Bilbao, Spain

Bilbao's transformation is one of the great urban success stories of the late 20th century. The opening of Frank Gehry's Guggenheim Museum in 1997 — a sinuous sculpture of titanium, glass and limestone along the Nervión river — triggered the so-called 'Bilbao effect': a single building that catalysed the reinvention of an entire city. Where rusting shipyards and steelworks once lined the river, there are now promenades, bridges by Santiago Calatrava and Norman Foster, and a city that wears its ambition on its sleeve. But Bilbao is far more than the Guggenheim. The Casco Viejo (old town) is a grid of seven original streets — Las Siete Calles — packed with pintxos bars, small shops, and the Mercado de la Ribera (one of Europe's largest covered markets). Pintxos culture here is serious: elaborate bite-sized creations displayed on bar counters, ordered one or two at a time with txakoli (the local slightly sparkling white wine), moving from bar to bar through the evening. The Basque Country's food reputation extends to fine dining — nearby San Sebastián holds the world's highest concentration of Michelin stars per capita, and Bilbao itself holds several. Outside the city, the Basque coast delivers dramatic cliffs, the island hermitage of San Juan de Gaztelugatxe (the Game of Thrones staircase), the surfing town of Mundaka, and the fishing village of Getaria.