The Museo Arqueológico, Etnográfico e Histórico Vasco, or simply The Basque Museum, is a cosy little museum in Plaza Unamuno, at the heart of the Old Town. This is a great place to visit on a rainy day before or after an aperitif of pintxos and drinks in the nearby bars of Casco Viejo. Learn about the ins and outs of Basque history, culture, and language in this three-storey museum and let yourself in for a journey from the Paleolithic to the present day. Most of the signs are in Basque and Spanish, although rooms have leaflets in English with translations of some of the signage.

This unique gem — a 14 kilometers long stretch of sand that runs, almost uninterrupted, from Geraki at the southeast tip of the island to Laganas and beyond — is one of the last nesting grounds of the endangered loggerhead turtle. Parts of Laganas Bay and the beach have been designated as a National Marine Park to protect egg-laying females and hatching turtles. Although powered water sports are banned within its waters, Laganas is still the island’s biggest and noisiest resort, with dozens of pubs, bars and clubs.

Take a sneak peek at a day in the life of a local by going on one of the most typical and easily accessible hiking routes in the region. Reaching some 673 metres (2,208 feet) in height, Pagasarri is one of the smaller mountains that surround Bilbao and most locals will have tried this hike at least once before. There are buses from the city centre, with a few different routes starting from the area of Zabalburu or from Peñascal, on the outskirts of the city. At the top of the mountain, there is even a bar selling 'bokatas', the typical no-nonsense baguette rolls filled with your local delicacy of choice, from tortilla de patata to txistorra or chorizo. If you've reached the summit of Pagasarri, you're already halfway to Ganekogorta, a summit at 998 metres (3,274 feet) which is a little further away.