Pharmacies in Bilbao for English speakers

What to Know

Bilbao is smaller than Barcelona or Madrid, but finding a pharmacy is still easy. The Casco Viejo (old town) has several along its narrow streets, and the Ensanche area around Gran Via has more. The standard Spanish farmacia system applies here.

Bilbao's weather is wet compared to the rest of Spain, so cold and flu remedies come in handy. Gran Via de Don Diego Lopez de Haro, a short walk south of the Guggenheim, has several pharmacies. The Basque Country has its own health service (Osakidetza), but for pharmacy visits the system works the same as the rest of Spain. After hours, the farmacia de guardia rotation applies: day duty runs 09:00 to 22:00 and night duty 22:00 to 09:00. The pharmacists' college of Bizkaia lists the pharmacies on duty each day at cofbizkaia.eus, by town, district and date. Two Bilbao pharmacies open every night of the year from 22:00 to 09:00: Gordoniz 34 in Ametzola (944 218 904) and Santo Rosario 1 in Santutxu (944 114 371). For health advice by phone, Osakidetza's Consejo Sanitario line, 900 20 30 50, answers 24 hours a day. The Basque climate means you're less likely to need sunscreen here than in southern Spain, but you might need cough syrup and decongestants instead.

Signs and packaging may be in both Spanish and Basque (Euskara). Pharmacists speak Spanish and many speak some English, especially in the tourist area around the Guggenheim.

Spanish pharmacies carry children's versions of common medications including Apiretal (paracetamol syrup) and Dalsy (ibuprofen syrup). The pharmacist can advise on dosing by weight. Baby formula, diapers, and teething gel are stocked at most pharmacies.