Bilbao - Shuttle Buses

[onyx007]

Will be with NCL Star this year in Bilbao and I like to visit at least the Guggenheim.

 

Has anyone already been at this port and can tell me if they have usually Shuttle buses available and where they will drop of / pick up people ?

Will they just go the the nearest Metro-Stop or the whole way into the city centre ?

[alserrod]

Hello

First of all, I don't know the port of Getxo. Yes, I have been to Bilbao (and to the Guggenheim museum) and I have used the metro.

Google "Cruise Terminal" in "Getxo" and you will see a stopped cruise ship. It is where it will leave you (and I see that there is room for another one).
The closest metro stop is "Neguri" and it is a 1.9 km walk from where the boat drops you off. Almost everything is the port breakwater. There is no option for any means of transportation to bring you closer.

I have consulted metro schedules. From Neguri station to Bilbao, on a weekday starting at 9:00 the trains run every 5 minutes and take 20 minutes to reach the center of Bilbao.
There are two pricing zones and the single ticket costs 1.90 euros.
The metro is fairly new and very easy to use. It opened in 1995 and if you have traveled on any other metro line you should have no problem using it.

In the central area there are several stops. The "Moyua" one is 700 m from the Guggenheim museum

To return you can also choose the Moyua stop or also Abando, Indautxu or San Mamés to get to Getxo

[alserrod]

If you are a Guggenheim enthusiastic, I bet you have seen the movie "Tomorrow is not enough" by James Bond.

 

If you haven't, here's first minutes.... have a look to Bilbao and Guggenheim museum

 

[edinburgher]

6 hours ago, onyx007 said:

tell me if they have usually Shuttle buses available and where they will drop of / pick up people ?

At the time of my posting, this thread was directly uder yours and probably worthwhile reading for an answer to your question.

.https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2987519-getxo-port/#comment-66815901

 

[Hlitner]

I want to toss out a thought/experience and hope some others can add more recent experiences.  We have ported at Bilbao a few times, used the train and also used a shuttle bus service.  And it is this latter experience worth mentioning.  A few years ago we were on a HAL cruise that had a long day at Bilbao (a place we had previously visited on our own driving trips).  DW and I decided to walk out of the port and take the train/metro (we have no problem with long walks).  HAL did have a shuttle/excursion, but it was a bit pricey and we preferred to do our own thing.  As we entered the small port terminal we became aware that there was free shuttle bus service paid for by the local businesses/government in nearby Bilbao.  The folks on our ship that had paid for the cruise line shuttle were not happy folks (when they saw that there was also a nice free shuttle service).  Of course, HAL neglected (on board) to mention this free shuttle service.

 

I do not know if this shuttle still exists.

 

Hank

[onyx007]

On 1/26/2024 at 9:02 PM, alserrod said:

If you are a Guggenheim enthusiastic, I bet you have seen the movie "Tomorrow is not enough" by James Bond.

 

If you haven't, here's first minutes.... have a look to Bilbao and Guggenheim museum

 

 

Thanks, that's actually the main reason I like to see it and of course I am also a bit interested what is inside...I am more a movie enthusiastic then a Guggenheim...

[onyx007]

17 hours ago, Hlitner said:

I want to toss out a thought/experience and hope some others can add more recent experiences.  We have ported at Bilbao a few times, used the train and also used a shuttle bus service.  And it is this latter experience worth mentioning.  A few years ago we were on a HAL cruise that had a long day at Bilbao (a place we had previously visited on our own driving trips).  DW and I decided to walk out of the port and take the train/metro (we have no problem with long walks).  HAL did have a shuttle/excursion, but it was a bit pricey and we preferred to do our own thing.  As we entered the small port terminal we became aware that there was free shuttle bus service paid for by the local businesses/government in nearby Bilbao.  The folks on our ship that had paid for the cruise line shuttle were not happy folks (when they saw that there was also a nice free shuttle service).  Of course, HAL neglected (on board) to mention this free shuttle service.

 

I do not know if this shuttle still exists.

 

Hank

 

Thanks, my question was mainly to know if I should go on my own or go with an expensive Shorex...I plan therefore to walk the 20 odd minutes to the Metro Station or be surprised if there is even a free Shuttle at the port entrance...I'm pretty sure with NCL they will also have a semi-expensive shuttle and of course will tell nothing about any other means of transport...(experienced that already in Alta and Hammerfest/Norway, where there was a cheap public bus, while the Cruise-Shuttle was 25 US)

[alserrod]

Hello

I have been searching on many pages of the port of Bilbao, the municipality of Getxo and official Basque tourism sites. I haven't found anything about shuttles from the port. But it is possible that they do not report it as it is an exclusive service for cruise passengers and not open to the public.

In any case, walking a little you will have a metro line that will take you to the center of Bilbao in a 20-minute trip. Pretty fast considering the distance. And it will be very, very easy for you to get around by metro. Look at the stops in the center of Bilbao and you can use any of them to return.

Regarding ports and shuttles, I have been "lucky" on my previous cruise trips.
In one case they DID inform us that there was a free shuttle to the center. From there we organize the excursion.
In another case they told us that there was a city bus that went to the center. The price, for a single ticket, was not cheap but much much more than a paid excursion.

However, the good thing about these forums is that you can have a lot of information before leaving with the boat

[onyx007]

1 hour ago, alserrod said:

Hello

I have been searching on many pages of the port of Bilbao, the municipality of Getxo and official Basque tourism sites. I haven't found anything about shuttles from the port. But it is possible that they do not report it as it is an exclusive service for cruise passengers and not open to the public.

In any case, walking a little you will have a metro line that will take you to the center of Bilbao in a 20-minute trip. Pretty fast considering the distance. And it will be very, very easy for you to get around by metro. Look at the stops in the center of Bilbao and you can use any of them to return.

Regarding ports and shuttles, I have been "lucky" on my previous cruise trips.
In one case they DID inform us that there was a free shuttle to the center. From there we organize the excursion.
In another case they told us that there was a city bus that went to the center. The price, for a single ticket, was not cheap but much much more than a paid excursion.

However, the good thing about these forums is that you can have a lot of information before leaving with the boat

 

Thanks any other tips you might share what one shouldn't miss when in Bilbao ?

[Hlitner]

2 hours ago, onyx007 said:

 

Thanks, my question was mainly to know if I should go on my own or go with an expensive Shorex...I plan therefore to walk the 20 odd minutes to the Metro Station or be surprised if there is even a free Shuttle at the port entrance...I'm pretty sure with NCL they will also have a semi-expensive shuttle and of course will tell nothing about any other means of transport...(experienced that already in Alta and Hammerfest/Norway, where there was a cheap public bus, while the Cruise-Shuttle was 25 US)

Whether to go on your own (our style) or take an excursion is simply personal preference.  We generally find most local excursions/walking tours a terrible waste of our money and prefer to do our own thing without being part of a large group.  The downtown area of Bilbao is walkable, has lots of shopping (including some large department stores) and also has a nearby (walkable) old town area where we suggest folks just stroll, visit the nice size indoor market, browse shops, etc.

 

The major attraction in town is, of course, the Guggenheim Museum which is filled with contemporary/modern art.  You can pay a hefty entrance fee to see such exciting exhibits like a pile of dirt on the floor with a nearby dust pan.  DW and I think the best part of the Guggenheim is to view it from outside (the building is a fantastic design by the justly famous Frank Gehry.  We only pay to go inside if there is an interesting special exhibit (we once saw a terrific Armani show).   There is also a nice river walk for folks who simply want to take a long walk through a park-like area.  The city also has plenty of eating venues in all price ranges.

 

Getting to the Guggenheim from the central part of town is a hike.  The alternative is to simply take the local tram line which runs near the river (hard to miss).

 

Hank

 

 

[Coral]

Just my opinion on Guggenheim Museum - I really had not preferred Modern Art in the past and was mixed on going. I did a Spain Day Tour that included this museum.

 

We had a guide who spent 2/3 of our time with him (if we chose) and then he let us free for the remaining 1/3 of the time. I got a whole lot more out of the museum during the 2/3 of the time with the guide than I did with out him. I am not sure if I would have understood a lot of the art if I was on my own.

 

I do like art museums but most of what I am used to are the traditional art museums, not modern art.

 

I thoroughly enjoyed the interior and exterior of the Guggenheim. I am so glad I had a guide for the interior part of Guggenheim. I will go as far to say that the Guggenheim was the highlight of my time in Bilbao and our tour was an all day tour which took us all over.

[alserrod]

Sorry, I can't give much advice about Bilbao. I've been alone a few times. It's not like in Barcelona that I know it much more.

Bilbao is in the center of a valley that reaches the sea (in fact, the port of Getxo is where the river ends and the sea begins!!!). It is very easy to find your way because all the highways and cities run parallel to the river.
If you look at the center of Bilbao, look at these two places:
- San Mamés Stadium
- Abando railway station.

The metro connects San Mamés and Abando passing through the central area (comes from Getxo) and continues towards the old area (Casco Viejo stop)
The tram connects San Mamés and Abando passing by the river and the Guggenheim museum (it is impossible to miss it)

The single ticket costs 1.70 euros (1.90 from Getxo due to the distance). If you buy a card for several trips, it costs about 50 cents (it has to do with a provisional measure that the government has given regarding mobility. I don't explain why, which is long, but in my city transportation costs 1, 60 euros per ticket... or 0.43 if I pay with a specific card)

The striking thing about Bilbao was the change it had in the 90s. It went from having a completely industrial river known for being very ugly to having a very pleasant river to walk (and the museum). Those were years in which river or sea banks were recovered in Spain. For example, Barcelona won a part of the port for the city before the Olympics, Zaragoza gained almost a new river after 2005 and a little later the same in Madrid.

But.... I can't give very precise advice about Bilbao. If you ask something generic, I can search specific pages and answer, yes.

[onyx007]

@alserrod no Problem. can do that myself, now I know what to look for...

[onyx007]

17 hours ago, Hlitner said:

Whether to go on your own (our style) or take an excursion is simply personal preference.  We generally find most local excursions/walking tours a terrible waste of our money and prefer to do our own thing without being part of a large group.  The downtown area of Bilbao is walkable, has lots of shopping (including some large department stores) and also has a nearby (walkable) old town area where we suggest folks just stroll, visit the nice size indoor market, browse shops, etc.

 

The major attraction in town is, of course, the Guggenheim Museum which is filled with contemporary/modern art.  You can pay a hefty entrance fee to see such exciting exhibits like a pile of dirt on the floor with a nearby dust pan.  DW and I think the best part of the Guggenheim is to view it from outside (the building is a fantastic design by the justly famous Frank Gehry.  We only pay to go inside if there is an interesting special exhibit (we once saw a terrific Armani show).   There is also a nice river walk for folks who simply want to take a long walk through a park-like area.  The city also has plenty of eating venues in all price ranges.

 

Getting to the Guggenheim from the central part of town is a hike.  The alternative is to simply take the local tram line which runs near the river (hard to miss).

 

Hank

 

 

Hefty fee ? As I see, the general admission is only 15 Euros, which is nothing in compare to entrance fee's to other sights...

[edinburgher]

8 hours ago, onyx007 said:

You can pay a hefty entrance fee

not "hefty" at all, and if anyone lucky enough to be age 65 plus, there is a discount.

[Hlitner]

8 hours ago, onyx007 said:

Hefty fee ? As I see, the general admission is only 15 Euros, which is nothing in compare to entrance fee's to other sights...

We are used to many museums that are free :).  30 Euros (for a couple) is real money for this guy :).  If we were impressed with the art, it would be worth the money.  DWs reaction to their permanent display was the spent most of their money on the building (which is impressive) and had little left to purchase real art.  My favorite "work of art" is a video (constantly playing on a loop) of a man's naked behind blowing out all kinds of farts.  And that was one of the better works :).

 

Hank

[onyx007]

On 1/29/2024 at 4:37 PM, Hlitner said:

We are used to many museums that are free :).  30 Euros (for a couple) is real money for this guy :).  If we were impressed with the art, it would be worth the money.  DWs reaction to their permanent display was the spent most of their money on the building (which is impressive) and had little left to purchase real art.  My favorite "work of art" is a video (constantly playing on a loop) of a man's naked behind blowing out all kinds of farts.  And that was one of the better works :).

 

Hank

Just to give you a comparison; the Guggenheim in your own New York City has an entrance fee of 30 US, now that is a hefty fee (the same fee is also applied for the Philadelphia Museum of Art ...) 

[Hlitner]

49 minutes ago, onyx007 said:

Just to give you a comparison; the Guggenheim in your own New York City has an entrance fee of 30 US, now that is a hefty fee (the same fee is also applied for the Philadelphia Museum of Art ...) 

Our issue is less about the fee but more about what you get for that fee.  

[Coral]

On 1/30/2024 at 2:19 PM, Hlitner said:

Our issue is less about the fee but more about what you get for that fee.  

I actually was impressed with the museum in Nov 2022. Not sure when you were there last. I am not into modern art and really was impressed. I was hesitant to go as I didn't think I would enjoy it.

[P&O SUE]

P&O does a shuttle into Blibao. I know that doesn’t help you but if you did find your ship put on a shuttle it went to a square. From there it was a straight easy walk to the Guggenheim of 10 minutes or less. The second time we went we went into the main town, just walked about, found another square and  had a delicious lunch sitting outside. We then found we were near the river so walked along it as we knew it would bring us to the Guggenheim and then it was easy to find our shuttle bus again!

[alserrod]

About lunch.... Bilbao and the whole Basque country is known as the best area in Spain to eat.

It will not be the cheapest in Spain but, for sure, not bad food at all.