.
Daily life
Town-level · Overture Maps places, 2026-10-21.0Within 1.2 km of the centre
- 105Grocery stores & supermarketsSpain median: 4
- 71PharmaciesSpain median: 2
- 137CafésSpain median: 2
- 593RestaurantsSpain median: 9
- 32BakeriesSpain median: 1
- 81Gyms & fitness studiosSpain median: 1
- 52SchoolsSpain median: 2
- 79Doctors & clinicsSpain median: 0
Nature & surroundings
Town-level · WorldCover, Copernicus DEM, Natura 2000, OpenStreetMapPeople & community
Modelled · EU Census 2021 gridUnder 1515 to 6465 and over
International residents
| Share of residents | Bilbao | Median town in Spain |
|---|---|---|
| Born in another EU country | 1.5% | 2.6% |
| Born outside the EU | 12.8% | 6.7% |
| Moved here from abroad in the past year | 0.9% | 0.5% |
14.3% of residents were born abroad, against 9.3% in the median town in Spain (2021 census). From the 1 km census grid cells within 1.5 km of the centre (148,455 residents counted).
Environment & natural hazards
- EarthquakesNone since 1900No earthquakes of magnitude 5 or larger recorded within 100 km since 1900.Town-level · USGS earthquake catalog
- Air quality11.8 µg/m³Average fine particles (PM2.5) at the centre in 2023. The WHO guideline for the yearly average is 5 µg/m³.Modelled · EEA
- WildfireNone nearbyNo fire of 30 ha or more burnt within 10 km of the centre in 2016-2025.Town-level · EFFIS
Places like Bilbao
Matched on amenities, nearest and access
- MálagaAndalusia61% match
- OviedoAsturias56% match
- AlicanteValencian Community53% match
- ValladolidCastile and León51% match
- AlmeríaAndalusia51% match
Measures used: Grocery stores within a 15-minute walk, Cafés within a 15-minute walk, Distance to the nearest train station and Distance to the nearest airport with scheduled flights. A match of 100% would mean the same values on every one.
Common questions about Bilbao
What is the weather like in Bilbao through the year?
January averages a high of 12°C and a low of 7°C; July averages 22°C and 17°C. There are about 180 days with rain a year. These are averages for 1991-2020. These are regional figures for the wider area, not for the town itself.
How many very hot days does Bilbao get?
Bilbao had no days above 35°C in 2016-2025, nor in 1991-2000. These are regional figures for the wider area, not for the town itself.
Does it freeze in Bilbao?
Bilbao averaged no frost days a year in 2016-2025. These are regional figures for the wider area, not for the town itself.
What is within walking distance of the centre of Bilbao?
Within 1.2 km of the centre there are 105 grocery stores, 71 pharmacies, 79 doctors and clinics and 137 cafés. In a straight line, the nearest train station is 0.3 km away, the nearest bus station is 0.4 km away, the nearest hospital is 1.4 km away, the nearest beach is 6.2 km away and the nearest coastline is 0.2 km away.
What is the nearest airport to Bilbao?
Bilbao Airport (BIO), 4.4 km from the centre in a straight line.
How much daylight does Bilbao get in winter?
8 h 58 min on 21 December, against 15 h 24 min on 21 June.
Is the sea warm enough to swim in Bilbao?
The open sea nearby averages 20°C or more from July to September, warmest in August at about 22°C. Beaches can be a degree or two warmer.
How much does a home cost in Bilbao?
Homes sold for €3,505/m² (2025, average price), about €245,000 for 70 m². These are figures for the municipality of Bilbao as a whole.
Who is Bilbao a good fit for?
By the published rules: car-light living (105 grocery stores within a 15-minute walk and public transport close by).
Sources & methodology
Every value comes from one of the open datasets below and is computed the same way for every town. Each section names how precise its values are: town-level, modelled or regional. Distances are straight lines from the town centre, and amenities are counted within 1.2 km of it. Read the full methodology.
"Who Bilbao suits" lines come from fixed rules applied to every town in the same way. A rule only uses values that are modelled or better, and each line shows the numbers that triggered it. How the rules work.
| Dataset | Used for | Version | Licence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Copernicus DEM GLO-30 (30 m elevation) | Elevation | glo30_s120 | Copernicus DEM licence (free for any use, with attribution) |
| PM2.5, European air quality data (EEA, interpolated 1 km map) | Air quality | pm25_2023 | CC BY 4.0 |
| Burnt areas (European Forest Fire Information System, EFFIS) | Wildfires | 2016-2025 | CC BY 4.0 |
| ERA5 monthly sea surface temperature (Copernicus Climate Data Store) | Sea temperature | monthly_1991-2020 | CC BY 4.0 |
| ERA5-Land reanalysis (Copernicus Climate Data Store) | Climate | points_1991-2025 | CC BY 4.0 |
| Broadband coverage by municipality, Spain (Información de cobertura) | Broadband coverage | 2021-2025 | Spanish public-sector reuse conditions (Ley 37/2007, RD 1495/2011; datos.gob.es aviso legal) |
| ESA WorldCover 2021 (10 m land cover) | Land cover | v200_2021 | CC BY 4.0 |
| Broadband coverage by NUTS 2 region (European Commission, Digital Decade connectivity KPIs) | Broadband coverage | mid-2025 | CC BY 4.0 |
| EU Census 2021 population grid (Eurostat) | Census grid | V3 | Free reuse with acknowledgement (European Commission reuse policy) |
| Electricity and gas prices for households (Eurostat nrg_pc_204, nrg_pc_202) | Electricity and gas prices | 2026-11-02 | CC BY 4.0 |
| Air passenger transport by airport and route (Eurostat avia_par_<country>, avia_paoa) | Flights | 2026-11-02 | CC BY 4.0 |
| Physicians and hospital beds by NUTS 2 region (Eurostat hlth_rs_physreg, hlth_rs_bdsrg2) | Doctors and hospital beds | 2026-11-02 | CC BY 4.0 |
| Nights spent in short-stay accommodation booked through online platforms (Eurostat tour_ce_omn12) | Crowds | 2026-11-01 | CC BY 4.0 |
| Price level indices, COICOP 2018 (Eurostat prc_ppp_ind_1) | Price levels | 2026-11-01 | CC BY 4.0 |
| GeoNames | Place names and populations | 2026-10-31 | CC BY 4.0 |
| INE Spain (urban indicators and municipal register) | Rents, house prices, crime and population | 2026-11-01 | Free reuse with attribution (INE legal notice) |
| Natura 2000 protected sites (EEA, end 2024) | Protected areas | end2024 | CC BY 4.0 |
| OpenStreetMap (Geofabrik extracts) | Stations, hospitals, beaches, coastline | 2026-10-31 | ODbL 1.0 |
| OurAirports | Airports | 2026-10-31 | Public domain |
| Overture Maps places | Amenities | 2026-10-21.0 | CDLA-Permissive-2.0 |
| TEMIS UV index climatology (KNMI / ESA) | UV index | v2.0_clim_2004-2020 | Free use with credit; TEMIS asks to be told how the data is used |
| USGS earthquake catalog (ComCat) | Earthquakes | 2026-10-31 | Public domain |