Is there more to the industrious city than a famous museum? Find out as Team Five Travels take you on a journey through Bilbao.

Bilbao is a city that combines the best of both worlds: a rich and diverse culture, and a modern and dynamic vibe. Whether you are a fan of art, architecture, gastronomy, or history, Bilbao has something for you. And the best part is, with a well planned itinerary you can enjoy most of it in just one day. In this blog, we will show you how to make the most of your time in Bilbao, covering the main attractions and some tips to make your trip easier and more enjoyable.

Getting around the city!

Here are some of the things you will discover in this blog:

• How to get to Bilbao from the cruise port and how to get around the city using public transportation or walking.

• How to visit the Guggenheim Museum, the iconic masterpiece of Frank Gehry that houses a collection of contemporary art.

• How to enjoy the natural beauty of Bilbao, from the Nervión river to the Mount Artxanda, where you can get a panoramic view of the city.

Port to city

The easiest option is to take a bus from the port direct into the city either by ship arranged excursion or by paying at the cruise terminal. However, these aren’t always the cheapest options and as we found out, not the fastest. If we remember correctly the price was around £10 per person each way.

We had planned to use the metro in Bilbao as it wasn’t too far from the cruise port - around a 15 - 20 minute walk. I’m so pleased we stuck to our plan as we saw a lot more of the city and it was as quick, if not quicker than using the buses.

The cruise port is very modern, clean and spacious, and easy to find your way in and out. As you come down the escalators there is a large welcome to Bilbao ‘selfie’ opportunity as well as a desk where you can buy tickets to get a bus into town. As you step outside the terminal the busses are to the left - unless you require this option for accessibility, mobility or the town is just too far to risk going it alone, then where possible we’d always recommend another option. By the time some of the busses had left the terminal, we were already well on our way into the city, walking past some amazing buildings and looking at the picturesque coastline.

Metro

We took the Metro from Gobela station in Getxo to Moyua. To get to the metro station, walk along the port to the roundabout and take a right past the Red Cross (Cruzroja) and down to the next junction. There’s an ice cream hut on the corner and this is where you should turn onto Zugatzarte Etob. It’s a main street where you can also get local transport busses. Head down this road to the zebra crossing and cross over going down Cervantes Kalea. When you find the park, turn right and the metro station is just a little further on the left hand side.

It took around 20 minutes on the Metro and cost only £6 for two adults and two children. The tickets were valid for a single journey using underground Lines 1, 2 and 3 but there is a maximum journey time of two hours between touch in and touch out so as you’ll likely go over this, you’ll need another ticket to return. The system was easy to navigate with multiple languages and easy payment options - even with voice enabled ticket purchasing options - there seems to be a focus on accessibility - as long as everything works, this is great.

Into the City

Getting off the Metro at Moyua - it seemed pretty central. You’ll come out onto a huge roundabout and from here you should head towards the Nervión river. The most direct route to the Guggenheim is down Elcano K and turn right at Plaza San Jose - this should lead you straight to the famous Puppy. That’s if you want to start at the Guggenheim anyway but it is the major attraction so we decided it would be a good starting point. General admission is currently 13 euros for adults and free for children under 18 and seniors over 65.

If you don’t have time to go into the museum itself then the Puppy, Spider and unique architecture of the building that has become an icon, are still worth seeing. The pond outside the museum releases mist (as shows in the top photo) every hour between 10am and 8pm and was developed by artist Fujiko Nakaya.

Funicular de Artxanda

Easy to find from the Guggenheim - with the Puppy and Museum on your left, head right, cross the river by one of the many bridges. The Zubizuri is a pedestrian bridge closest to the bottom station of the Funicular. Once across this bridge cross the road and take either street, left or right of the buildings in front. From here there are plenty of signs and you can't miss the crowds heading in the same direction.

There’s a journey every 15 minutes and the opening times between summer and winter season are quite similar. First journey at 7:15 am and last 10pm (later in summer). There are cafes around the bottom station and restaurants at the top, in the village of Artxanda. However, most people are going for the views and although on the day we visited, it was a little cloudy, they are worth it. It would have been lovely to see at night but this is one of the restrictions of visiting a city when on a cruise - hours docked in port rarely stretch overnight. Children under 6 are fee with other tickets for a round trip being 4 euros 30.

Apart from the view, the fingerprint art feature is great for photos and the gardens are pretty. Facilities are limited and on this occasion were not the cleanest so maybe stop for a comfort break before going to the top.

More to Bilbao

Of course there is more to Bilbao than the attractions listed above but when you’re cruising it’s always a fine balance between seeing the main attractions at an enjoyable pace and running out of time.

If you want to explore other attractions in Bilbao you could head to the old town (Casco Viejo) which forms the medieval old quarter. This has become a lively riverside district with modern shops and traditional taverns lining the Seven Streets. Foodies can head to the La Ribera market which has a boatlike waterfront structure, flanked by pintxo bars serving Basque style tapas. You can also take in the Santiago Cathedral which is a 14th-century Gothic landmark or the Teatro Arriaga for opera and dance performances.

The Casco Viejo quarter is on the same side of the river as the Funicular bottom station. From the Funicular bottom station, whilst looking towards the river, turn left heading along the river to the city hall and you’re on the right path.

Reflections

Bilbao is a city that will surprise you with its diversity and charm, and you will surely want to come back for more. Bilbao is not as big as Lisbon in terms of size but it’s big enough not to get everything done in one visit so have a plan, choose your route and get back to the ship on time.

Happy Cruising.