In the Ensanche and Old Town areas there are shops selling the best from national and international fashion designers. The Old Town offers a bustling combination of pedestrianised streets, historical monuments, cultural institutions and over 800 shops selling everything from handicrafts to designer clothes. Here visitors will also find the largest covered city market in Europe (10,000 sq m/108,000 sq ft). In 1990, the Riverside Market event entered the Guinness Book of Records as the most complete city market in the world, since it has the highest number of stalls and shopkeepers. The market has nearly 200 shops on three floors.

Central Bilbao, on the other side of the river, offers high street shopping and big department stores. Zubiarte, Calle Lehendakari Leizaola 2, is a shopping centre in which exclusive design and avant-garde architecture blend to great effect. The centre has 70 shops on four different levels and is great for clothes and footwear. Basque craft items, from pottery and crystal to leather products and traditional furniture, are available from many shops. Basandare, Calle Iparraguirre 4, near the Guggenheim Museum, is a good option.

Shops are open from 1000 to 1330 and from 1700 to 2000. Many shops are open on Saturdays. Shopping centres are open from 1000 to 2100.