The Netflix series Privacy follows two women whose lives are upended after separate acts of image sharing violate their privacy. One character jeopardizes a mayoral bid, while the other is driven to a breaking point by the pressure that follows. The show uses Bilbao as a backdrop to show a city that has shed years of gray industrial dust and grown into a modern, cosmopolitan hub that welcomes visitors with color and energy.
The transformation is driven by landmark projects and cultural revival. The Guggenheim Museum Bilbao shines as a powerful beacon, now in its 25th year since arriving on the Nervion estuary. Its gleaming silhouette has become an icon of the Basque Country, joined by famed works such as Mama, the metal spider, and Puppy, the flower-covered canine. Nearby, Etxebarria Park sits at the edge of Begona and recalls a once-thriving metallurgical industry that left its mark on the landscape, with the elevator ride up to Mount Artxanda offering expansive city views.
In the cityscape, the balcony of the town hall appears in fiction as a place where characters catch their breath and gain momentum. The Ovoid Variant sculpture stands as a true symbol of Bilbao, while the Town Hall Bridge spans the Golden Horn. Arenal Bridge extends the heart of the city into the old town, where pintxo bars line narrow lanes and invite casual strolls. Azkuna Zentroa, formerly the Alhóndiga wine warehouse, has been repurposed into a cultural center with striking columns and a distinctive mix of architectural styles worthy of a visit.
Yet the narrative extends beyond the urban core. Nearby towns shape the fictional world as well, including Portugalete with its famous suspension bridge and the coastal towns of Plentzia and Gorliz. The sea is a central character, influencing both plot and atmosphere. Beaches such as Laga and Sopelana offer wide, windswept shores and rugged seas, where a swimmer parts ways with his family not to drown but to bridge the distance to a faraway towel. Bilbao’s scale is a paradox: intimate enough to feel personal, expansive enough to feel monumental.