Airbnb Occupancy Rate in Bilbao, Spain, Data & Trends 2026

Over the June 2025 to May 2026 window, Bilbao ran 63% average occupancy across about 228 booked nights a year, exactly matching the 63% Spanish national average among the 28 Spanish cities ListingOK tracks. Where Bilbao stands out is rate: its 136 euro average daily rate is well above the national norm, producing average monthly revenue of 2,487 euros per listing and a healthy 6% year-on-year revenue gain, bucking the declines seen in some larger Spanish markets.

The 101% seasonality index is the number to respect. It tells you this revenue is front-loaded into summer rather than spread evenly, so the 228 nights cluster heavily around the August-May peaks while January and February barely cover costs. A relatively small active-listing base of 179 keeps the market less saturated than coastal hotspots, which helps support that premium ADR.

Bilbao's short-term rental demand rests on a cultural-tourism reinvention that turned a post-industrial port into one of northern Spain's most visited cities. The Guggenheim Museum, with Frank Gehry's titanium-clad shell and Jeff Koons' Puppy outside it, is the anchor draw, supported by the Casco Viejo's medieval Siete Calles, the Ribera Market and the Bilbao Fine Arts Museum. Pintxo culture, the funicular up to Artxanda and easy day trips to San Sebastián and the Basque coast keep leisure visitors staying longer than a single museum stop.

The city also carries a steady business and events stream: the Bilbao Exhibition Centre (BEC) in Barakaldo hosts trade fairs year-round, and Athletic Club matches at San Mamés pull regional crowds. Aste Nagusia, the nine-day Great Week festival each August, is the single biggest demand spike, drawing hundreds of thousands to the riverside for concerts, fireworks and the giant Marijaia figure that presides over the celebration.

Casco Viejo, the old town on the right bank of the Nervión, is the highest-demand zone: its Siete Calles, the Ribera Market and dense pintxo bars put guests in the walkable heart of the city, and it commands the strongest nightly rates. Abando, across the river around the Guggenheim and the Gran Vía shopping spine, is the central business-and-culture district and suits both leisure and corporate stays.

Indautxu, just southwest of Abando, is an upscale residential grid popular with longer and repeat visitors who want a quieter base near restaurants and transport. Deusto, by the university and the river, draws a younger, value-seeking crowd. Across all of them, the practical constraint is licensing and the increasingly strict municipal planning rules rather than location, so confirming a unit's legal standing matters as much as picking the right street.