How to get to Bilbao | Vizcaya | Northern Spain

There are various ways of getting to Bilbao, both from within Spain and internationally; by plane, car, bus, train and boat!

By Bus: BUY YOUR TICKETS TO AND FROM BILBAO HERE. The main bus operator in the area is ALSA. Connections with Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, Zaragoza, Pamplona and San Sebastian.

By Car: If you are travelling to Bilbao from Madrid you will need to take the National I motorway, or the Burgos Road (Carretera Burgos). If coming from Cantabria the AP-8 or the Cantrabria Motorway (Autopista del Cantabrico) and coming from the east of the peninsula you will need to travel on the AP-68.

From Madrid the car journey normally takes around 5 hours in good traffic. The journey by bus can take about an hour longer (6hrs).

By Plane: Bilbao has its very own International Airport (Loiu) which has replaced the old Sondika Airport. Situated in the municipality of Loiu, around 12 kms out of Bilbao centre, more than 5 millions passengers pass through its gates every year. There are connections to all the main Spanish and European cities.

By Train: Bilbao has three important train stations: ABANDO which has connections to Madrid and Barcelona as well as the south of Spain (adif); LA CONCORDIA which links to city to Santander and the rest of the Cantabrian coast; and EUSKOTREN which deals with the more local connections around Bilbao.

By Boat: Their are boat connections between Bilbao and the United Kingdom with lines that travel to Portsmouth in England. The companies that operate these lines are P&O and Transmediterranea. The ferries depart from the port terminal SANTURCE.