Bilbao Getting there & around

Getting around

Bus & tram

Tram

Bilbao’s Eusko Tran tramline is a boon to locals and visitors alike. It runs to and fro between Basurtu in the southwest of the city to the Atxuri train station. Stops include the Termibus station, the Guggenheim and Teatro Arriaga by the Casco Viejo. Tickets cost €1 and need to be verified in the machine next to the ticket dispenser before boarding.

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Car & motorcycle

Bilbao is a difficult town for driving in, if you are a stranger. Metered street parking is strictly enforced. There are several underground car parks, including one beneath Plaza Nueva, and overground ones, including a new riverside facility at Muelle del Arenal north of Plaza Arriaga, that was scheduled for opening in 2007.

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Local transport

Metro

There are metro stations at all the main focal points of the Ensanche and at Casco Viejo. Tickets start at €1.20. The metro was designed by architect Sir Norman Foster and opened in 1995. Locals instantly dubbed the concertina-style glass and chrome entrances ‘Fosteritos’. The metro runs to the north coast from a number of stations on both sides of the river and makes it easy to get to the beaches closest to Bilbao.

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