Things to Do in Bilbao in August
August weather, activities, events & insider tips
August Weather in Bilbao
Is August Right for You?
Advantages
- Aste Nagusia festival dominates the entire week of August 15-24, turning the city into one massive celebration with concerts, fireworks, traditional Basque sports competitions, and street parties every single night - this is genuinely the biggest cultural event of the year and you'll see Bilbao at its most alive
- Tourist crowds thin out significantly compared to July as Spanish families finish their vacations and head home, meaning you'll actually get tables at pintxo bars without elbowing through crowds and the Guggenheim queues drop from 45 minutes to maybe 15
- The weather sits in that sweet spot where it's warm enough for terraces and outdoor activities but you're not dealing with the oppressive heat you'd find in southern Spain - those 26°C (79°F) highs are genuinely comfortable for walking the city all day
- August brings txakoli wine harvest season starting late in the month, so wineries in nearby Getxo and the Txakoli route are actually operating at full capacity with tastings and tours, plus restaurants feature special seasonal menus highlighting the new vintage
Considerations
- Many small businesses and family-run restaurants close for their annual holidays during the first two weeks of August, particularly that August 1-15 window - you might find your carefully researched neighborhood bar shuttered with a 'Vacaciones' sign, which can be frustrating
- Rain becomes genuinely unpredictable in August, not the quick afternoon showers you can plan around but those all-day drizzles that Bilbao does so well - with 10 rainy days spread across the month, you're looking at roughly one-in-three chance of wet weather on any given day
- Accommodation prices spike during Aste Nagusia week and you'll find many hotels completely booked if you're trying to reserve less than 2-3 months out - we're talking rates jumping 40-60% compared to early August, and anything in Casco Viejo becomes nearly impossible to find
Best Activities in August
Guggenheim Museum extended visits
August actually works beautifully for the Guggenheim because the thinner crowds mean you can properly appreciate the building itself and spend time with individual pieces without feeling rushed. The museum's climate control makes it perfect for those drizzly days, and the outdoor Puppy installation photographs better under August's softer light than harsh summer sun. Worth noting that 2026 marks a major contemporary Basque art exhibition running through August, so you're catching something genuinely special timing-wise.
Coastal hiking along Costa Vasca
The Basque Coast between Bilbao and San Sebastian offers some genuinely stunning cliff walks, and August weather makes this ideal - you want those 26°C (79°F) highs and occasional cloud cover for hiking, not blazing sun. The trail from Plentzia to Gorliz covers about 8 km (5 miles) of dramatic coastline with swimming spots if you time it right. Sea temperatures hit their warmest in August at around 21-22°C (70-72°F), actually swimmable without a wetsuit for the first time all year.
Pintxo bar crawls through Casco Viejo and Plaza Nueva
August evenings are genuinely perfect for pintxo hopping because locals are out in force, especially during Aste Nagusia when the old quarter stays packed until 2-3am. The tradition works best when you're not sweating through your shirt, and those 16°C (60°F) evening temperatures mean you can comfortably stand outside bars with your wine and pintxo. Thursdays and Saturdays see the heaviest crowds, but August adds Tuesday and Wednesday to that mix during festival week.
Txakoli wine route day trips
Late August coincides with harvest preparations at the txakoli wineries dotting the coast toward Getxo and Bakio, making this actually the most interesting time to visit. You'll see vines heavy with grapes and winemakers preparing for harvest, plus tastings feature both current vintage and barrel samples. The microclimate here stays a few degrees cooler than Bilbao proper, and vineyard terraces offer genuinely spectacular views over the Cantabrian Sea.
Mercado de la Ribera morning visits
Europe's largest covered market becomes your weather backup plan and cultural immersion rolled into one. August brings peak season for Cantabrian anchovies, percebes (goose barnacles), and late summer vegetables like pimientos de Gernika. The market's Belle Époque architecture stays cool even on warm days, and going between 9-11am means you catch vendors at their most energetic, offering samples and explaining products. The top floor pintxo bars serve whatever came in fresh that morning.
Mount Artxanda funicular and hiking loops
The 1915 funicular climbs 226 m (741 ft) in three minutes to overlook the entire city, and August weather makes the summit trails actually pleasant rather than muddy. Several marked loops ranging from 3-7 km (1.9-4.3 miles) wind through oak and pine forests with periodic viewpoints. Late afternoon around 6-7pm offers the best light for photography as the city spreads below you, and you can time it to watch sunset around 9:15pm in mid-August.
August Events & Festivals
Aste Nagusia (Semana Grande)
This nine-day festival running August 15-24 in 2026 completely transforms Bilbao into a citywide party. We're talking over 400 events including daily fireworks at midnight, traditional Basque rural sports like stone lifting and wood chopping, massive concerts in different plazas, and the Marijaia mascot presiding over everything with her perpetually raised arms. Locals dress in white and red, bars stay open until dawn, and the entire city essentially stops working to celebrate. The opening ceremony with the txupinazo rocket launch and Marijaia being raised in Arriaga Plaza draws 50,000 people.
BBK Live Music Festival
While technically in early July most years, the 2026 edition might extend into the first weekend of August based on recent scheduling patterns - worth checking closer to date. This three-day festival brings major international and Spanish acts to Kobetamendi hill. Even if the main festival is July, the city sees spillover energy and smaller venue concerts throughout early August as artists do warm-up or follow-up shows in Bilbao clubs.