Arriaga Theatre (Teatro Arriaga)

The Arriaga Theatre stands on Plaza Arriaga at the edge of Casco Viejo, facing the Nervion in Bilbao, in Biscay in Spain's Basque Country. Opened in 1890 and designed by the architect Joaquin Rucoba, it is a neo-Baroque building modelled on the Paris Opera and named after Juan Crisostomo de Arriaga, the Bilbao-born composer sometimes called the Spanish Mozart. The facade is the main sight for casual visitors: a rich composition of columns, sculpture, balconies and a prominent central pavilion that dominates the riverside end of the old quarter. The building has been rebuilt and restored over the years and remains one of the city's principal venues for opera, theatre, dance and concerts.

What visitors do depends on how much time they have. A short stop of about 30 minutes outside is enough to appreciate the exterior, the setting on the square and the relationship with the river and the nearby Casco Viejo Metro station. Visitors who want to see the interior can attend a performance, which usually takes around two hours, or join a guided visit when one is offered, with the schedule listed on teatroarriaga.eus. The auditorium follows the horseshoe layout of a nineteenth-century opera house with tiers of boxes and an ornate foyer, so a performance gives a sense of the building as it was intended to be used. Ticket prices vary by production, with many performances falling roughly between EUR 15 and EUR 60.

For photographs, the best angle is from the opposite bank of the Nervion or from the steps and river edge in front of the theatre, which allow the whole facade and its reflection to be captured. The Arriaga is at its most attractive in the evening, when the neo-Baroque front is lit and the square fills with people heading to performances or to the bars of the Seven Streets. Daytime crowds are modest because most visitors only pass by; the busiest moments are the minutes before and after evening shows. Its position makes it easy to combine with Plaza Nueva, the Ribera Market and the Cathedral of Santiago on a single walk through Casco Viejo, with the Metro station a short distance away.