Bilbao

Getting Here and Around

Bilbao's Euskotram, running up and down the Ría de Bilbao (aka River Nervión) past the Guggenheim to the Mercado de la Ribera, is an attraction in its own right: silent, swift, and panoramic as it glides up and down its grassy runway. The EuskoTren leaving from Atxuri Station north of the Mercado de la Ribera runs along a spectacular route through Gernika and the Urdaibai Nature Preserve to Mundaka, probably the best way short of a boat to see this lovely wetlands preserve.

The Creditrans ticket is good for tram, metro, and bus travel and is available in values of €5, €10, and €15, though the €5 ticket should suffice for the few subway hops you might need to get around town. Creditrans can be purchased at newspaper stands, bus stops, metro stations, and from some drivers. Pass your ticket through the machine as you get on and off metros, tramways, or buses and it is charged according to the length of your trip. Transfers cost extra. A single in-town (Zone 1) ride costs about €1.50 and can be purchased from a driver; with a Creditrans transaction the cost is reduced to about €1.10.

Bilbobus provides bus service 6 am-10:20 pm. Plaza Circular and Plaza Moyúa are the principal hubs for all lines. Once the metro and normal bus routes stop service, take a night bus, known as a Gautxori (Night bird). Six lines run radially between Plaza Circular and Plaza Moyúa and the city limits 11:30 pm-2 am weekdays and until 6 am on Saturday.

Metro Bilbao is lineal, running down the Nervión estuary from Basauri, above, or east of, the Casco Viejo, all the way to the mouth of the Nervión at Getxo, before continuing to the beach town of Plentzia. There is no main hub, but the Moyúa station is the most central stop and lies in the middle of Bilbao's Ensanche, or modern (post-1860) part. The second subway line runs down the left bank of the Nervión to Santurtzi. The fare is €1.70.