• By plane

    At 12 kilometres from Bilbao, Bilbao Airport serves flights from the main cities in Europe every day. Bus A-3247 (Bilbao-Aeropuerto) departs from the airport every 15 minutes for downtown Bilbao.

  • By bus

    The Bilbao Intermodal bus station is located in the center of Bilbao, next to the San Mamés stadium. In addition to connecting Bilbao with the rest of Bizkaia, it is a good way to get here as it covers routes to Bilbao from all over Spain.

  • By road

    Bizkaia has an efficient road network that makes it easy to drive around. Dual carriageway A-8 leads into the region from France and Galicia, while motorway A-1 brings you to Bizkaia from Madrid.

  • By train

    Indalecio Prieto Abando Station is the gateway to the Bizkaia railway system. Mainline trains connect Bilbao to Madrid, Barcelona and other big cities in Spain. Three commuter rail lines (C1, C2 and C3) serve the connections between Bilbao and other points in Bizkaia.

  • By sea

    The Port of Bilbao, in Santurtzi (15 kilometres from the city), offers services to 580 international ports. The Portsmouth to Bilbao ferry calls at port on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.

Getting around Bizkaia

The underground is one of the most efficient means of transport to get around Bilbao. It takes you to most tourist attractions and connects the city to Gran Bilbao on both the right and the left banks of the estuary. Bilbobus (city) and Bizkaibus (intercity) buses provide useful connections too, while the Euskotren rail lines take you to the Txorierri region and to the province of Gipuzkoa.

If you want to soak in the Bilbao cityscape, you should take the tram, leading to the top tourist attractions in town, like the Guggenheim Museum or the Arriaga Theatre.

When you arrive in Biscay, you will see that everything is nearby.

Public transport

Urban

Interurban

Car rental

Bizkaia is blessed with a rugged coastline that spans a few kilometres and an attractive hilly hinterland. Many of these attractions – some of the most special beaches, the cave of Santimamiñe or San Juan de Gaztelugatxe– cannot be reached by public means of transport. To explore every corner in Bizkaia, you can rent a car. You will not regret the drive!

You can pick your car at Bilbao Airport (Loiu) or in central Bilbao, where you will find the leading car rentals.

  • Enterprise
  • Avis
  • Goldcar
  • Hertz
  • Europcar
  • Sixt
  • Pepecar
  • Happycar

Taxis

Taxis are a comfortable way of getting around Bilbao. There are several stands across the city. The fare from the airport is €27 to €30. Taxi fares vary with the type of journey (city or intercity), the time of day (higher fares by night) and the day of the week (higher fares on holidays).