Would it be better to drive from Barcelona to Bilboa if one has limited amount of time, in April? What are Spanish trains like?

For elmom, <BR>The drive on the express route should take about 6 hrs. , not allowing for sightseeing stops, but the train trip takes a long 8 1/2 hrs. There are two daily departures, both on the "Miguel de Unamuno" trains (tourist class only), one at 10 a.m. and the other at 1 p.m. There's also an overnight train, the "Pio Baroja". <BR>www.renfe.es <BR>Since you have a limited amount of time, you may want to look into flying from Barcelona to Bilbao on Iberia, or Air Europa or Spanair (not sure which one of the latter 2 low cost carriers does that route-maybe both?).

Last September we took the train from Barcelona to Bilbao. There is a special train on Saturdays only, which we did, which also has a first class almost all the way. About an hour before the end you have to switch cars to the second class. Maribel is right. It was from 10:03 AM until 6:30 PM, and not a very scenic or exciting ride. There was a tiny "dining" car, but we couldn't get near it and all they had was some packaged food so we never ate. The air condidtioning didn't work and it was very hot and stuffy on the train. It was not like travel on most other European trains. Look into flying, or even driving. It was the last day of our Eurrail pass, so "free" and was worth just about what we paid for it, if you know what I mean.

FLY! It's fast, easy - we had driven from Southern France to Bilbao so only flew one way, to Barcelona on Iberia ($192 one way) but even if I had to do it round trip, I would opt for it again. Some things in life are worth the extra dollars and this is one of them.

Thanks for your suggestions, looks flying or driving will be it. Should you get rental car here Hertz or Avis? Also what would your recommend seeing on the Atlantic coast of Spain.

I've rented with Avis for the past 6 yrs.; after a thorough comparison study of rates, Avis has thus far come out the winner. Please, please make your arrangements before leaving the U.S.-it's a considerable savings! <BR>The quickest driving route from Barcelona to Bilbao is on the expressways (autovias, autopistas) via Lleida-Zaragoza-Logrono which will not take you past the coast of the Bay of Biscay.