Fly in on Christmas Eve and out on the 26th and you will not see the inside of a major museum after 17:00 on the 24th: on Friday 25 December 2026 the Guggenheim, the Fine Arts Museum and the Basque Museum are all shut. The city itself still works for a day, if you know what runs.
What is open in Bilbao on Christmas Day? Museums shut, but the city’s outdoor transport still runs, with a midday break on the hill and the river crossing unchanged. Daytime buses start at 9:00. Museums reopen on Saturday the 26th, and the same closures return on January 1.
December 25, January 1 and January 6 are the public holidays on Euskadi’s official calendar; the 24th and 31st are ordinary working days with short hours. City programme details for 2026 are still to come, so anything dated 2025 shows last year’s pattern.
Which museums shut on December 25 and January 1
All three headline museums shut on both dates, so a Christmas Day visit means moving your museum to the 24th or the 26th. The Guggenheim then opens from 10:00 to 17:00 on the 24th and 31st, with tickets until 16:30, and from 10:00 to 19:00 on Wednesday January 6.
The Guggenheim’s ticket page is the one to read before booking a tight slot.
The Fine Arts Museum of Bilbao stops at 15:00 on the 24th and 31st and stays shut on January 6, while the Basque Museum has five fixed closures, the 24th, 25th and 31st and January 1 and 6, so it drops out of the whole stretch. For an alternative on the 26th, the guide to choosing a museum sorts them by how much time you have.
Where to eat on Christmas Day
Book lunch in advance, because your fallback is a hotel: Barceló Bilbao Nervión serves a Christmas lunch at 85 euros and a New Year’s one at 80 euros. The child’s menu is 38 euros, with coffee and cava included for adults; phone 944 454 700. It sits at Campo Volantín 11, 115 m from the Pío Baroja tram stop.
Do not count on walking into a pintxo bar on the 25th: each house decides. Ask your hotel on arrival, and buy something to eat in your room the day before, because La Ribera market runs Monday to Saturday and you should not assume it opens on the holiday. Spanish lunch runs from about 14:00, so a booked table lands right after the funicular’s morning stretch.
Where to buy food and find a pharmacy
Treat December 25 and January 1 as closed for shopping and do it on the morning of the 24th or 31st. Those two eves are normal working days until the evening, when buses stop: on both nights in 2025 the last Bilbobus left by 20:30. Shopping centres set their own holiday openings on their websites.
Need something urgent? Pharmacies work a duty rota, posted on the door of each one, and any hotel desk can point you to the nearest. The Christmas markets are no substitute: in 2025 the Doña Casilda stalls closed on both days, and the Gabonart crafts fair too.
What to do on December 25
Ride the funicular in the morning, walk the river after lunch, and finish under the lights. The Artxanda funicular costs 3.50 euros one way, takes 3 minutes with no booking needed, and its split festive timetable last ran 9:15 to 14:30 and 16:30 to 22:00. Trams and Euskotren start late, pause at midday and return around 17:00, so a morning trip out of town needs care.
| Time | Plan | Worth knowing |
|---|---|---|
| 10:00 | Funicular up to Artxanda | Get down before 14:30 |
| 12:00 | Riverside walk to Abandoibarra | See the Guggenheim from outside |
| 14:30 | Booked lunch | Reserve before travelling |
| 18:00 | Christmas lights | Free, on until midnight in 2025 |
For something different, the Bizkaia Bridge at Getxo has a gondola at 0.60 euros and is 586 m from Areeta metro, and its lift notice lists 10:00 to 14:00 on the Getxo side on both holidays.
Staying until New Year? Then read the metro gap on December 31, because that is the other date when visitors get caught out.
On December 25 in Bilbao, the museum belongs to another day.
What is open in Bilbao on Christmas Day, frequently asked questions
Is the Guggenheim Bilbao open on Christmas Day?
No. The Guggenheim Museum Bilbao is closed on December 25 and January 1. It opens from 10:00 to 17:00 on December 24 and 31, and it reopens with normal hours, 10:00 to 19:00, on Saturday December 26, 2026.
Is there public transport in Bilbao on Christmas Day?
Yes, on a reduced pattern. Daytime Bilbobus services start at 9:00. Trams and Euskotren trains start late, pause at midday and return to normal around 17:00. The Artxanda funicular splits its day too. The 2026 notices come out in December.
Is Bilbao worth visiting over Christmas?
Yes, if your stay runs past the 25th. From December 26 to 30 museums, markets and the ice rink are all working. It is a poor choice if the 25th is your only full day, since the Guggenheim, Fine Arts Museum and Basque Museum all shut.