Carlton Hotel
Built by Manuel M. de Smith e Ibarra in 1927, it resembles Paris's Ritz and London's Carlton. The hotel building has been inscribed on the cultural heritage list and completely remodelled to be rated as a five-star hotel. The central hall has a beautiful modernist vault. The building has a sentimental value for it was the Euskadi Government's headquarters during the Civil War in the 1930s.

Chavarri Palace
Old mansion belonging to the Chavarri brothers, engineers who contributed to Vizcaya's industrial development, which was completed in 1894 by Atanasio de Anduiza y Uribarri. This wonderful building with a colourful marble front presents a great number of windows and balconies, each in its own shape and style. Today, it is home to the Government Headquarters.

Montero House
Luis de Aladrén built it in 1904, inspired by Gaudí's style.

Saint Joseph/ San José Church
Designed by José María Basterra in neo-Romanesque style, this church was built in 1918 for the Augustinian Monastery. It lends the square its particular spirit.

Fine Arts Museum
Considered as one of the best in Europe, this old building was built by Fernando Urrutia and inaugurated in 1945 with a collection of paintings donated by Laureano de Jado. In 1970, a modern building was added to host the contemporary art collection. The museum has 35 rooms with magnificent classical, modern and contemporary artworks. It also has a vast collection of works by Basque artists: Arteta, Arrue, Zuloaga, Zubiaurre, among others. It hosts a world 20 th century art collection, a library, a bookshop, an educational centre, a restoration workshop, an engraving room and a film archive. There are special temporary exhibitions too.

Parque de Doña Casilda de Iturriza
Constructed between 1912 and 1920, inspired by French parks, it offers a varied sample of trees, a magnificent pond with various species of ducks, and a central pigeonhole.

In the 1920s, a roofed gallery was raised surrounding the allegorical monument dedicated to Doña Casilda de Iturriza, sculpted by Agustín Querol. Here in the summer, the City Hall organises concerts and drama performances as well as film screenings. The monument has been moved away, and today the central square is occupied by a curious Cybernetic Fountain.

EThe place is decorated with sculptures dedicated to different figures: Ramón Basterra, a poet, diplomatic official and humanist; Adolfo Guiard, a painter whose name is inscribed on a fountain; and Aureliano Valle, a musician, whose sculpture was made by Quintín de Torre and located in the museum's backyard.

Ignacio Zuloaga's bust is at the entrance to the museum. The sculpture honouring Tonetti, the clown, is in the high park, near the monumental fountain dedicated to Gardoqui, Arriquibar, Hurtado de Amezaga and Marquina. A tree-lined road bears the name of Conde de Arteche, one of Bilbao's heroes.

Sota Building
Erected in 1919 in 45 Gran Vía, this building was designed by Manuel M. Smith e Ibarra, the Bilbao-born architect, who was very young then. It is an eclectic, elegant palace-like building recently reopened.