Bilbao by land, sea, and air
On foot, by bicycle, by boat, or seen from above, there are many ways to get to know Bilbao and to discover each of its corners.
The capital of Biscay is a very accessible city and it’s easy to get around on foot.
Its main attractions are within walking distance of each other, so strolling through the streets, parks, and avenues is the best way to soak up the atmosphere that permeates every corner of the 'Botxo', as we affectionately call our city.
But, for those who want to get to know the city from a more unique angle, there are plenty of other ways to move around it. To accomplish the 226.22-metre ascent to neighbouring Mount Artxanda, for instance, you can take a hundred-year-old funicular that will allow you to see the city spread out at your feet. From the viewpoint installed on the heights of Artxanda, you can understand why Bilbao is known as the 'Botxo'. The city seems to be nestled between green mountains in a narrow valley that follows the course of the Estuary of Bilbao to the Cantabrian Sea.
The official tourist bus service Bilbao City View also offers a unique perspective of Bilbao. A single ticket gives you access to this double-decker bus, which you can hop as many times as you want for one day to comfortably explore the city and its streets. Its stops are strategically located near the city’s most important landmarks: the Mercado de La Ribera, the Arriaga Theatre, the City Hall, or the pedestrianized Casco Viejo –the true historical and commercial heart of the city–, to name a few.
Within the cosmopolitan and lively Ensanche area, Bilbao City View’s circular route has stops in Plaza Circular, in Plaza Moyúa, and next to the impressive Azkuna Zentroa. From there, the bus heads towards San Mamés, the brand-new modern Athletic Club Stadium, and then towards the Itsasmuseum, where you can learn all about the relationship between Bilbao and its Estuary throughout history. Next to the spectacular Guggenheim Museum in Abandoibarra and in front of Artxanda Funicular station, across the Estuary, there are two more stops.
Sailing along the Estuary of Bilbao, on which the city’s development has largely depended since its foundation in 1300, is also an unforgettable experience. Bilboats offers a service with regular departures aimed to discover the most genuine side of Bilbao. On their one-hour water rides, full of anecdotes and other interesting stories, you will enjoy the unique panoramic views of the neighbourhoods and buildings that sit on the banks of the Nervión. The two-hour route called ‘Sailing to Sea’, does not only allow you to see you Bilbao, but also other towns that lie on both sides of the estuary as you get near the sea: Erandio and Leioa on the right bank, and the once industrial towns of Barakaldo and Sestao on the left; not forgetting Getxo and Portugalete, both linked by the proud Bizkaia Bridge, an iron colossus and a World Heritage Site.
If what you are looking for is an adventure in the waters of the Nervión, you should put on your life jacket and go on a canoe or paddle surf trip. Bilboabentura offers different routes along the estuary: across Bilbao’s city centre, around La Peña neighbourhood, or up to the Bizkaia Bridge. There is even an evening crossing where you can admire the most emblematic buildings of the ‘Botxo’ and their lightings.
Apart from all that, you can of course conduct active visits to Bilbao on land. It is possible to get to any point of the city quickly, safely, and sustainably thanks to the many guided bicycle routes available. If you prefer riding freely at your own pace, companies like Tourné Bilbao, Bilbao Xperience, Deskonecta or Motor Verde give you the option to rent different types of bikes, including a party bike for seven people.
To see Bilbao in a way you have never done before, nothing beats the experience of getting on a helicopter and flying among the clouds over the capital, reaching the Biscayan coast, with TransOcioTaxi, or even becoming a pilot for a day by taking the controls of a light aircraft.
Getting around by public transport
Bilbao has an excellent public transport network, so you can get almost anywhere in the city or get to the nearby towns in a matter of minutes. The modern Metro Bilbao has kept the different areas of Bilbao well-connected since it was inaugurated in 1995. In addition to being a comfortable and efficient transport system, together with the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao, it has become a clear symbol of the change the city has undergone in recent decades.
The glass and steel canopies that give access to its stations, called 'fosteritos' in honour of the architect who designed the innovative Metro Bilbao, Norman Foster, and its logo, designed by Otl Aicher, are already part of the image of Bilbao. On the inside, simplicity, functionality, and aesthetics is what prevails. Steel, glass, and concrete are the essence of its spacious and bright stations. In 1998, its project won the Brunel Prize both for its railway architecture as a whole and for a remarkable Sarriko Station in particular.
Bilbao has also opted for implementing a tramway system as a means of effective and sustainable urban transport. Bilbao Tram connects Atxuri Station, in the historic neighbourhood of the same name, with La Casilla, passing by some of the most prominent places in the city: The Old Town, the Ensanche, or Abandoibarra.
It is equally easy to navigate through the city and its neighbourhoods thanks to Bilbobus, its urban bus network, as well as you can reach almost any town in the region thanks to Bizkaibus. The new Garellano Intermodal Station, next to San Mamés Stadium, and Abando Indalecio Prieto Station, dominated by an imposing 20 metres wide by 15 metres high stained-glass window that gathers the more typical of the society of Bizkaia, are two other key stations. The lines in Renfe, Metro Bilbao, Tranvía Bilbao, Bilbobus and Bizkaibus are all connected among them as well as with other bus lines and taxis.
Adjacent to Abando station is the beautiful Concordia Station, popularly known as Santander station, which connects Bilbao with places like Balmaseda and Karrantza. Inaugurated in 1902, a modernist facade designed by Valentín Gorbeña and Severino Achucarro faces the Estuary and overlooks the Old Town.
Bilbao Bizkaia Card
An excellent idea to comfortably get around Bilbao and the rest of the territory is to get a Bilbao Bizkaia Card. Once activated, a Bilbao Bizkaia Card allows you to travel free of charge for 24, 48 or 72 hours, depending on the card you buy, and reach many of the tourist destinations accessible by Metro Bilbao or Bilbao Tram. You can also take Euskotren tours of Biscay, use Bilbobus and Bizkaibus services, or ride Artxanda and Larreineta funiculars.
In addition, a Bilbao Bizkaia Card offers multiple advantages for those who wish to fully enjoy their stay in Bilbao and Biscay, giving access to free guided tours that will show you around the Old Town, the Ensanche, Abandoibarra, the Bizkaia Bridge and its surroundings, the Punta Begoña Galleries in Getxo, or Agurtza Fishing Interpretive Center in Santurtzi. Plus, it includes a fast pass for two of the great museums of Bilbao: the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao and the Museum of Fine Arts. All the activities, advantages, discounts and promotions that it offers, and which will make your trip a unique experience, are described on Bilbao Bizkaia Card’s website.
-
Naturaleza encendida - Itsasaldi
- 6 july · 8 july
- Bilbao
-
Autumn plans
- 23 september · 21 december
- Bizkaia
Cookies policy
We use proprietary and third-party cookies for analytical and customisation purposes, such as choosing the language in which to display the website. For more information, please consult our COOKIES POLICY. You can accept all cookies by clicking “Accept” or configure/reject the use of cookies CONFIGURE.
Cookies policy
What is a cookie?
A cookie is a file that is downloaded to your device when accessing certain websites. Among other features, cookies allow a website to store and recover information about the browser habits of a user or of its equipment and, depending on the information contained and the way in which you use your equipment, they can be used to recognise the user.
When browsing visitbiscay.eus, you will be consenting to the use of the cookies as per the terms contained herein.
Types of cookies
- Technical cookies: These cookies allow the user to browse a website, platform or application and use the different web options and services, such as controlling traffic and data communication, identifying the sessions, accessing parts with restricted access, recalling aspects of an order, performing the process to purchase an order, processing the application to register or take part in an event, using security features while browsing, storing content for the purpose of broadcasting videos or sound, or sharing content via social networks.
- Analysis cookies: these cookies allow the number of users to be quantified and are used to measure and analyse the browsing in order to improve the services made available. They can be own or third-party cookies.
- Customisation cookies: these cookies allow the user to access the service with some general predefined characteristics according to a series of criteria in the device of the user, such as the language, type of browser used to access the service, the regional configuration from where the service is accessed, etc.
- Advertising and marketing cookies: store information on user conduct obtained through continuous observation of their browser habits, which allows Facebook/Twitter (or wherever we us this) to create a specific profile when making adverts according to said profile.
Duration of the cookies
Session cookies: They collect and store data while the user accesses a website. They are usually used to store information that only needs to be kept to provide the service requested on a single occasion (for example: list of products in a shopping trolley).
Persistent cookies: The data continues to be stored in the device and can be accessed and processed during a period defined by the cookie manager. That period can range from a few minutes to several years.
Types of cookies according to the manager
Depending on who manages the equipment or domain from where the cookies are sent and who processes the data obtained, cookies can be divided into:
- Own cookies: they are managed by the Provincial Council of Biscay
- Third-party cookies: these are managed by another entity, which processes the data obtained through cookies. Google Analytics cookies are used on this web page – a web analytics service developed by Google, which allows web page browsing to be measured and analysed and Facebook cookies to store information to measure and optimise advertising campaigns. You will be able to see cookies from both services on your web browser.
How can I disable or delete the cookies?
You can allow, block or delete the cookies installed on your equipment by configuring the browser options installed on your device. You should check the configuration options of your web browser for further information.
- Deactivate Cookies in Chrome
- Deactivate Cookies in Explorer
- Deactivate Cookies in Firefox
- Deactivate Cookies in Safari
- Deactivate Cookies in Edge
If you disable or delete the cookies, some features of visitbiscay.eus may not operate correctly.
Cookies on visitbiscay.eus
The type of cookies used on visitbiscay.eus is set out below, according to their purpose:
Name | Type | Purpose | Length | Manager |
---|---|---|---|---|
JSESSIONID | Technical | Session identifier | Session | Provincial Council of Biscay |
LFR_SESSION_STATE | Technical | Session identifier | Session | Provincial Council of Biscay |
COOKIE_SUPPORT | Technical | Indicate whether the user has the cookie support activated | 1 year | Provincial Council of Biscay |
pc_tecnicas_visitbiscay | Technical | Choose your preferences for acceptance of the block of technical cookies | 1 year | Provincial Council of Biscay |
pc_analitica_visitbiscay | Technical | Choose your preferences for acceptance/rejection of the block of analytical cookies | 1 year | Provincial Council of Biscay |
pc_preferencias_visitbiscay | Technical | Choose your preferences for acceptance/rejection of the block of preferential cookies | 1 year | Provincial Council of Biscay |
pc_publicidad_visitbiscay | Technical | Choose your preferences for acceptance/rejection of the block of advertising and marketing cookies | 1 year | Provincial Council of Biscay |
_ga | Analysis | To distinguish users | 2 years | Google Analytics |
_gat | Analysis | To limit the percentage of requests | 1 minute | Google Analytics |
_gid | Analysis | To distinguish users | 1 day | Google Analytics |
Idioma | Customisation | Select the language preferred by the user | 1 year | Provincial Council of Biscay |
_fbp | Advertising and marketing | Store and track visits to web sites | 1 year | |
personalization_id | Advertising and marketing | Personalise your Twitter experience | 1 year |
- Type
- Technical
- Purpose
- Session identifier
- Length
- Session
- Manager
- Provincial Council of Biscay
- Type
- Technical
- Purpose
- Session identifier
- Length
- Session
- Manager
- Provincial Council of Biscay
- Type
- Technical
- Purpose
- Indicate whether the user has the cookie support activated
- Length
- 1 year
- Manager
- Provincial Council of Biscay
- Type
- Technical
- Purpose
- Choose your preferences for acceptance of the block of technical cookies
- Length
- 1 year
- Manager
- Provincial Council of Biscay
- Type
- Technical
- Purpose
- Choose your preferences for acceptance/rejection of the block of analytical cookies
- Length
- 1 year
- Manager
- Provincial Council of Biscay
- Type
- Technical
- Purpose
- Choose your preferences for acceptance/rejection of the block of preferential cookies
- Length
- 1 year
- Manager
- Provincial Council of Biscay
- Type
- Technical
- Purpose
- Choose your preferences for acceptance/rejection of the block of advertising and marketing cookies
- Length
- 1 year
- Manager
- Provincial Council of Biscay
- Type
- Analysis
- Purpose
- To distinguish users
- Length
- 2 years
- Manager
- Google Analytics
- Type
- Analysis
- Purpose
- To limit the percentage of requests
- Length
- 1 minute
- Manager
- Google Analytics
- Type
- Analysis
- Purpose
- To distinguish users
- Length
- 1 day
- Manager
- Google Analytics
- Type
- Customisation
- Purpose
- Select the language preferred by the user
- Length
- 1 year
- Manager
- Provincial Council of Biscay
- Type
- Advertising and marketing
- Purpose
- Store and track visits to web sites
- Length
- 1 year
- Manager
- Type
- Advertising and marketing
- Purpose
- Personalise your Twitter experience
- Length
- 1 year
- Manager
Configure cookies
We show you hereinbelow the different categories of cookies that our web page uses. You can personalise your choice by accepting or rejecting these categories through the buttons enabled to that end. For more information, consult our COOKIES POLICY.
-
These are needed to allow browsing on our website and for basic tasks related to correct website operation.