Mirador de Artxanda at sunset

A funicular built in 1915 climbs from the Zubizuri end of town to the top of Artxanda in about three minutes. From the terrace at the top the whole of Bilbao is laid out below: the Nervión curving through the middle, the Guggenheim's titanium, the tower blocks of Abandoibarra, and green hills closing every side of the valley.

The view is the obvious frame, but the funicular is the better one. The carriage climbs on a steep straight track with the city dropping away behind it, and the stations at both ends are period pieces — a session usually gets its best two or three images on the way up rather than at the top.

Sunset works because the city sits below the horizon line: the light goes long across the valley and the buildings catch it while the terrace stays out of the glare. Stay twenty minutes and the city switches on — the Guggenheim, the bridges and the towers all lit, with enough sky left to keep the frame blue rather than black.

The funicular is ticketed and runs frequently; the hours change with the season and it does not run all night, so check the last departure before you plan a blue-hour finish, or arrange a taxi down. It is exposed up there and Bilbao is a wet city — a shower comes through fast and the terrace has little cover.