Best Places to Work From in Bilbao: A Remote Worker's Guide
Words by
Carlos Rodriguez
I've lived in Bilbao long enough to know which corners of the city have decent Wi-Fi, which corners have power sockets in reachable positions, and which corners serve coffee that doesn't taste like it was made in 2019. Over the past few years, I've tested dozens of spots across the city on my own laptop, and honestly, the best places to work from in Bilbao aren't always the ones with the fanciest interiors or the most Instagram-worthy flat whites. They are the places where you can sit for four hours without being glared at, where the signal doesn't die mid-upload, and where the neighborhood itself has something to offer when you finally need a break. This guide is for remote workers, freelancers, digital nomads, and anyone who simply refuses to work from a hotel room when there is a city this beautiful outside.
You won't find me listing every single café in town. What you will find is a set of reliable, personally tested locations across Bilbao's most remote-work-friendly neighborhoods, from the Casco Viejo to Deusto. I've included what to order, where to sit, when to arrive, and what most first-timers get wrong. Let's get into it.
Coworking Spots Across Bilbao's Best Neighborhoods
When most people hear "coworking," they picture open-plan offices with Scandinavian furniture and exposed brick. Bilbao has a few of those, but the coworking scene here is more varied and more interesting than you'd expect. I've spent working weeks in several of them, and the reality on the ground is more nuanced than what their websites suggest.
1. Icaza Colaborando (Autonomía Kalea, 50 – Abando)
Located on a busy commercial stretch in Abando, Icaza Colaborando is one of the more established coworking spots in the city, and it has been quietly hosting freelancers and startups for years before the coworking boom hit Bilbao. It's not flashy. What you get are solid desks, meeting rooms you can actually book, and a community of Basque and international professionals who tend to keep their heads down. I've used their hot-desking option on several weeks when my apartment Wi-Fi was being repaired, and the wired internet connection was genuinely one of the most stable I've experienced in any shared space in the city.
What to Expect: Dedicated desks with 24-hour access on certain membership tiers, private phone booths, a small kitchen with a decent coffee machine (not specialty-grade, but drinkable), and a secure entry system using a fob card.
Best Time to Visit: Weekday mornings before 10 a.m. are ideal if you want to claim a desk near a window. The space fills up by mid-morning, especially on Mondays. Fridays after 2 p.m. can be nearly empty, which is great for focused deep work.
Local Tip: Bring your own coffee beans if you have preferences — the communal supply is basic filter coffee and the nearest specialty café is a 7-minute walk along Autonomía toward Moyúa. If you're planning a longer stay, ask about their day-pass pricing, which is significantly cheaper than daily drop-in fees at many newer spaces.
Remote Work Cafes Bilbao Loves (That Actually Work for Laptops)
Let me be direct. Not every pretty café in Bilbao is laptop-friendly. Many of the best-loved spots in the Casco Viejo were never designed for remote workers, and showing up with a 16-inch MacBook at lunchtime is a great way to get a long stare from the bartender. That said, several cafés across the city have embraced the laptop crowd, and a few have quietly become unofficial co-working destinations in their own right.
2. Trayko Café (Lutxana Kalea, 5 – Bilbao La Vieja)
Trayko sits on the corner of one of Bilbao La Vieja's most colorful streets, a neighborhood that has transformed dramatically over the past decade from a forgotten patchwork of old buildings into one of the city's most creative and multicultural quarters. The café itself is run by a small team that seems to genuinely enjoy what they do. They serve specialty coffee roasted in the Basque Country, have a solid selection of pastries, and the Wi-Fi is provided by a legitimate router that actually supports multiple users. I've spent entire afternoons here without once feeling the urge to restart my connection.
What to Order: Their "cortado de especialidad" is consistently good, and the croissants arrive fresh early in the morning from a local bakery. The pricing is reasonable — expect to pay around 3-4 euros for a well-made specialty coffee.
Best Time: The sweet spot is between 9:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. on weekdays. After 1 p.m., the neighborhood's lunch crowd starts filtering in, and by mid-afternoon, it gets noisy enough that video calls become challenging. Sundays are very quiet and peaceful, though the menu is reduced.
Local Tip: The tables along the back wall have the most stable Wi-Fi signal, and two of them sit directly under power outlets mounted on the wall. These spots go fast after 10 a.m. If you want one, arrive before the morning rush, order a second coffee, and settle in.
A Drawback Worth Noting: The bathroom is shared with the building's other tenants and can sometimes be messy during peak weekend hours. It's a minor thing, but if you're spending a full day there, it helps to know.
3. Kafe Antzokia (San Francisco Kalea, 42 – San Francisco / Bilbao La Vieja)
Despite its name, which translates to "Café Theater," Kafe Antzokia is primarily a social and cultural center with a strong community focus. It serves as a gathering point for activists, artists, and locals who want to eat and drink without feeding into the tourist economy. The food is mostly vegan or vegetarian, the coffee is fair-trade, and the Wi-Fi works well enough for email and light browsing, though I wouldn't trust it for large uploads.
What to Do: Have lunch here. Their menu del día is one of the best value meals in the entire southern part of the city — usually around 10-12 euros for three courses, including a drink. It changes daily, and the portions are generous.
Best Time: The lunch window, from about 1:30 p.m. to 3:00 p.m., is when the kitchen is busiest and the atmosphere is most alive. Morning hours are quiet and more suitable for laptop work, but the limited socket availability means you should arrive early if you need power.
Local Tip: This place hosts a lot of cultural events, music performances, and community meetings in the evenings. Check their schedule before you assume you can use the space after 6 p.m., because it occasionally gets closed to the public for private events or gatherings. When I first moved here, I made the mistake of showing up on a Monday evening thinking it was open and found the door locked. It's best to check their social media or website for updates.
Best Laptop Friendly Cafes Bilbao's Casco Viejo (When You Need Old World Charm)
The Casco Viejo is overwhelmingly a tourist zone, and working there requires a certain tolerance for noise, crowding, and the occasional group of ten people collectively deciding to order wine at table volume. Still, a couple of spots have carved out a niche that accommodates the laptop crowd without sacrificing atmosphere.
4. Café Bar Bilbao (Plaza Nueva, 6 – Casco Viejo)
This is technically more of a bar than a café, occupying a prime position along the arcaded Plaza Nueva, the social heart of Bilbao's old quarter. The square itself is one of the finest examples of Neoclassical urban planning in northern Spain, and every Sunday morning it hosts a traditional flea market where locals sell everything from second-hand books to antique coins. The terrace is the thing. You can sit outside under the arches, order your coffee or txakoli, and watch the neighborhood wake up. The Wi-Fi is provided by the establishment and is generally reliable during off-peak hours.
What to Order: A "zurito" (small beer) or a "txikito" (small glass of wine) is the traditional choice, but they also make a perfectly fine café con leche if you need caffeine. The pintxos from the bar are freshly prepared and very reasonably priced — between 2 and 3 euros each.
Best Time: Early morning, before 11 a.m., on weekdays is the best window for productive work. The tourist traffic in Plaza Nueva picks up significantly by midday, and the background noise level makes focused work quite difficult. Head here instead on a Sunday morning after the market opens, when the energy is lively but not yet overwhelming.
Local Tip: The corner tables along the eastern arcade have the least foot traffic passing behind your chair, making them much better for video calls or concentrated writing. Ask for a mesa en la esquina when you sit down. The staff is generally accommodating if you're buying drinks regularly.
5. The Coffee House (Euskadi Plaza, 5 – Indautxu)
The Coffee House is one of those places that feels like it belongs in a neighborhood with more foot traffic than it actually gets. Located on the ground floor of a modern building facing Euskadi Plaza (the roundabout dominated by the Guggenheim's titanium curves in the distance), it is a dedicated specialty coffee shop with a clear laptop-friendly policy during morning and early afternoon hours. The owners are serious about their craft, using single-origin beans, and the espresso is genuinely some of the best I've had in the city.
What to Order: Ask for whatever single-origin espresso is currently on rotation. The baristas here know their stuff and will happily explain the tasting notes. Their filter coffee (prepared with a V60 or similar pour-over method) is also excellent. Pastries are sourced from a local supplier and rotate weekly.
Best Time: Monday through Thursday, arriving between 8:30 and 10:00 a.m., gives you the best combination of available seating, working outlets, and quiet conditions. After 1:00 p.m., the lunch crowd from surrounding offices descends, and finding a seat with an outlet becomes a challenge. Weekends are livelier but quieter in terms of laptop workers, so you may find more space if you go on Saturday morning.
A Drawback Worth Noting: The air conditioning in summer can be unreliable. I've been there during Bilbao's warmer afternoons when the indoor temperature crept above 28 degrees and the owners seemed either unwilling or unable to fix it. If you're visiting between June and September, the early morning session is strongly recommended.
Local Tip: The plaza outside is one of the best spots in the city to take a break and enjoy the sightline toward the Guggenheim. During summer evenings, free concerts and community events sometimes happen in the open space nearby, so finishing your workday here can transition nicely into a relaxed evening.
Quiet Working Corners in Bilbao's Less Obvious Neighborhoods
Not every great workplace is a café. Some of the best places to work from in Bilbao are the quieter, less touristed corners where the city slows down enough for you to think clearly.
6. Kabi Kultur Gunea (Erribera Kalea, 12 – Zorrotzaurre)
Zorrotzaurre is an artificial island at the northern edge of Bilbao, created when they straightened the Nervión River. It was the industrial heart of the city for decades, shipyards and factories lining both banks, and now it's in the middle of a massive urban transformation. Kabi Kultur Gunea sits in this evolving landscape as a cultural center with community spaces, exhibition rooms, and areas that double as informal workspaces. The Wi-Fi is free and functional, and the atmosphere is unlike anything else in Bilbao — part post-industrial, part modern art gallery, part neighborhood hangout.
What to See: Before or after your work session, take a walk along the Zorrotzaurre footbridge, which was designed by the late Zaha Hadid as part of the island's redevelopment masterplan. It's one of the most architecturally striking pedestrian bridges in Spain.
Best Time: Weekday afternoons, between 2:00 and 5:00 p.m., tend to be the quietest. Mornings can be busy with local community groups using the space for meetings. Check their online schedule for any exhibitions or events that might limit access to certain areas.
Local Tip: There is no on-site food or coffee service, and the nearest café is about a 10-minute walk away in either direction. Bring your own snacks and drinks. The island layout means there's a noticeable wind that cuts across open areas, so even on a warm day, a light jacket is smart. This is a detail most first-time visitors don't think about.
A Drawback Worth Noting: The heating system in the main interior spaces can be inconsistent, especially in winter. During colder months, many locals layer up before heading there. I once spent a November morning working in a jacket and wished I'd brought a scarf.
Bilbao Coworking Spots Worth the Monthly Fee
7. ZIUR (Zirauz Bidea, 5 – Miribilla)
Miribilla is one of Bilbao's newer residential neighborhoods, perched on a hillside east of the city center. ZIUR is a technology-focused coworking and entrepreneurship hub that operates under the city's innovation strategy. It's targeted at tech companies, developers, and digital entrepreneurs, which means the infrastructure here is serious, gigabyte-speed internet, ergonomic chairs, soundproof meeting rooms, and a serviced kitchen with better-than-average coffee. If you're a freelancer in tech or digital media, this is arguably the most professionally equipped space on this list.
What to Expect: Hot-desking starts at roughly 80-100 euros per month for flex passes, with dedicated desks and private offices scaling up from there. They run regular networking events, pitch sessions, and workshops, some of which are open to non-members for a small fee.
Best Time: The space operates from early morning to late evening and is busiest between 9:00 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. on weekdays. It can feel quite lively during peak hours, so if you prefer silence, bring noise-cancelling headphones. The atmosphere is more business-like than social, which I personally find helpful for productivity.
Local Tip: Getting to Miribilla by public transport involves either a bus ride uphill or a combination of metro and walking. If you're coming from the city center, budget an extra 15-20 minutes. The neighborhood rewards the trip with clean air, panoramic views of the Nervión valley, and a much quieter working environment than anywhere in central Bilbao. There's a small supermarket near the entrance where you can grab a lunch to eat on the balcony, which overlooks the city. It's one of my favorite lunch spots in the entire guide.
How Bilbao's Broader History Shapes Its Work Culture
8. The Legacy of Industry in Bilbao's Working Spaces
You cannot talk about working in Bilbao without understanding what this city used to be. For most of the 19th and 20th centuries, Bilbao was an industrial powerhouse, a center for steel production, shipbuilding, and banking. The river was lined with factories, the neighborhoods were built for workers, and the culture was one of physical labor and trade unions. The transformation that began in the 1990s, catalyzed by Frank Gehry's Guggenheim Museum and the city's massive infrastructure investments, reoriented Bilbao toward services, tourism, technology, and creative industries.
The coworking and café-working culture here carries traces of both worlds. The community-oriented spaces, Kafe Antzokia, and the cultural centers of Zorrotzaurre reflect the old tradition of collective action and shared resources. At the same time, the newer tech hubs like ZIUR represent the city's forward-looking ambition to position itself as a digital and innovation hub for the entire Basque Country and northern Spain.
When you sit down to work in Bilbao, you're not just occupying a desk. You're sitting inside a city that reinvented itself within a single generation. The coffee in your cup might be specialty-grade, and your Wi-Fi might be gigabit-speed, but the building you're in might once have been a warehouse, a shipper's office, or a workshop. That awareness, that layering of old and new, is something I never tire of, and it's part of what makes working here feel meaningful in a way that a generic WeWork never could.
When to Go / What to Know
Bilbao's climate is mild but wet. October through March can bring persistent rain that turns outdoor terraces into non-options. If you're planning a remote working stint here in winter, prioritize indoor spaces with good heating and reliable internet.
The city's lunch culture runs from 1:30 p.m. to about 3:30 p.m., and many smaller cafés either close or serve a limited menu during this window. For uninterrupted work, start early and eat during the lunch rush when café owners often appreciate the patronage.
Public Wi-Fi is available in some museums and municipal buildings, but it's rarely fast enough for video calls or large file transfers. Invest in a local SIM card with data as a backup. Movistar and Vodafone both have strong coverage in central areas, and prepaid plans are inexpensive.
Most coworking spaces and cafés accept card payments, but the Casco Viejo's older bars sometimes operate cash-only. Carry at least 10-15 euros in coins for café pitstops in the old quarter.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the average internet download and upload speeds in Bilbao's central cafes and workspaces?
Dedicated coworking spaces typically offer speeds between 300 Mbps and 1 Gbps on wired connections, with Wi-Fi ranging from 50 to 200 Mbps depending on user load. Central cafés in areas like Abando and Indautxu generally provide Wi-Fi speeds of 30 to 100 Mbps, which is sufficient for video calls and standard cloud work but may drop noticeably during peak lunch hours.
How easy is it to find cafes with ample charging sockets and reliable power backups in Bilbao?
In central neighborhoods like Abando, Indautxu, and Ensanche, most specialty cafés and laptop-friendly spots have outlets at roughly half of their tables. Older bars in the Casco Viejo and Santutxu have very few accessible sockets. Power outages are uncommon in central Bilbao, and most modern coworking spaces have their own backup power systems.
What is the most reliable neighborhood in Bilbao for digital nomads and remote workers?
Abando is generally considered the most reliable neighborhood due to its concentration of coworking spaces, specialty cafés, strong fiber-optic infrastructure, and proximity to public transport. Indautxu follows closely, with several laptop-friendly cafés and easy access to the metro system.
Are there are good 24/7 or late-night co-working spaces available in Bilbao?
Options for late-night or 24/7 coworking are limited. Some spaces in Abando offer extended access until 10 or 11 p.m. for members, but true round-the-clock availability is rare. A few within the ZIUR network provide 24-hour access to dedicated desk members. For late-night work, hotel lobbies and certain 24-hour Korean or Chinese restaurants along San Francisco street are commonly used by locals.
Is Bilbao expensive to visit? Give a realistic daily budget breakdown for mid-tier travelers.
A realistic mid-tier daily budget in Bilbao breaks down as follows: accommodation in a 3-star hotel or Airbnb averages 70-100 euros per night, meals cost approximately 25-35 euros per day (including a menu del día lunch at around 11-13 euros), transport within the city is 5-8 euros using the Barik metro card, and a mid-range coffee with pastry at a specialty café runs 4-6 euros. Total expected daily spending ranges from 110 to 160 euros per person, excluding flights.
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