The Guggenheim's titanium curves on the river
Bilbao transformed itself when Frank Gehry's Guggenheim Museum opened on the banks of the Nervión, its titanium curves now one of the most famous buildings of modern times. Jeff Koons's giant flower-covered dog, Puppy, guards the entrance. Beyond the museum, the Casco Viejo has seven old streets full of pintxos bars, the Mercado de la Ribera is a riverside food hall, and the Fine Arts Museum is excellent. The coast is close, including the island hermitage of San Juan de Gaztelugatxe.