ekscrunchy

We have decided to include a visit to the Gehry museum to our San Sebastian plans. It looks like the PESA bus is the best way to get there..is that true? Anything else we ought to consider for our day trip to Bilbao? Not sure if we want to commit to a lunch in the museum..any other good options for lunch nearby, or between the bus stop and museum? Do we need to book tickets for admission in advance?

lincasanova

i would pre-book the menu of the day lunch at museum. you can always cancel. otherwise you will NOT get in, and the chef is good. it is about 15 euros.

ekscrunchy

Thanks for the prompt response. Can I book by e-mail (or shall I have my hotel call)? Any idea of how much time, more or less, to allot to the museum? I have read that the exterior is the main point of interest....so if we arrive at 10am, perhaps we will be finished with our tour before lunchtime.....

GeoffHamer

The buses run about every hour from San Sebastian to Bilbao. They arrive at the bus station called Termibus. The easiest way from there to the Guggenheim museum is by tram. There are ticket machines at the tram stop, but note that the ticket must be time-stamped in another machine at the tram stop before boarding. The trams continue to the old centre of Bilbao where there are many bars and restaurants. You can also get from Termibus to the centre of Bilbao by metro. The metro station next to Termibus is called San Mames.

lincasanova

you can book by email at the guggenheim website.

unless you are into taking loads of time to study a bent rod on the floor, or a blank canvas..( unless they have somethign more interesting IMHO like a calder exhibit or something), you will be out of the museum once you have enjoyed the design concept of it all.

frankly, it is an industrial sculpture in my book, amazing and outstanding, so it has met its purpose, but the few exhibits i have seen were almost insulting.
(except for calder.. if that is where i saw it.. i am not sure now.. where i was at the time is a blur!)

PalenqueBob

Geoff: please, how long do the buses take? I'd rather take the tiny train but it takes forever and assume the bus will be quicker.

Maribel

ekscrunchy,
You won't need more than 2 hrs. for the museum, probably much less!! (I'm a fan of the architecture but not of the permanent collection), unless you're particularly interested in the special 100% Africa exhibit, which starts on Oct. 12.

I haven't been overwhelmed by the special exhibits either (motorcycles didn't impress), except for the Aztecs. Don't know if this 100% Africa one will be an equivalent to the Aztecs, but I've never booked tickets ahead of time, as I haven't seen the need.

www.guggenheim-bilbao.es

Since you won't have luggage, you can walk from the Termibus to the Guggen. A longish walk (20 min.) but shopping along the way!! or take the tram.

The Pesa bus ride btwn. Bilbao and San Sebastián takes 1 hr. 10 min., stops in Laredo, and costs 8,65. I've taken it several times. Much quicker than the train. See the schedule at
www.pesa.net

If you decide to dine at the Guggenheim, I'd either take the menu del día at the cafeteria for simplicity and money's sake, or book a table in the Martín Berasategui-run restaurant, Guggenheim Bilbao, which is one of the best in Bilbao. But this will be a two hr. affair.
phone: 94 423 93 33

But...Another dining venue with a phenomenal value lunch, which is quite gourmet, in an elegant, contemporary setting is the much praised and rightly so, "Yandiola", right across the Calatrava bridge, which will allow you to see the Guggen from a different and impressive vantage point.
Thanks to a rec. from cova (and we always, always listen to a restaurant rec from a Bilbao native!), it's become our favorite fine dining lunch spot in the city. And the fixed price lunch menus are a great value. We love the Yandiola. Cova, as usually, was spot on in this very generous rec.
It's on Campo de Volantín 15 next to the Hotel Conde Duque. Easy walk from the Guggen. Reserve at 94 413 40 13

We also loved mikel's rec of the Colmado Ibérico, ham heaven, but it's quite a walk from the Guggenheim, and I think you want to do a quick trip to Bilbao then get back to enjoy your time in Sanse.

Maribel

Correction! The PESA bus is non-stop, of course. I need more coffee!
The bus from Bilbao to Santander stops in Laredo, which, of course, is west of Bilbao.
Duh.

ekscrunchy

Maribel, thank you. I agree that we will want to save the major meals for San Sebastian. Maybe we could do a small tapas-type walk after visiting the museum...although the Yandiola sounds tempting. However, I think that we will almost be ready to take the bus back by the time lunch begins if we arrive at 10am when the museum opens.....

Maribel

eks,
You're entirely correct. If you enter the Guggen at 10, you'll be ready to leave before the lunch hr., which starts at 1:30. At least, we hit the Cafe Iruña at 1:30 to snag a table before the crowds arrive.

So, with that in mind, I suggest a pre-lunch pintxos stop on your walk back to Termibus in the Plaza de Campuzano area.
El Huevo Frito on Maestro García Rivero 1, a mikelg rec. would be a good bet and not out of your way, or his other rec., Estoril, on the Plaza Campuzano itself. The pintxos culture in Bilbao must be sampled, however briefly, as well!
(and it's not too far from chocolate heaven, Chocolates Saint Girons on Licenciado Poza 16!, keeping the Basque portion of your trip in the chocolate them, in addition to Bayonne).

I highly recommend a stop as well at the Basque handicrafts store, Basandere, on Iparraguirre 4, right before reaching the Guggen. It has the best collection of all things Basque that you'll find, from books to music to gourmet products to handcrafted jewelry to ceramics to Jean Vier linens. A lovely place to shop and one of my favorites, along with Saski-Naski in Sanse now with a new shop on Avenida del Boulevard, corner of San Jerónimo.
www.basandere.com

lincasanova

maribel, we will soon lobby to have a street named after you.
what a wealth of great info ..no matter where.. when.. how!!

but so little time to put it all to the test. but i just love reading about it all!

great suggestions from all the others, too.

Maribel

hi lin and thanks for the kind offer. Just yearly free fam trips from the Spain Tourist Office will do nicely!

Actually, in a tiny town in La Mancha, near Pedroñeras, the garlic capital, there's a street named for my mother-in-law. if you ever happen to pass through La Alberca del Záncara you can have all the free garlic you can pick up from my land, which is used by the ajeros in summer for the cutting and separation process. Not that you would ever pass through.....it's a mere blip in the road!
It's one of those "brown towns" that doesn't even have a coche de línea pass through anymore.

lincasanova

las pedroneras... what do you mean i never will go that way! i love going up to toledo from belmonte and have eaten ONCE at a lovely but overpriced restaurant in pedroneras..

i will get better instructions to the garlic farm one day.. and i promise i will go!

mikelg

By all means, after the visit to the museum IŽd take the tram or, better, walk the pleasant promenade along the river down to the Casco Viejo (Old Town). Half way, crossing ZubiZuri bridge, IŽd take the Funicular of Artxanda to get the best views of Bilbao and surrounding towns fron the top of one of the mountains surrounding Bilbao. Once in the Casco Viejo, look for the Plaza Nueva and you have several excellent pintxos bars there (Zuga, Bilbao...). Or maybe Jardines street, for the same kind of bars. Daily menus are offered at an average price of 9 euros (Kasko, in Santa Maria Street, avant-garde menus at 9,50 euros, including two dishes, wine and dessert).

Museum, funicular and old town, lunch included: 5 hours max. Then you can walk all the way up through Gran Vía street (Main Street), beautiful buildings and shops.

Opposite Euskalduna Congress Palace, a short walk from Guggenheim: La Cuchara de Euskalduna (www.restaurantelacuchara.com), for excellent food, similar to Yandiola.

Very close to the Guggy: www.kikara.com, unbeatable prices in a modern atmosphere, daily menus.

Hope it helps!

NEDSIRELAND

We took the Bus Vision tour of Bilbao: I think it originates/terminates at the Guggenheim. We left it at la Begonia Cathedral where it makes a prolonged stop (we were hungry and wanted to go to Artxnta for lunch).

Maribel writes: "The Pesa bus ride btwn. Bilbao and San Sebastián takes 1 hr. 10 min., stops in Laredo, and costs 8,65. I've taken it several times. Much quicker than the train."

Isn't Laredo in Cantabria?? I have been on Alsa buses between Santander & Bilbao that stopped there and I have caught a bus from Limpias (Cristo de Limpias) to Laredo; but I think Pesa would be 'desviando se' if it made a stop in Laredo on the way from Bilbao to San Sebastian.

Also, for PalenqueBob: to the best of my knowledge, the 'tiny train' you refer to (FEVE?) http://www.FEVE.es doesn't operate between Bilbao & San Sebastian.

I, personally think Bilbao is worth an overnight stay (not just a daytrip!) and there's a lot more to Bilbao than the Guggenheim.

lincasanova

i also caught a nice concert while in bilbao. there are many excellent cultural activities in that town.

mikelg

Right, the bus ride from Bilbao to San Sebastian takes 1 hour approx, non-stop. Laredo is about 60 kms west of Bilbao, Maribel may have mistaken Santander and San Sebastián.

The train to SS takes ages, very scenic, though...

For your info, Begoña Cathedral is dedicated to the Virgin of Begoña, a common name over here, that in Basque means "under the feet" (related to the place the Virgin made her apparition).

fall06

I really disliked my lunch at the Guggenheim museum. It was reheated in the microwave and reminded me of cafeteria food. I'm sorry to be unable to recommend an alternative, but Bilbao is a food destination, so there has got to be something better nearby. The museum restaurant has a tapas/sandwich bar. I'd stick with that if you are pressed for time.

As for the museum, I enjoy the work of Richard Serra, so the installation is interesting to me. I walked to the museum, and it took me about 25 minutes. I viewed the museum from the other side of the river, and that's the best vantage point.

The structure is an interesting concept if you are familiar with the Guggenheim in New York. Otherwise, it's very missable in my opinion.

I understand that there is another interesting museum in town that nobody goes to.

I found the bus ride to and from Bilboa pleasant, but were I in that area of Spain again, and with limited time, I'd visit places other than Bilbao, and in Bilbao, I'd see something other than the Guggenheim. It's just not that compelling.

ekscrunchy

Thanks to everyone for the extensive information. I am curious about the mention of Richard Serra. Not to appear too dense, but is there a Serra exhibit on? We will attempt (not the choice of word) to arrive when the museum opens so we can have some time to explore Bilbao. Maybe have some tapas after the museum at Estorial and El Huevo Frito (fried egg, really???) ....and do some walking around before heading back on the bus. And do some chocolate "research" at Saint Girons as well. Sounds like we should skip the inside of the mueum in favor of all the other temptations awaiting us....(this is written partially in jest)

This appears to be another case of too much to see, to little time... We have two full days in San Sebastian, plus part of our arrival day so a side trip will work out just fine I am sure. Any other food tips will be most appreciated..thank you once again for taking the time.

Maribel

NED,
If you'll read my second post, the correction, you'll realize I was asleep when I posted by first. Yep, I confused the Atesa bus ride from Bilbao to Santander stopping in Laredo with the non-stop SanSe-Bilbao ride. I really do know that Laredo is west of Bilbao in Cantabria, I really, really do! Should never post before inserting my morning caffeine IV drip!

eks,
Since your time in SanSe is limited, coming by Pesa bus from Bayonne (with absolutely no stop in Laredo!), I know you'll keep all those fine recs from mikelg on this thread and all the other Basque threads and use them well for a thorough exploration of Bilbao on your next trip to the Basque Country,- which I'm sure won't be far away!