Spain Guide
Euskal Herria: the País Vasco & Navarra
Arrival
Bilbao's spanking new airport, 12km north of town, is served by flights from London Heathrow, London Gatwick and Barcelona (all Clickair), and London Stansted (easyJet); though heralded as an architectural gem, it's not a pleasant place to use, with minimal seating space or facilities inside the terminal. A taxi into town costs around €20, while Bizkaiabus services (€1.25) run every twenty minutes, calling at the Plaza Moyúa in the centre of the new town (Ensanche) and terminating further west at the Termibús station, which fills an entire block between Luis Briñas and Gurtubay. Most long-distance and international bus companies also use this terminal.
If you're driving into Bilbao, the motorways are very efficient at delivering you to the centre, but once there traffic is consistently dreadful; you're better off parking straight away in the car park nearest your accommodation, and walking from there.
The main RENFE train station is the Estación de Abando on Plaza Circular, but EuskoTren services to San Sebastián, Gernika, Bermeo and Durango use the Estación de Atxuri, on the other side of the river, to the south of the Casco Viejo. FEVE services, along the coast to Santander and beyond, stop at the highly decorative Estación de Santander, on the riverbank right below the Estación de Abando.