Coach Rental Across Spain

Bilbao and the Basque Coast by Minibus

Bilbao has the sea on one side and the Rioja vineyards an easy drive to the south. A minibus lets a small group mix the Guggenheim, a pintxo lunch and a wild stretch of coast in one unhurried day.

Around the city

Start with the Guggenheim, on the riverside at Abandoibarra, with the Euskalduna next door. Across the water, the Siete Calles of the Casco Viejo and La Ribera market are for walking. No official set-down list was found for the city, so your operator names the stop for each visit and for the hotel.

Central Bilbao has a ZBE too. Its rules page was not readable when this was written, so the operator confirms the rule for the minibus booked.

Bilbao-Abando is the main railway station and Bilbao Intermodal, beside San Mamés, the main bus station, so a group arriving by train or long-distance bus can be met at either and taken straight to the hotel.

Sprinter 19-seat minibus, side view
Sprinter 19-seat minibus, side view

Bridges, cliffs and a sacred tree

The Puente de Bizkaia at Portugalete, the transporter bridge that is a World Heritage site, is about 25 minutes away. Gernika, with the Casa de Juntas and the Gernika tree, is about 45 minutes.

San Juan de Gaztelugatxe, the hermitage on an islet near Bermeo, is about 50 minutes out. It is reached by a long path and many steps, so it suits walkers, and the access rules for the path should be checked before you set off.

Airports for Bilbao

Places worth a stop in Bilbao

  • Gernika (day trip) — Casa de Juntas and the Gernika tree, about 37 km from the centre.
  • San Juan de Gaztelugatxe (day trip) — Hermitage on an islet on the coast near Bermeo, reached by a long footpath and steps from the road; check the current access rules for the path before travel.
  • Puente de Bizkaia (Portugalete / Getxo) — Transporter bridge, a UNESCO World Heritage site, about 13 km from the centre at the river mouth.
  • Casco Viejo (Siete Calles) and Mercado de la Ribera — Old town on the right bank; on foot.
  • Museo Guggenheim Bilbao — On the river at Abandoibarra.

Easy places to be collected

  • Airport (Loiu)
  • Barakaldo (BEC)
  • San Mamés / Deusto
  • Casco Viejo
  • Abandoibarra / Guggenheim / Euskalduna
  • Indautxu
  • Abando / Gran Vía

Rioja and the neighbouring cities

Haro, in Rioja Alta, is about 1 h 20 min south, and Laguardia, in Rioja Alavesa, about 1 h 45 min. A wine day with two cellar visits and lunch fits comfortably, and nobody in your group has to drive.

Vitoria-Gasteiz is about an hour away. Santander and Donostia / San Sebastián each take about 1 h 35 min.

What travellers ask us

Is Bilbao airport close to the centre?

Yes: from Loiu it is around 13 km to Plaza Moyúa, some 20 minutes on quiet roads. Aena gives no group pick-up point, so the operator agrees one with you.

Can we visit Pamplona from Bilbao?

Yes, it is about 2 h 20 min each way. During San Fermín in July, Donostia / San Sebastián is the closer base.

Is a minibus right for a stag or hen weekend?

It keeps up to 16 friends together between the hotel, the old town and a Rioja cellar. Tell the operator about late evenings so the driver's hours are planned into the quote.

More trips we can arrange

Other vehicles with a driver