Thanks to Frank Gehry's gleaming Guggenheim Museum, Bilbao has been transformed from a small industrial Basque port to the latest European city-break hotspot, where you will find fine food, shiny new architecture, and superb art.

GRAND HOTEL DOMINE BILBAO
Alameda de Mazarredo 61 (00 34 944 253 300; fax: 253 301; www.granhoteldominebilbao.com). The Grand Hotel Domine Bilbao is located directly opposite the Guggenheim, so close that Gehry's titanium-clad museum is reflected in its mirrored-glass windows. The 145 rooms (including 14 suites) spread over five floors, each with a different colour scheme (red, blue, green, ochre and stone), have bathrooms fitted with Philippe Starck tubs and Alvar Aalto stools. There is a bar and two restaurants: Try bacalao (salt cod) or merluza (hake) in the gourmet Beltz the Black restaurant, or snacks in the Bauhaus-style Café Metropol. The Gran Hotel Domine Bilbao was featured in The Hot List 2003. ££

HESPERIA BILBAO
Campo Volantin 28 (00 34 944 051 100; fax: 051 110; www.hesperia-bilbao.es). A short stroll from the Guggenheim Museum, the Hesperia Bilbao with its quirky façade of multi-coloured windows, has 158 stylish rooms furnished with minimalist pieces in brushed metal, dark wood and neutral-toned fabrics. £

HOTEL CARLTON
Plaza Federico Moyúa 2 (00 34 944 162 200; fax: 164 628; www.aranzazu-hoteles.com). In the heart of Abando, Bilbao's new town, the Hotel Carlton is set in a grand neo-classical building with marble floors, vast glass chandeliers and gold-brocade drapes. There are 142 rooms, a restaurant and a Thirties-style bar. £

HOTEL ERCILLA
Calle Ercilla 37-39 (00 34 944 705 700; fax: 439 335; www.hotelercilla.es). A comfortable, four-star hotel with an excellent restaurant. £

HOTEL INDAUTXU
Plaza Bombero Etxaniz (00 34 944 211 198; fax: 221 331; www.hoteles-silken.com). Four-star hotel in the financial district with 184 contemporary rooms. £

HOTEL LOPEZ DE HARO
Calle Obispo Orueta 2-4 (tel/fax: 00 34 944 235 500; www.hotellopezdeharo.com). Five-star hotel with 53 rooms and suites and two restaurants. £

HOTEL MIRO
Alameda Mazarredo 77 (00 34 94 661 1880; fax: 425 5182; www.mirohotelbilbao.com). The streamlined minimalist hotel from Spanish fashion designer Antonio Miró is located 200 metres from both the Guggenheim and the excellent Fine Arts Museum. Most of the 50 rooms have floor-to-ceiling windows looking onto the Abandoibarra park; superior doubles have corner views of the Guggenheim. Breakfast and a great Sunday brunch are served in the first-floor dining room; stylish and delicious tapas in the ground-floor cocktail bar. There is also a small but perfectly formed 'his and hers' spa and gym. Hotel Miró was featured in The Hot List 2003. ££

ITURRIENEA OSTATUA
Calle Santa Maria 14 (00 34 944 161 500; fax: 944 16422; www.iturrieneaostatua.com). In the shabbily chic Siete Calles ('seven streets') of Bilbao's pedestrianised old town, with some of the city's best pinxto bars just round the corner, the hotel is set in an early 20th-century town house with exposed beams, hessian-clad walls and brocante (old kettles, irons, coffee-grinders). There is a big disparity in the size and appeal of the 21 rooms (singles and doubles), which all have private bathrooms, although some are tiny. Try to book either number 3 or number 7. £

SHERATON BILBAO HOTEL
Calle Lehendakari Leizaola 29 (00 34 94 428 0000; fax: 428 0001; www.starwoodhotels.com). Located in up-and-coming Abandoibarra, formerly the site of Bilbao's ship-building industry (the hotel has its own collection of model ships), the hotel is a lofty block of red Travertine marble and was conceived as a homage to the Basque sculptor Eduardo Chillida. There are 211 rooms, including 20 suites and a fabulous loft-style Presidential suite, an open-air plunge pool on the sixth floor, and two restaurants, the sophisticated Aizian and the avant-garde Café Chillida. The sexy business centre has fuchsia walls, white-suede chairs and a view of the pool. There is also a state-of-the-art 'Smart' meeting room. £

RESTAURANTS

BERMEO
Hotel Ercilla, Calle Ercilla 37-39 (00 34 944 705 700; fax: 439 335; www.hotelercilla.es). Like many of the leading hotels in Bilbao, the Hotel Ercilla has an excellent restaurant offering typical Basque cuisine.

EL PERRO CHICO
Aretxaga 2 (00 34 94 415 0519). A popular restaurant which was much frequented by Frank Gehry while he oversaw progress on the Guggenheim.

GOIZEKO KABI
Calle Particular de Estraunza 4-6 (00 34 944 421 129; fax: 415 004; www.restaurantegoizeko.com). Basque cuisine with a touch of imagination. Try the bean stew with chorizo and black pudding.

GORROTXA
Calle Alameda de Urquijo 30 (00 34 944 434 937; fax: 420 535; www.gorrotxa.es). Basque dishes cooked with flair.

GURIA
Gran Vía 66 (00 34 94 441 5780; fax: 441 8564; www.restauranteguria.com ). Choose between the formal dining room offering an à la carte menu and a less expensive café area. Go for the excellent bacalao.

ZORTZIKO
Alameda de Mazarredo 17 (00 34 94 423 9743; 423 5687; www.zortziko.es). Exciting restaurant which stands out for sheer creative flair.

PINTXO (TAPAS) BARS

IRUNA
Calle Colón de Larreátegui (00 34 944 237 021). Established in 1903, the Iruña is one of Bilbao's most famous bars. Located opposite the Jardines de Albia, it has an unexpectedly Andalucían decor, with colourful Alhambra tiles.

LA VINA DEL ENSANCHE
Calle Diputación 10 (00 34 944 155 615; www.lavinadelensanche.com ). La Viña del Ensanche has been serving tapas for over 80 years. Try the cariña wine which is served with cubes of cured ham or tuna.

RIO OJA
Calle del Perro 6 (00 34 944 150 871). Rio Oja specialises in cazuelitas, delicious stews served in tapas-sized portions.

SUA
Marqués del Puerto 4 (00 34 944 232 292; www.sua.es). Stylish restaurant in the El Ensanche district with contemporary interiors and a creative menu.

VICTOR MONTES
Plaza Nueva 8 (00 34 944 155 603; www.victormontesbilbao.com). Enjoy a selection of tapas in the open air beneath the arches of the Plaza Nueva at Victor Montes. Located in the Casco Viejo (old quarter), It is one of many pinxto bars in the Casco Viejo (old quarter)

XUKELA
Calle Perro 2 (00 34 944 415 9772; www.zukela.com). Another popular tapas bar in the old quarter.

MARKETS
MERCADO DE LA RIBERA
(www.mercadodelaribera.com). This is housed in the great golden building looming up beside the river in the Casco Viejo, where a wall plaque announces this to be the largest covered food market in the world. Whatever the size, there's no mistaking the quality of the produce. In late spring you may find bags of hand-shelled baby peas and thick asparagus wrapped in cabbage leaves in little square baskets. Upstairs, in a vast hall flooded with light from the stained-glass windows, there are more sights for sore eyes and hungry mouths: heaps of crumbly white sheep's cheese made that morning, racks of dried peppers hanging in crimson curtains, fat snails as big as walnuts and thin green peppers in vinegar - a Basque speciality - put up in pickling jars.

MUSEUMS
GUGGENHEIM BILBAO
Avenida Abandoibarra 2 (00 34 94 435 9080; fax: 435 9039; www. guggenheim-bilbao.es). The Guggenheim has its own collection of mostly late 20th-century paintings and sculptures, with an emphasis on Spanish (and more specifically Basque) artists. But much of the 10,560sq m of display space is given over to works by significant 20th-century art from the Solomon R Guggenheim Foundation in New York. There are also two major temporary exhibitions a year. Open Tues-Sun, 10am-8pm.

MUSEO DE BELLAS ARTES
Museo Plaza 2 (00 34 94 439 6060; fax: 439 6145; www.museobilbao.com). The art collection at Bilbao's Fine Arts Museum is an amalgam of collections from the original Museo de Bellas Artes and the Museo de Arte Moderno, and features pieces dating from the 12th century to the present day. Open Tues - Sun, 10am-8pm.

MUSEO MARITIMO
Muelle Ramón de la Sota 1 (00 34 94 608 5500; www.museomaritimobilbao.org ). Built in 1999, this newish museum is located on the docks and trumpets Bilbao's industrial and mercantile history. There are indoor and outdoor exhibitions allowing visitors to climb various boats. Open Tues-Sun, 10am-8pm.

AIRPORT
Bilbao airport is located 12km north of the city.

AIRLINES FROM THE UK
British Airways (0870 850 9850; www.ba.com)
easyJet (www.easyjet.com)
Iberia (0870 609 0500; www.iberia.com)

Bilbao can be enjoyed any time of year. However, the best times to go are in the spring and autumn, when the weather is good but not too hot for sightseeing.

The main office of the Bilbao Iniciativas Turísticas (00 34 94 479 5760; www.bilbao.net) is located on Plaza del Ensanche. There's another in the Guggenheim Museum.