Walk inside this former wine warehouse to see the weirdest architecture in Bilbao. Philippe Starck designed the 43 unique pillars holding up the interior, but the real flex is the glass-bottom swimming pool visible from the lobby floor—look up to see people doing laps. Spend 45 minutes wandering the atrium or hit the rooftop terrace for a drink. It’s free to enter, so save your cash for a pintxo crawl afterward.
Entering this massive structure, you immediately notice a shift from the typical stone architecture surrounding Arriquibar Plaza. It functions less as a museum and more as a raw, industrial-era shell reclaimed for civic use. The interior space remains open and breezy, allowing you to walk freely under the massive atrium. You gain a sense of scale by observing the varying textures and heights of the columns that support the levels above, while the auditory environment shifts constantly as the building fills with residents rather than tourists. It serves as a functional neighborhood hub, not a monument.
You can effectively explore the primary lobby area, view the unique pillar designs, and appreciate the glass-bottom pool perspective within forty-five minutes, leaving plenty of time for other central districts.
Access to the upper terrace often requires a reservation or a purchase at the associated bar, so check the current policy at the main desk if you intend to spend time there.
Public access to the pool level is generally restricted to members or those purchasing specific session passes, so casual visitors should focus on the ground floor perspective looking upward at swimmers.
Arriving shortly after opening in the morning allows for quiet photography of the architectural columns before the building fills with local students and office workers using the library and fitness facilities.
Walk two blocks toward Garcia Rivero Kalea to find higher concentrations of independent pintxo bars where locals gather, offering a more authentic culinary experience than the primary cafes located inside the building.