Bilboa (Getxo) to City Center

[TERRIER1]

Is there a free shuttle providing by the port that gets you from Getxo to the city center? I called Oceania but as usual they told me I had to wait until I am on the ship to see if they were providing a shuttle. Thanks.

[sunnies]

Is there a free shuttle providing by the port that gets you from Getxo to the city center? I called Oceania but as usual they told me I had to wait until I am on the ship to see if they were providing a shuttle. Thanks.

 

When we were in Bilbao last May on Regatta, there were buses provided. However they filled very quickly so line up early. You will need to do the same on the return trip. Be careful to take note of where the bus will pick you up as a few passengers could not recall.

[winegirl]

During our Oceania cruise last June, we were notified the day before arriving in port that there would be a shuttle bus operating, with free rides into Bilbao proper. However, the buses accomodated only 50 people at a time, so we made sure we were in line early, waiting for the first shuttle. We had a free walking tour lined up, then lunch at the Guggenheim Museum (a great value for multi course lunch with wine, make reservations on the Guggenheim Museum website.) We spent the afternoon touring the Museum. By the time we were done, the last shuttle had run so 4 of us took a taxi back to the ship (guest services at the museum called a taxi for us.) The driver was a hoot, he happened to love American jazz and even had a book in the taxi on the subject. Bilbao turned out to be one of our best ports!

 

I believe the shuttle was arranged by the local tourism agency, and they had representatives in port to help you with questions, very helpful people. I strongly suspect there will be a shuttle when the tourism board knows a large ship will be coming into Getxo.

 

If the shuttle is not offered, I'd suggest finding a couple leaving the ship to share a taxi to town. The driver will charge the same for 2 or 4, split the cost. That gives you the maximum flexibility.

 

I kept some notes on my research for this port:

There is a metro station within walking distance (Neguri station) with fairly frequent runs but you will need to walk through part of town to reach it. The town is very nice, with many beautiful waterfront homes near the port.

 

Dock to town: From the Getxo Cruise Dock it takes about 15 minutes, walking distance, to reach the nearest Metro Neguri station in Getxo town. The taxi could cost around 25 euros.

RADIO TAXI +34 94 444 88 88

TELE TAXI +34 94 410 21 21

TAXI NERVION +34 94 426 90 26

[osandomir]

Wingirl,

 

Can you please tell me about the walking tour that you arranged in Bilbao.

Thanks ;)

Olga

[TERRIER1]

Thanks so much wine girl for the info. The Marina is in Bilbao intil 11 pm. How late does the port run the shuttle? How far is the Neguri station if you walk? This is good data to have. I will make sure to look into the metro stops as well. Thanks.

[winegirl]

Re the shuttle: shuttle may run until 4-5 pm, not until late in the evening. If you are in Bilbao for dinner, you will have to take a taxi, a subway ride or the bus to the port. Here's a link to Bilbao tourism, with a lot of information on getting around, practical information: http://www2.bilbao.net/bilbaoturismo/index_ingles.htm

 

Here are my notes about getting from Getxo to Bilbao:

 

From the cruise ship dock to Bilbao:

Cruise ships dock at the new cruise port in Getxo, next to the Marina. Most cruise ships offer their own tours: usually either to the Guggenheim in the city or to Gernika/Bizkaia. To translate 20kms distance, it is about a 20 minutes drive from the docking port to the city centre in Bilbao, increase time for times of heavy traffic.

 

If you want to do it on your own, the quickest and most expensive would be to take a cab, which may await the cruise ship docking. Fare approx: 15-20 euros. From the port you can walk it to the Marina area (5-7 minutes), here there are some traditional and some international chain restaurants.

People who have mentioned Bizkaibus (bus) and Metro (subway), should warn you that it is at least a good 20 minutes walk to the nearest station, which would be Neguri. Bizkaibus can be caught along the main Inner road that borders the coast to the right of the port. About 200 hundred metres past the Marina area, on the left you have a beach with a few hotels and restaurants lining some of it, and a road that goes all along it. On the very far end, you will see the old fishing village of Algorta (now giving the name to all the apartment blocks/houses lining the cliff that borders the beach. This is now home to a few popular restaurants and bars and is pretty well-preserved. Some people from the cruises just stick to this area. You can go up to the town proper either through steep paths, or there is a lift about 3/4 of the way round the beach that will take you up.

If you want to go into Bilbao, you don't turn on to this beach, but carry straight on past the Marine Red Cross building on the right. You will have sea on your right and some imposing villas on the cliff to your left. You will then reach a main road with traffic lights. Along this road are the bus stops of the Bizkaibus to take you into Bilbao. You will need a map to find the nearest metro station as you can't see it from where you are, although it is pretty close by (Neguri), beyond the main road where you are now standing.

More bus information: the buses you can catch are the A3413 (Getxo-Bilbao, every 30 minutes) or the A3411 (Aizkorri-Getxo-Bilbao: every hour). Both will go via the river route, i.e. follow the Nervion estuary into Bilbao and go past the Puente Colgante in Las Arenas. The last but one stop is in front of the Bilbao Fine Arts museum, and you can walk to the Guggenheim also from there. You see more but buses are slower.

 

Metro trains are very frequent, from Getxo max 10 minutes at off-peak hours and every 4-5 mins during peak times."

We did not use the bus or the metro, so I can't comment further on that topic.

The walking tours were offered through the Bilbao tourism office: http://www2.bilbao.net/bilbaoturismo/ingles/qvisitar/bilbaowt.htm

Two minimal cost walking tours. We took the Old Town tour. Take note, you will be outside, in noisy streets and a local guide will be conducting the tour in Spanish accented English. Some people were unhappy that they could not hear or understand the local accent as well as they'd prefer. There are no headsets offered so you will need to pay attention. If you are hard of hearing, this is not a good option for you. The Old Quarter tour took us to areas we probably would not have discovered on our own, in a minimal amount of time, and we enjoyed the tour and the guide.

[TERRIER1]

Great information. Thanks so much Winegirl. I have the train line and stops since I will probably miss the shuttle coming back to the ship. However, the 20 minute walk seems nice since it goes through a different neighborhood.

[jpalbny]

We used the Metro in September and it was really easy. It was, as others mentioned, about 20 minutes from the pier but no problem finding it - I had programmed the location into my GPS prior to leaving the States...

 

The ticket machines were easy to use and the ride was relatively fast. I think it cost maybe 2 euros each, so pretty cheap if you don't mind the walk.

 

On the way back we used the shuttle. If you Metro back, be sure you get on the proper line (there are 2 routes, which converge and run on the same track downtown). If you get on the wrong one, you'll end up on the wrong side of the river once you get out of town, and it will be a long swim over to the ship.

[patsyc]

Hi Winegirl, thanks so much for the info!

 

Saved me a lot of time research this port!

Edited May 11, 2011 by patsyc
found answer immediately after i asked a question.

[pier]

Thanks, Winegirl! Your posts have been a gift.

[Me_01]

Hi.

Can anyone advise is Royal Carrabien provide also the suffle bus from Gexto to Bilbao as well as to from the posty to city centre of Le havre ?

 

Thank you

[LHT28]

Hi.

Can anyone advise is Royal Carrabien provide also the suffle bus from Gexto to Bilbao as well as to from the posty to city centre of Le havre ?

 

Thank you

You may want to ask on the RCL forum

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=83

 

The port in Le Havre usually provide a shuttle to city centre