Bilbao, Spain

Bilbao in the North of Spain, is the largest city in the Basque Country and the capital of the province of Biscay. Home of the newly-erected Guggenheim Museum, this bustling city has recently undergone major urban renewal, in order to move away from the region's industrial history and instead focus on tourism and services.

As well as the Guggenheim museum, other sights include Bilboa's picturesque old town and the Fine Arts museum, which is considered to be amongst the best in Spain. The Maritime Museum on the Nervion's banks is also another popular attraction.

Things to See & Do

* Guggenheim Museum
* Fine Arts Museum
* Bilboa old town
* Maritime Museum

General information

Cruise Season - Feb to Dec
Currency - Euro (€)
Language - Spanish
Land Area - 41.3 km²
Population - 450,000 approx
Electricity - 2 round pins European style
Time - GMT/UTC + one hour
International Country Telephone Code - + 34

Port Location - The port of Bilbao is located 15 km west of the city centre, on the Bay of Biscay.

Travel Links - The city has 13 bridges connecting both sides of the river, it is connected to the European road network and the north of Spain by the A-8 motorway and to the rest of Spain by the A-68 motorway.

There are more than 100 BizkaiBus bus lines, connecting Bilbao with almost every point in Biscay and part of Alava.

The Spanish state railway network operates four commuter rail lines from the city. Renfe (Spanish Railway Network) has 3 Cercanías lines in metropolitan Bilbao; Bilbao-Orduña, Bilbao-Santurtzi and Bilbao-Muskiz. FEVE (Spanish Narrow Gauge Railways) has one; Bilbao-Balmaseda. The Basque railway network, EuskoTren, runs three lines; Bilbao-Lezama, Bilbao-Ermua and Bilbao-Bermeo. In 2002, the new tramway, EuskoTran, was inaugurated.

A new airport terminal was opened in 2000, expanding the capacity of the former facility, and allowing growth in tourism fuelled by low-cost flights by airlines such as easyJet and Vueling.

A P&O ferry service links Santurtzi, near Bilbao, to Portsmouth (UK). The Pride of Bilbao ferry departs from the port of Bilbao, 15 km west of the city centre.