Athletic Club Museum and San Mamés

Athletic Club is not just Bilbao’s football team; it is one of the great institutions of Basque life. Founded in the late nineteenth century, it is one of only a handful of clubs never to have been relegated from Spain’s top division, and it is famous across the sporting world for its tradition of fielding players born or raised in the Basque Country, a policy that makes every trophy a regional celebration. Its home, San Mamés, is known as La Catedral, the cathedral, a nickname inherited from the old stadium that stood beside it for a century. The new San Mamés, opened in 2013, is a striking building of white curved panels that glow red and white at night, rising from the end of the Ensanche close to the river. The museum inside tells the club’s story through trophies, shirts, photographs and interactive displays, including the famous barge, the gabarra, on which the team sails up the Nervión to celebrate titles. The tour then takes you into areas normally closed to the public, such as the stands, the pitchside and, when available, the changing rooms and the press room, with an audio guide that explains what you are seeing. It is a must for football fans and a surprisingly moving visit even for those who rarely watch a match, because it says so much about Basque identity. This page links to the Tiqets venue page for the Athletic Club Museum and Tour with Audioguide.

Planning the visit: Tiqets lists the museum as closed on Mondays and open from 10:00 to 19:00 from Tuesday to Friday and on Sundays, and to 20:00 on Saturdays. The museum and tour last about ninety minutes with an audio guide, and the product is one of the most reviewed in Bilbao, with a rating of 4.7 from several hundred reviews. Tours can be shortened or changed on match days and around events, so if you want the full stadium tour avoid the hours before a home game and check the schedule. Tiqets also sells combinations with the Guggenheim and the Itsasmuseum.

Match days: seeing a game at San Mamés is the ultimate experience, and the atmosphere in the surrounding streets, especially the bars of Pozas and Licenciado Poza, is electric for hours before kick-off. Tickets for big fixtures are hard to find, but the museum is a good alternative on non-match days.

Getting there: San Mamés is at the western end of the city centre, about fifteen minutes on foot along the river from the Guggenheim. The metro station San Mamés and the tram stop of the same name are next to the stadium, and the bus station is just across the road. Combine it with the Itsasmuseum, a few minutes’ walk along the river, for a morning in this part of Bilbao.