Bilbao info

[cbb]

For the port of Bilbao, is it possible to get from where the ship docks to the town of Bilbao? I've google mapped it and it looks to be 15k from port to town. Does anyone know if there are taxis, an O shuttle (because one of their excursions gives the option of returning to the ship or staying at the Guggenheim and "taking the shuttle back") or is Bilbao even worth it. Doing the research has definitely given me a very mixed report. Whay say y'all?

[Paulchili]

Guggenheim is definetly worth it IMO - we did it on a land trip. There is very little else in Bilbao (although we had some nice tapas there).

I am not sure about the shuttle - Oceania should be able to tell you that.

Perhaps check your roll call and share a taxi/van?

[JimandStan]

Paul is correct as usual, the Guggenheim is the reason to stay extra time in Bilbao.

The city is not without its' charms, but for the most part it is an industrial seaport. Spend your "touring time" elsewhere in Spain.

 

I'm not sure where Paul had his tapas, but we had an unexpectedly remarkable meal at the Guggenheim museum restaurant:

http://www.restauranteguggenheim.com/en/presentation/

Hint: Ask for a table on the terrace, a wedge of manchego and a bottle of of their superb local white Rioja (well chilled) ...... you may never want to leave!

 

 

The shuttle to the port that you refer to is a public one run by the local authorities, check out this thread:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=553164

 

Hope this helped, have a marvelous cruise! :D

[cbb]

Thanks guys! I had seen the info posted from 2007 and was trying to find updated info to see if the shuttle was still running. You're right; have to see the G... and the chilled rioja...could go for some right now....sigh. I knew you all would know; awesome! (I'll try and remember to report back with updates when we return from b2b Scan.Splendors & Art. Sojourn in Sept so that I can return the favor.)

[Paulchili]

cbb,

If you are interested in the tapas place I can see if I can find it. It was under the arcades of the ubiquitous main square (which every Spanish city has); while it was very good, I don't think you would have the time nor would want to take the time away from museum.

We stayed there overnight.

Cheers.

[cbb]

Paul,

are you kidding...the whole of cruisecritic probably wants to know where the tapas place is, if not for an immediate cruise then to have for future reference!! Don't wear yourself out looking for the place name/location (it's too hot where i live to do much of anything) but if you come across it that would wonderful. We will just hit the arcade in the spirit of adventure and if we find a tapas place we will declare that it must be yours! Thanks for the offer!!

[TERRIER1]

Has anyone tried to take the train up to San Sebastian from Bilboa? Thanks.

[ddcruiser]

Most importantly, we spent all our time in Bilbao at the Museum. Its permanent exhibitions are outstanding (Koons, and others) plus the recent exhibitions of Rousseau (wonderful) and Kapoor (incredible artist) take several hours to really enjoy. I suggest you pay for the audio guide inside and out to really understand the layout and exhibitions--the audio guide is definitely worth it. In every way, the Museum was a highlight of our recent Barcelona-Dover cruise.

 

Be prepared to take a taxi, shared if possible, as it's not cheap. Oceania does not pay for an extra shuttle (cost-cutting seems to be evident not only there). The port shuttle cannot possibly accommodate everyone and you waste a lot of time waiting which you really need to do justice to the Museum. DDCruiser

[Aruba]

we had an unexpectedly remarkable meal at the Guggenheim museum restaurant:

http://www.restauranteguggenheim.com/en/presentation/

Hint: Ask for a table on the terrace, a wedge of manchego and a bottle of of their superb local white Rioja (well chilled) ...... you may never want to leave!

 

Jim and Stan, we have a reservation for lunch at the restaurant in the Guggenheim on July 3rd. After seeing the picture above, I can hardly wait!

[LuAnn]

We were on Azamara and we were in Bibao because there was a strike at the port we were set to call on by the French dock workers. There was a shuttle provided...again...remember this is AZ so not sure if it applies to O. We loved this city...very walkable...right across from the Visitor's Information Center was a lovely wine tasting venue...it was very modern inside with at least 100, if not more, of wines available to taste. And the museum was beautiful...especially loved the big animal statue outside covered with flowers!! The museum was closed that day...but the outside was awesome unto itself! Enjoy!! LuAnn

[JimandStan]

The port shuttle cannot possibly accommodate everyone and you waste a lot of time waiting which you really need to do justice to the Museum.

 

DD cruiser probably has a point there. We knew that the shuttle existed (and we saw the lines) but we used a Taxi also.

 

we have a reservation for lunch at the restaurant in the Guggenheim on July 3rd. After seeing the picture above, I can hardly wait!

 

I think you will really enjoy it. Even though you may not have walked the town, the restaurant terrace gives you a unique perspective of the city lay out.

 

We also enjoyed being outside because we'd had a very long morning in the museum, and knew that the afternoon would be more of the same.

[YoHoHo]

Has anyone tried to take the train up to San Sebastian from Bilboa? Thanks.

I haven't yet but interested in travelling this area and esp trains. It can be hard getting train info on the train Co's websites as there is sometimes a lot of info you need first, such as which route but if you don't know - how can you know. To complicate things Bilbao is serviced by three train Co'.

The Ports of Call boards here at CC may be a good resource for you. I found this at about dot com:

Bilbao to San Sebastian by Train

 

The Basque Country has its own local train network, called Euskotren. It is very cheap and there are departures every hour (more often if you don't mind changing trains) but it is very slow - taking about 2h30 to get from Bilbao to San Sebastian

[Paulchili]

Paul,

are you kidding...the whole of cruisecritic probably wants to know where the tapas place is, if not for an immediate cruise then to have for future reference!! Thanks for the offer!!

 

Going only by my memory (which, unfortunately, is no longer reliable) it was probably Victor Montes in Plaza Nueva.

See this site for Tapas (Pintxos) in Bilbao - the page can be translated.

You probably can't go wrong in most of them; if they are busy with locals - they are good.

Enjoy your visit to Bilbao :)

[cbb]

Paul,

don't you wonder how many people have pasted your info into a trip document for future reference? (shhhh...we're not talking about me!)

Thanks!!

[Paulchili]

Paul,

don't you wonder how many people have pasted your info into a trip document for future reference? (shhhh...we're not talking about me!)

Thanks!!

 

cbb,

You are welcome - and you are too kind.

I doubt very much that too many people are interested in tapas bars in Bilbao. Now tapas in Barcelona or Madrid - that might get a lot more attention :)

Here is their web site:

http://www.victormontesbilbao.com/especialidades.htm

[RJB]

Does anyone remember how far from port to museum? And how much a taxi might cost? Thanks, Richie:)

[JimandStan]

Does anyone remember how far from port to museum? And how much a taxi might cost? Thanks, Richie:)

 

It is about a twenty minute drive, without traffic. My (rather dim) recollection is that we paid ten Euro's for the trip into town but 15 for the return. Both segments were in metered cabs.

 

A number of our fellow passengers took Taxi's to the Neguri Metro stop, which was at least three miles from the ship, and then purchased a 3 Euro Round Trip ticket into town, and then walked to the Guggenheim.

 

Doing it that way adds an additional hour onto the round trip, but you do save about twenty Euros total. Outbound we were too excited to consider this an option, and on the return I was all walked out. :rolleyes:

[dcdee]

We were there in Sept. 2008, so things may have changed but we took the port shuttle into Bilbao. While the shuttle could not take the entire ship, many people took ship's tours. Maybe we were lucky but we had only a few minutes wait for the shuttle to load and leave. It's approx. 25 minutes from the port in Getxo to the drop off point in Plaza Moyna in Bilbao.

 

We took a taxi back for 22E + tip

[MightyQuinn]

Will you dock in Getxo?

 

In May/08, for our Bilbao port call on HAL Prinsendam, we docked in Getxo. The port was ~15km from Bilbao & a free (!!) shuttle was provided to downtown, about a 25 min drive. The shuttle terminated at Plaza Moyua in Bilbao & from there it was an easy walk to the Guggenheim Museum.

 

Of course, we were there on a Monday when the Museum was closed :o:o but we still were able to enjoy the unique building as well as the fabulous installation art on the grounds. Behind the Museum is a lovely promenade along the Bilbao River that leads directly to Old Town. Here you can discover the treasures of Cathedral of Santiago, Iglesia San Nicholas, Gothic Church of San Anton & Arrianga Theatre. Not to mention tons of tapas bars offering unique Basque cuisine.