Bilbao
Bilbao is the capital of Vizcaya in the Basque Country. The city is situated on the banks of the Nervión, a tidal river. The climate in Bilbao is milder than in most other parts of the peninsula, rarely fallin below freezing in winter, or rising above 35ºC in summer. There is also more rain, which is a mixed blessing. The green hills of Bilbao are a welcome relief after an extended stay in the dry plains in the south, but planning a day at the beach is more risky. The population of Bilbao proper is just over 372,000, but within the metropolitan area there are over 1,000,000 inhabitants.
All buses to other provinces leave from the TermiBus terminal. There are regular connections to Santander (90 minutes) San Sebastian (60 minutes) and Madrid (arriving at Avenida de Las Americas bus station, 4-5 hours) among others.
The bus companies connect Bilbao with many cities in Spain more cheaply and frequently than the rail companies.
The company linking Bilbao to Santander is ALSA[2] (tel: +34 902422242), and in theory you can get info about buses from Santander to Bilbao at [3].
For Vitoria-Gasteiz, take La Unión Alavesa buses.
Bilbao Airport is served by Lufthansa, Spanair, Alitalia, Air France, Air Berlin, TuiFly, AerLingus, Iberia, Air Europa, ClickAir, Vueling and several other airlines. Easy Jet flies from London Stansted to Bilbao airport. You can also fly with Ryanair to Santander.
To get to downtown from the airport, take Bizkaibus from the arrivals sidewalk: there is no arrivals hall. The bus leaves every half hour at :15 and :45 past the hour from the airport to Bilbao bus terminal. The reverse journey is at :25 and :55 past the hour from the bus terminal to the airport, stopping at Plaza Moyua on the way. A single ticket costs less than €2.
Taxis to downtown Bilbao from the airport cost about €25-30.
RENFE-- runs intercity trains to Madrid, Barcelona, Vigo (Galicia). All Renfe trains leave from Abando Station.
FEVE -- runs regional trains to Santander (3 daily), and Leon (1 Daily). They are very slow, and make a stop in almost every single town they pass through. From Santander you can continue to Oviedo (Asturias), and La Coruña (Galicia). This journey has three legs, but it is only possible to do 2 legs in any one day. FEVE trains leave from Santander Station (next to Abando Station)
EuskoTren -- runs a local service to San Sebastian, with connection there for Irun (on the Spanish-French border). It takes two hours to reach San Sebastian. Trains leave from Atxuri Station.
A direct car ferry is available between Bilbao and Portsmouth, England. It is best to book early, since the ferry is often booked out in summer. By taking the P&O ferry to Bilbao and immediately returning, a mini-cruise can be had which allows approximately two and a half hours in Bilbao.
Bilbao is difficult to drive in. Hilly one-way streets, and frequent construction projects, make it a nightmare for drivers in parts of the city. Having an automobile map helps a lot; without it allow at least 30min extra to find the right exit from the city.
If you are going to take more than one or two journeys on public transit, a CreditTrans card would be a good investment. It can save you up to 50% over buying single tickets. It is valid on all the municipal transit systems in Bilbao, and most (soon to be all) of the provincial transit systems in Vizcaya.
