Best Dog-Friendly Hotels in Bilbao

Before you go

What happens when you get there

Metro

Metro Bilbao lines 1 and 2 take a dog under 8 kg in your arms or in a closed carrier. From 15 October 2026 a bigger dog can travel too, muzzled, on a fixed lead no longer than 50 cm, one per person, never in the first or last carriage and never on the escalators, so use the lifts. Dogs over 8 kg are kept off at 7 to 10am, 1 to 4pm and 6 to 8pm on weekdays, on Friday and Saturday nights, and on San Mamés match days and during Aste Nagusia.

Buses, trams and trains

Bizkaibus and Bilbobus take small dogs in a closed carrier only, and Bizkaibus sets the limit at 8 kg. The Bilbao tram, Euskotren and metro line 3 take a dog of any size on a lead. Renfe local trains take a dog in a carrier, or on a lead with a muzzle, one per passenger.

Artxanda and the Bizkaia Bridge

The Artxanda funicular carries dogs on a short lead in its own compartment, and it's worth having a muzzle with you. At the top is the viewpoint over the whole city and the start of the hill paths. The Bizkaia Bridge gondola at Portugalete takes dogs up to 40 kg on a lead or in a carrier, and bigger dogs in the central section.

Beaches

From June to September dogs are kept off most Bizkaia beaches in the day. Ten named beaches take dogs in the evening and early morning: Ereaga and Arrigunaga in Getxo and Arrietara, Atxabiribil and La Salvaje in Sopela from 8pm to 9.30am, Plentzia and Laidatxu and Hondartzape in Mundaka from 9pm to 6am, Muriola in Barrika 8pm to 6am, and Aritzatxu in Bermeo 8pm to 11am. From October to May a longer list, including Sopela, Gorliz, Bakio and Laga, takes dogs at any hour. Fines run from EUR 300 to EUR 1,500.

Parks and off-lead areas

Bilbao has fenced dog areas, called txakurguneak, in ten parks including Doña Casilda, Etxebarria, Europa and Miribilla. A dog can run off the lead there from 8pm to 11am in summer and 7pm to 11am in winter. Dogs listed as potentially dangerous breeds are kept out of them.

Restaurants and pintxo bars

Spain's 2023 animal welfare law leaves it to each bar and restaurant to decide, and a place that refuses dogs has to say so on a sign at the door. Terraces are the easy yes, and some pintxo bars in the Plaza Nueva let a dog inside. Say you're bringing a dog when you book. At the Ercilla the dog is welcome in the lounge but not the main restaurant, and at Tayko the dog comes to brunch but not into the Ola restaurant.

Getting there

Brittany Ferries sails Portsmouth to Bilbao, with 22 pet-friendly cabins and 12 kennels on the Galicia, at GBP 50 a pet each way. Foot passengers can't bring a dog, dogs can't stay in the car, and they're muzzled on the way to the cabin. Bilbao airport is 20 minutes from the centre, and no airline flies a pet dog into the UK in the cabin, so check the return leg first.

Vets

Hospital Veterinario Elkano, Calle Elkano 33 in Abando, is open around the clock 365 days a year, on +34 944 212 212, and it's a ten-minute walk from the Ercilla. AniCura Indautxu Hospital Veterinario in Erandio, towards the airport, also runs 24-hour emergencies, on +34 944 445 444.

Best walks

The Ría path from the Guggenheim past Puppy and Maman, over the Zubizuri footbridge and along the Campo Volantín quay to the Casco Viejo and the Plaza Nueva. The Parque de Doña Casilda, five minutes from the Ercilla and Catalonia Gran Vía, with its fenced dog area. The Artxanda funicular up to the viewpoint and the hill paths, and the Parque Etxebarria above the old town for a big lawn and the city view. Out of town, the Getxo seafront from Ereaga to the Arrigunaga cliffs, on the metro with a small dog or by car.

When to go

May, June, September and October. Bilbao is mild and rarely too hot for a dog, but it rains through the year, so pack a coat and a towel. From June to September the beaches only take dogs in the evening and early morning, and from October to May they're open at any hour, which makes autumn the best time for a coast day. Avoid the nine days of Aste Nagusia in the second half of August if your dog hates noise, as there are fireworks every night and the metro is closed to bigger dogs.