CityBuddy
Centro Botín
Best time to visit
It is most beautiful in the late afternoon, when the low sun shines through the discs on the facade and the sea shimmers gold. On weekdays before noon there is the least light in the galleries, so you can view the exhibitions without the crowds.
Budget tips
A regular ticket for the galleries costs about 10 euros, with discounts for students, pensioners and families. The green roofs and terraces are always open without a ticket, so even a coffee with a view does not require admission.
Recommended for
Contemporary art lovers, Architecture enthusiasts, Families, Photo enthusiasts
Plan your visit
2-3 hours
About
Quick facts: The facade of 280,000 pearl aluminium discs shimmers, changing colour with the slanting afternoon sun. On the roofs next to the galleries stretch more than 2,500 square metres of public green terraces with a view over the bay.
Highlights: The building hangs above the water supported by thin concrete columns, so at high tide you hear the waves murmuring right above your head. Renzo Piano, one of the most highly regarded living architects, signed his only work on the Iberian Peninsula here, and the pearl discs on the facade simultaneously let light through and cool the interior without air conditioning.
Insider tips
- Wear comfortable shoes, because spiral staircases with several hundred steps lead up to the green roofs.
- Catch the best light for photos in the late afternoon, when the low sun lights up the discs on the facade.
- Enter the galleries right after opening, because a line forms at the ticket offices before noon.
- Walk underneath the building at high tide to feel how the waves echo above your head.
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