Petit Palace Arana

“Best little hotel and location in Bilbao!”

This comfortable and very clean hotel has good beds and pillows, beautiful city views and the BEST breakfast buffet we’ve ever had in Europe. Lovingly prepared by Luz with Juanma as the gregarious “camarero” welcoming, seating and taking care of everyone, the food was perfect, of the best quality... more

This comfortable and very clean hotel has good beds and pillows, beautiful city views and the BEST breakfast buffet we’ve ever had in Europe. Lovingly prepared by Luz with Juanma as the gregarious “camarero” welcoming, seating and taking care of everyone, the food was perfect, of the best quality and quantity, and the coffee machine turned out delicious coffee as did the in-room coffee maker. The receptionist Nadia was exceptional and welcomed us to Bilbao. She is so friendly and clearly proud of her Basque heritage and city. She told us how to navigate the city easily and recommended our first meal at Rio Oja which was incredible. My husband tried the squid cooked in squid ink while I enjoyed a traditional beef stew with salad and croquettes. The food was delicious! The hotel is perfectly located in the old town across the street from the Opera House and the park plaza where bands played every night we were there. The Cathedral San Sebastián is worth the visit with audio tour and we took the river boat tour since hop on hop off busses only run on weekends. It was wonderful. We visited the GuggenheimMuseum as well. Jeff Koons giant flower puppy and the museum architecture were the total wow factor. One day we took the Metro to Guxto and took the ferry ride across the Viscaya Bridge. The Vizcaya Bridge (Bizkaiko Zubia in Basque, Puente de Vizcaya in Spanish) is a transporter bridge that links the towns of Portugalete and Las Arenas (part of Getxo) in the Biscay province of Spain, crossing the mouth of the Nervion River. People in the area, and even the official website, commonly call it the Puente Colgante (literally "hanging bridge", used for suspension bridge in Spanish), although its structure is quite different from a suspension bridge. It was built in 1893, designed by Alberto Palacio, one of Gustave Eiffel's disciples. Palacio wanted to design a bridge which could transport passengers and cargo, and that could allow ships to go through. Palacio's shuttle bridge was adequate and could be built for a reasonable price. Worth the ride across - 2 for less than one euro! It takes cars and people across and the ride only lasts 90 seconds

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