Bilbao: approach the Guggenheim from the river

The Guggenheim Bilbao begins before you enter a gallery. Approaching along the river gives the building room to change shape as you move, with titanium surfaces responding differently to light and cloud.

The museum explains that Frank Gehry’s building occupies a former industrial wharf on a curve of the Nervión. Its combination of titanium, glass and limestone is therefore part of a larger story about reconnecting the city with its riverbank.

Allow time for the outside as well as the exhibition you want to see. Check the current programme before choosing a ticket, then leave an unhurried stretch for walking around the building. A photograph from one fixed spot captures only one version of it. Moving along the water reveals why the setting matters as much as the familiar outline.