What are your options for pharmacy in Bilbao? More than you'd expect.

What We Found

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. The pharmacies along Gran Via de Don Diego Lopez de Haro are the most accessible from the Guggenheim area. 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. 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.

Hopefully you won't need any of this. But if you do, travel-er.app is built for exactly that moment.

This page is for informational purposes only and is not medical advice. Information may be outdated or inaccurate. Always call ahead to confirm. See our full disclaimer.

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Sources: CDC Travel Health: Spain · Bilbao Turismo