This is where it all begins. The San Antón Bridge is the oldest in Bilbao — or its most beloved reconstruction — and appears on both the city's coat of arms and that of Athletic Club. Standing here, with the Old Town behind you, the river starts telling you the city.

The Arriaga is the most beautiful theatre in Bilbao. But what matters here is the Arenal: the open esplanade between the theatre and the river. This is where Bilbao breathes. On Sunday mornings, it's the most honest place in the city.

Abandoibarra was Bilbao's industrial heart. Shipyards, workshops, docks. In the 90s they demolished it all and built what you see now: the Guggenheim, the Pedro Arrupe footbridge, the Isozaki Towers. It's the story of a city that decided to completely reinvent itself — for better and for debate.

The Itsasmuseum sits inside the former Euskalduna shipyard and holds the river's naval memory. You don't need to go in to understand it — walking the exterior is enough. Continue to Olabeaga: a neighbourhood that used to be a port district and is now the favourite walk of Bilbao locals who want to stroll without tourists.

In 2018 Zorrozaurre officially became an island. A Zaha Hadid project is transforming it into Bilbao's neighbourhood of the future — raised three metres above sea level, with cultural, residential and commercial uses. Right now it's the most honest mix of industrial decay and urban hope you can see in the city.