Guggenheim Bilbao Tickets 2026: Prices, Free Entry & Booking Tips

The Guggenheim Bilbao is one of the most visited museums in Spain, and unlike the Prado or the Picasso Museum, it has no free evening window — whatever you've read elsewhere. It also charges two different prices depending on the month. Here's what you're actually paying, what you can genuinely see for free, and how to book without overpaying.

Ticket prices

The Guggenheim charges a summer rate. From 15 June to 13 September, adult admission (18–64) is €18 and the reduced rate is €9. The rest of the year it drops to €15 adult, €7.50 reduced. The reduced rate covers people over 65, pensioners, visitors with a disability, and students aged 18–25. Under 18: always free, but the ticket still has to be issued, so add them to your booking (must be accompanied by an adult if under 12).

Check the price on the museum's booking page before you commit — it shows the rate for the date you pick, and the summer window is the one most guides get wrong.

The Artean Pass costs €18 and covers both the Guggenheim and the Museo de Bellas Artes. It normally saves around €7 — but not this year. The Museo de Bellas Artes is free throughout 2026 during its renovation, so the pass saves you nothing, and in summer it costs exactly what a Guggenheim ticket costs on its own. Buy the Guggenheim ticket directly instead.

Book at tickets.guggenheim-bilbao.eus. Tickets are timed — you choose a 30-minute entry window. Don't use third-party resellers; they charge more for the same ticket with no benefit.

When is it free?

It isn't — and this is worth getting straight. A lot of travel sites, and most AI assistants, will tell you the Guggenheim Bilbao is free on Tuesday evenings from 6:00 to 8:00 PM. It is not. We opened the museum's own booking engine on a Tuesday in July 2026 and priced the 18:00 slot: €18, the full adult rate, exactly like every other slot that week. The museum's own "Offers and Savings" page lists no free evening window either.

If you've budgeted your Bilbao trip around a free Tuesday, rebudget now.

What is actually discounted:

Last day of each temporary exhibition: 50% off from 4:00 PM. This is the only real discount window, and it's easy to miss because it depends on exhibition end dates rather than a fixed weekday. Check the museum's website for the closing date of whatever show you want to see.

Under 18: free any day, any time — but they still need a ticket issued, so add them to your booking.

Seniors 65+, pensioners, visitors with a disability, and students 18–25: half price (€9 in summer, €7.50 otherwise). Bring ID; it's checked at the door.

What are the Guggenheim Bilbao opening hours in 2026?

Tuesday to Sunday: 10:00–19:00. The museum extends to 20:00 during Easter week (March 30–April 12) and summer (June 15–September 13).

Closed most Mondays, with these exceptions: March 30, April 6, all Mondays from June 15 to September 7, October 12, December 7, December 28.

Best time to visit: Tuesday to Thursday at opening (10:00), or after 16:00 any weekday. The museum fills up between 11:00 and 14:00, especially on weekends and rainy days when locals also head indoors.

What's free outside

The exterior sculptures are publicly accessible at no cost, any day, any time. Jeff Koons' Puppy (a 12-metre dog covered in 60,000 flowers) is at the main entrance. Louise Bourgeois' Maman (a 9-metre bronze spider) is near the riverfront. Fujiko Nakaya's fog sculpture activates every hour for about eight minutes.

Frequently asked questions

How much are Guggenheim Bilbao tickets?

It depends when you go. From 15 June to 13 September the summer rate applies: €18 adult (18–64), €9 reduced (65+, pensioners, students 18–25). The rest of the year it's €15 adult, €7.50 reduced. Under 18 is free year-round. The Artean Pass (€18) combines Guggenheim + Museo de Bellas Artes, but it saves nothing in 2026 — the Bellas Artes is free during its renovation.

How much does Guggenheim Bilbao admission cost?

General admission is €18 in summer (15 June–13 September) and €15 the rest of the year. That one ticket covers everything inside — the permanent collection and every temporary exhibition, with no extra charge per show. Reduced admission is €9 in summer and €7.50 otherwise (65+, pensioners, students 18–25); under-18s enter free. The €18 Artean Pass adds the Museo de Bellas Artes, but that museum is free throughout 2026, so the pass is not worth buying this year.

When is Guggenheim Bilbao free?

There is no regular free entry day. Under-18s are free year-round, though they still need a ticket. On the last day of each temporary exhibition, admission is 50% off from 4:00 PM. That is the only discount window the museum runs.

Is the Guggenheim Bilbao free on Tuesdays?

No. This is the most persistent myth about the museum, repeated across travel sites and AI answers. We checked the official booking engine on a Tuesday in July 2026: the 18:00 slot charges the full €18 adult rate, same as any other day. The Guggenheim Bilbao has no free Tuesday evening window. You may be thinking of other Spanish museums — the Prado and Reina Sofía do run free evening slots.

Do you need to book in advance?

Yes, and the reason isn't the queue. Entry is by timed slot, so the question isn't whether you'll get in but whether you'll get in at the hour you planned. Turn up at 11:30 on a July Saturday without a booking and you may be offered 15:00, which rearranges your whole day in a city you're only in for two.

When you genuinely need to book ahead: weekends from June to September, Easter week, and any day it's raining, which in Bilbao is a lot of them. Also the final day of a temporary exhibition, when the 50% discount from 16:00 pulls in a local crowd on top of the visitors.

When you can reasonably walk up: a weekday morning outside summer, especially Tuesday or Wednesday at opening. The museum takes 1.3 million visitors a year, but they're not spread evenly, and a wet February Tuesday is a different building from an August Saturday.

Book on the museum's own site, tickets.guggenheim-bilbao.eus. There's no markup, the slots are the real ones, and admission already includes the audio guide. Resellers charge more for the identical ticket, and some sell tours rather than entry, which is a different product at four or five times the price.

One detail that catches families out: under-18s enter free, but the ticket still has to be issued. Add them to the booking or you'll be sorting it out at the desk while your slot runs.

What are the opening hours?

Tuesday to Sunday, 10:00–19:00. Extended to 20:00 during Easter week (March 30–April 12) and summer (June 15–September 13). Closed most Mondays.

For what to see once you're inside, the Guggenheim Bilbao guide covers the key works, the best route, and what most visitors miss.