Your child is going to hear Spanish and Basque at everything organised for kids in Bilbao this Christmas, and no English. That matters less than you would expect. The rink, the slide, the rides at PIN and the two street parades need no language at all, and the few plans that do can be swapped for a free funicular ride above the city. This year’s full programme is still to come, so anything dated last season is the pattern to plan around.
Is Bilbao good for kids at Christmas? Yes, when you pick by age and weather. Small children do best with the free lights and the Artxanda funicular; school-age children with the ice rink on Arenal quay and PIN, a children’s fair at Bilbao Exhibition Centre, 273 m from Ansio metro. Museums let under-18s in free.
Children here wait for more than Santa: Olentzero, a Basque charcoal burner who parades on the afternoon of December 23, and the Three Kings, who arrive by parade on the afternoon of Tuesday January 5. Both parades are free, on the street.
What your family pays for, and what is free
Bilbao’s Christmas splits into three price groups, and most of the street programme costs nothing. The lights, Doña Casilda Park and both parades are free. At the three main museums only the adults pay.
The Itsasmuseum charges 10 euros per adult, and the Basque Museum charges the same, so work on 20 euros for two adults and nothing for the children. On Sunday from 17:00 the Itsasmuseum is free for everyone, and the Basque Museum waives its fee every Wednesday, including December 23 and 30 this year. The rink, the slide and PIN publish fares with each season’s programme, so hold a line in your budget for them.
What works with a child under 3
Under-3s get the most from the plans with no ticket or time slot: the lights, the park and the funicular. The Christmas lights walk can be cut to any length, and last season the lights stayed on until midnight, so an early start still gives you the full effect.
The Artxanda funicular is the best hour of the trip at this age: children ride free, adults pay 3.50 euros one way, and at Christmas it pauses at midday (9:15 to 14:30 and 16:30 to 22:00 on 1 January 2026). The Guggenheim offers Baby Art for families with children from 6 months, but it follows its own calendar and is not a Christmas programme, so check the museum’s agenda before you build a morning around it. Its Christmas workshops start at age 3.
School-age plans that keep them busy
From about age 6, the ice rink and the slide beside it are the easiest wins, and PIN takes care of half a day. Last season the rink on Arenal quay and the 6-lane slide on Ripa quay both opened on November 21. Part of the 800 m² rink is covered, but it is still an outdoor site, so it is no rain plan.
Age limits and session times come out with the Bilbao Gabonak programme, so check them before you promise anything to a five-year-old. If your teenager has outgrown all this, the Guggenheim is free for under-18s and is the plan most likely to hold them. Children under 12 need an adult with them there and at the Basque Museum, where one adult can bring five at most.
Do your kids need Spanish or Basque?
They need it for museum workshops, and for nothing else. The Guggenheim’s Christmas workshops last winter had groups for ages 3 to 5 and 6 to 10, meeting at 11:00 at the group desk, and each session ran in Spanish or Basque, none in English. Places are limited, so book as soon as the museum lists its dates: the older group’s session lasts 90 minutes, and the younger group needs a ticket for child and adult alike.
For a child who does not follow either language, skip them. The closest thing in English is Books Alive!, a Guggenheim storytelling session for families built around English, on a calendar of its own. In December 2024 the museum’s ticket desk also handed out a free game for ages 3 to 12, with instructions in Spanish and Basque, which is easier to follow with a parent translating than a workshop is.
How to get to PIN at Bilbao Exhibition Centre
Take Metro Bilbao line 2 to Ansio, then walk 273 m to Bilbao Exhibition Centre. PIN, the children’s Christmas fair, sits in Barakaldo, outside the city, but line 2 runs straight there from Casco Viejo, Abando and Moyua with no change. Last season the fair ran from December 13 to January 5, and the fare and hours for the next edition arrive with its announcement.
Check which holidays it opens before you travel. The ticket to buy is a Barik card, the transport pass that pays off after a couple of trips: a single metro ride within one zone falls to 1.02 euros, against 2.00 euros without it. Landing the day you go? The airport bus into the centre puts you within reach of line 2.
How far you walk from the stop with a stroller
None of the family plans is more than 273 m from a stop, so small legs are rarely the problem. The Itsasmuseum is 183 m from Euskalduna tram, the Guggenheim 210 m from its own stop, the slide 184 m from Abando tram and the Basque Museum 199 m from Casco Viejo metro.
A wet day along the T1 tram, which links Euskalduna, Guggenheim and Arriaga, runs like this:
- Start at the Guggenheim at 10:00, free for under-18s.
- Ride to Euskalduna for the Itsasmuseum, which opens at 11:00 and shuts on Mondays.
- Finish by tram at Arriaga for the lights after dark, between December 26 and 30 when everything keeps normal hours.
The metro and tram guide covers fares and routes.
What is shut on December 24, 25 and January 1
Plan around two blank days: December 25 and January 1, when the Guggenheim, the Fine Arts Museum and the Basque Museum all close. On December 24 and 31 the Guggenheim closes at 17:00 and the Fine Arts Museum at 15:00, while the Basque Museum stays shut.
| Place | Under-18s | December 24 and 31 | December 25 and January 1 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Guggenheim Museum Bilbao | Free | Until 17:00 | Closed |
| Fine Arts Museum of Bilbao | Check at the desk | Until 15:00 | Closed |
| Basque Museum | Free | Closed | Closed |
| Artxanda funicular | Free | Last run earlier, confirm on the day | 9:15 to 14:30, 16:30 to 22:00 |
The full day-by-day Christmas calendar lists the rest. Local shops and markets have their own hours, and the Christmas markets shut on the 25th and 1st as well.
Who may be disappointed
A family expecting a big Santa’s grotto or a German-style Christmas village will find something smaller. Bilbao’s Christmas leans on parades, lights and a one-day food fair, the Santo Tomás fair on Monday December 21, which is hard going with a stroller. Children who need English-language activities will have to rely on the free outdoor plans.
Frequently asked questions about Bilbao at Christmas with kids
Is Bilbao a good place to spend Christmas with kids?
Bilbao works well for a family staying between December 26 and 30, when museums keep normal hours and last season’s rink and PIN fair were open. It works less well on December 25 and January 1, when the Guggenheim and the Basque Museum shut and only the outdoor plans remain.
What is PIN in Bilbao?
PIN is the Parque Infantil de Navidad, a children’s Christmas fair with rides and workshops inside Bilbao Exhibition Centre in Barakaldo. Last season it ran from December 13 to January 5. Take metro line 2 to Ansio, 273 m from the venue. Fares for the next edition appear when it is announced.
Do kids need Spanish for activities in Bilbao?
For rides, the rink and the parades, no. For the Guggenheim’s Christmas workshops, yes: each session last season ran in Spanish or Basque, with none in English. Books Alive! is the Guggenheim’s family storytelling session built around English, but it runs on its own calendar, separate from Christmas.
Is there anything for kids in Bilbao on Christmas Day?
On December 25, Bilbao’s big museums close, so plan on the outdoors. The Artxanda funicular runs with a midday break, as on 1 January 2026: 9:15 to 14:30 and 16:30 to 22:00, with children free and adults paying 3.50 euros one way. The Christmas lights come on after dark, and the walk down from Artxanda to the river fills the afternoon.
Take the wet-day plan seriously and Bilbao is an easy Christmas with children; arrive on the 25th without one and it is not.