Guggenheim museum photography guide

Discover the best Guggenheim museum free photography spots in this complete guide

400 km from Madrid, sitting next to the Cantabrian Sea, there is Bilbao. Known for its amazing food, the wild beaches and beautiful hikes, Bilbao has become one of the most popular places to visit amongst Spanish travellers. Its mild climate and location make it perfect for either a long weekend trip or for a 2-week adventure through the Basque Country.

If there is something that stands out from the city of Bilbao it is the Guggenheim museum. Inaugurated in 1997 it has a unique architecture that has become a symbol of the city. Thus, it is a place worth capturing with your camera. However, finding the best photography locations might be challenging, as some of them are linked to events that only occur on certain moments of the day. After living for more than a year in Bilbao, I am confident to share the Guggenheim museum photography guide.

Despite being an amazing museum on the outside, I don’t really like the inside of the museum. I am not the biggest fan of modern art, but I can appreciate it. Yet, the Guggenheim museum experience depends largely on the temporal exhibition. If the temporal exhibition looks interesting, I would recommend its visit. If the temporal exhibition does not interest you, save the money and have some pintxos and beers instead.

Estuary reflection

A very typical photo of the Guggenheim museum is its structure reflected on the estuary that runs through Bilbao, popularly known as “la Ría”. Thus, this is the most obvious Guggenheim photography location. Yet, there are a couple of things to keep in mind.

First of all, check the wind prediction. If the forecast says there will be wind it is likely that you won’t be able to get this photo. To get something that looks like a reflection, take a tripod and shoot a long exposure. It might do the trick!

Second, being so close to the sea, the estuary has different water levels. Although it is not a game-changer, shooting at high tide will make the distance between the water and the museum smaller, creating a better reflection.

Finally, this is a fantastic sunset spot. The sun sets almost behind the museum (varies throughout the year), and if there is a good sunset, you will get an amazing photo.

Maman: Guggenheim spider

One of the weirdest elements of the Guggenheim museum is the 9-meter tall giant spider statue called Maman that is standing between the estuary and the museum. It is actually part of the museum, and it was built by Louis Bourgeois.

This is the most creative location of this list. It has nothing special, but it is a 9-meter spider statue, so everyone understands what makes it special. My favourite thing to do is mix the Maman with the mist show that every hour the museum does. More about this below. If you stand just under the belly of the spider, look up and you will see the eggs that it carries.

Another way to photograph this scultpure is from the opposite side of the estuary, just like in the first location mentioned.

Puppy, the flower dog

If you thought that the 9-meter tall spider was weird, wait for until you see the 12-meter tall sitting dog covered in flowers. One of the stereotypes of Basque people is that they are brute. Let me tell you something: they are not. But they love building big things as you can see here.

This statue is like the Maman, the spider. It is so big an unique that it makes it worth taking a photo. In fact, it a very good foreground for a general picture with the Guggenheim museum in the background. Of course, depending on the time of the year, Puppy will have more flowers or fewer. Yet, it is still worth admiring it.

The mist show

I remember the first time that while I was walking by the museum I suddenly found myself surrounded by mist. Everyone was walking as if nothing happened. Yet, this was new to me. A couple of days later I discovered that the Guggenheim museum has something unique: on specific moments of the day, it is possible to see the museum surrounded by mist.

The small pond in front of the museum has a bridge. Under this bridge there is a system that from 10 am to 8 pm, every hour, it releases mist for 8 minutes. This is the first world fog-based sculpture and the artist that designed it is Fujiko Nakaya.

At a photographic level, these are perfect conditions for capturing the shipshape of the museum or to add a degree of mystery to any photo. Like I said in the reflection point, the wind will impact the show.

Fire fountain

I left the best thing for the last point, yes. The most impressive element of the Guggenheim museum and its best photography location is the fire fountain. At the same pond where the mist rises every hour, there are five fire fountains that for 1 hour they run every 4 minutes, staying active for 1 minute. The hour changes depending on the season, as it is usually at sunset. For the official times click here.

This spot is best photographed with a tripod. It is not a very popular photo to take, so it is not crowded usually. However, be there at least 15 minutes before the fire fountain starts, and try different angles. Oh, and the key for taking this photo is my next (and last) item on this list.

Be creative!

The Guggenheim museum is amazing. It took me a few months to understand the power of photography at this spot, and it woke my interest in architecture photography. Yet, this is a very popular spot. Thousands of people visit this city every year, and creating a unique photo of this area is very challenging.

Thus, now that you know the possible photographic opportunities, it is time to get creative. Mix them, play with them and find those unique combinations that produce a new or less common image. For example, every day there is 1 minute when both the fire fountain and the fog sculpture are active. This can create photos like the one below, with the fog, fire and reflection of the museum in the water.

The Guggenheim museum is a unique photography spot. If you liked this post and you like travel and photography, find me on Instagram as @aniolvisuals, where I share experiences from my trips and photos from all over the world.

Got any questions? Drop them in the comments! Interested in using my photos? Send me an email at hello@aniolvisuals.com.