Is it worth doing? Bilbao, La Rochelle etc

[amurray88]

Hi All,

 

We are a bit "done" with the usual Barcelona, Rome, Florence itineraries. We enjoy being busy on a cruise but just feel we'd like to see somewhere different. Is Bilbao and La Rochelle worth seeing on the Virtuosa? I believe it goes to A Coruna and "Paris" too.

 

We done the Canary Islands in January which were perfect for what we wanted at that time (downtime and sun) but there really was so little to do. If we felt this was the same we'd probably not bother.

 

Thank you!

[Justpackingmybags]

Yes, La Rochelle is a bus ride away from the port area, but is a lovely town to spend time wandering around before finding one of many seafood restaurants to dine in.

Bilbao is also a fantastic place to visit. We did a tour of the city including the Guggenheim we were there in April and the weather was fantastic. Other places to go to from the ship are San Sebastián- a total foodie paradise! And Guernica with its sad history. We docked in the seaside town of Getxo & that looked like a good place to mooch around if you don’t want to go further afield.

[alserrod]

Bilbao is an industrial city that had a hard renovation in the 90ish, having a pleasant river to walk around it.

Gugghenheim museum is a must, even the building but it is nice for a day cruise.

 

Bilbao underground reaches port area and you will be in city centre within less than 15 minutes

[Eglesbrech]

La Courouna the pretty old town is right opposite the ship with nice one off shops, tapas bars etc. just go across the main road and you are there.  The new town with the bigger department stores is off to the left of you if you have your back to the ship.

 

Ships generally offer tours to Santiago de Comastella from here which is lovely to visit.

 

La Rochellle is an industrial port so everyone needs a shuttle which takes about 25 to 30 minutes each way traffic dependant. Just your luck which drop off you get on the day. We love it here and I can highly recommend Bar Andre on the harbour near the tower if you like seafood. There are lots of lovely shops, cafes and people watching opportunities. Most lines also offer a trio to Conac which is also a nice day out.

 

Bilboa is a long shuttle if the traffic is bad but the drop off point is usually near the Guggenheim which is lovely to see if you haven’t been before.
 

The little local town is up the hill and you can’t actually see it from the ships berth. Walk along the beach promenade (left at the end of the walk from the ship) and about 10 minutes along on the right is a funicular that takes you up into Gextco (which is now free of charge to use). The town is small but there are some shops and local tapas which is exceptionally cheap. We had 2 nice local beers and 3 tapas for under 10 euro. There are also some bars and tapas at the harbour if you are not a walker. The metro station to Bilbao is also there.

[amurray88]

Great replies thank you! It sounds like these are worthwhile ports. We love the size of Barcelona and Rome, just wish there were more cities like it. Thanks for all the feedback!

[FionaMG]

For Bilbao, is Neguri the nearest metro station to the port in Getxo? Looks to be about a 15 minute walk from the port? Or is there a closer one that Google is hiding from me?

Edited April 14 by FionaMG
sp.

[Cloudyrain]

They are great ports to go to: La Coruna is one of my faves and very walkable.

 

La Rochelle is beautiful, but it is a shuttle and we unfortunately had a really bad journey back with people queuing for hours due to a problem with the buses and a taxi strike. It was worth it though and a nice town and harbour with an aquarium.

 

La Harve is a nice town, once you get there. You can also do trips to other places from there quite easily, not just Paris, but places a lot closer like Honfleurs.  Bilbao is interesting but you need to travel to get there. 
 

we love these itineraries as they are quite port intensive, and we like a city/town day. 

[amurray88]

We shall soon find out!.... pressed the book button.

[GPPhilly]

We just did the 11 night RT from Southampton.  We loved the ports, Bilbao was a #1 one for several of our group.  I personally loved our day trip to Amsterdam but Bilbao was great.  La Rochelle was very nice we did Green Venice but I would not say it was a must do.  

[amurray88]

3 hours ago, GPPhilly said:

We just did the 11 night RT from Southampton.  We loved the ports, Bilbao was a #1 one for several of our group.  I personally loved our day trip to Amsterdam but Bilbao was great.  La Rochelle was very nice we did Green Venice but I would not say it was a must do.  

That's invaluable thank you!

Anything we should definitely do?

 

Thanks!

[GPPhilly]

6 minutes ago, amurray88 said:

That's invaluable thank you!

Anything we should definitely do?

 

Thanks!

If you are stopping in Rotterdam, I would definitely take the day trip to Amsterdam.  In Bilbao, we did the Guggenheim and walked to the old town area.  

[amurray88]

4 minutes ago, GPPhilly said:

If you are stopping in Rotterdam, I would definitely take the day trip to Amsterdam.  In Bilbao, we did the Guggenheim and walked to the old town area.  

Perfect. No Amsterdam.... La Rochelle, le havre, Bilbao and la Coruna. Looking forward to some new places. 

 

And not to forget, Southampton which I've never been to either!

[perakcruiser]

I really would love to do this cruise, it is one of the very few really interesting routes in Europe. But so limited departures, really only two or three every year. 2024 does not fit, 2025 does not fit, but 2026 looks good for me. Fingers crossed.

[Cloudyrain]

58 minutes ago, perakcruiser said:

I really would love to do this cruise, it is one of the very few really interesting routes in Europe. But so limited departures, really only two or three every year. 2024 does not fit, 2025 does not fit, but 2026 looks good for me. Fingers crossed.

P&O do this route quite frequently, occasionally Royal Caribbean do too. It’s a great route 😊