No cuadrilla? Go bar hopping anyway.

Bar to bar through Bilbao

Going out here means moving: a zurito (a small beer) or a glass of txakoli, a pintxo, and on to the next bar before the conversation cools down. Nobody sits for long, and the night is decided as you go, standing up and in good company.

The cuadrilla rules, and for newcomers that can feel like a wall. YesTonite opens a side door: see who else is out tonight, say hello and join the same round. Not even the sirimiri, Bilbao's famous drizzle, can stop it.

On match days at San Mamés, Pozas turns red and white, and in August the Aste Nagusia festival fills the riverbanks with txosnas (festival bar stalls), concerts and fireworks for nine days.

Thursday pintxo-pote (a drink and a pintxo at a set price), Friday and Saturday are the big days. Things start early by Spanish standards, with pintxos before dinner, and the night carries on with drinks.

Where Bilbao goes for pintxos

• Casco ViejoThe Siete Calles, with bar counters covered in pintxos from mid-afternoon.
• Plaza NuevaAn arcaded square lined with bars: the classic meeting point.
• Calle LedesmaA pedestrian street in the Ensanche for going straight from the office to the bar.
• PozasLicenciado Poza and around, a short walk from San Mamés and packed on match days.
• Bilbao La ViejaAcross the river: alternative bars, music and a creative vibe.
• IndautxuCentral terraces and bars for a relaxed drink on a weeknight.