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Public Transport
Bilbao's public transport system is excellent, with a good bus network in addition to the metro and tram. Bilbobús (website: www.bilbao.net/bilbobus) routes cover all the districts in the city with more than 30 lines. Services run from around 0600 until 2300. Buses depart every 10 to 30 minutes depending on the lines. There are six night buses. Night buses depart every 30 minutes on Friday (until 0200 or 0230) and Saturday (all night services).
Metro Bilbao (tel: (94) 425 4000/25; website: www.metrobilbao.net), with its stylish fosteritos (stations designed by British architect Norman Foster) has two metro lines. Line 1 (Etxebarri-Plentzia) links Bilbao stations to the right-bank districts and will eventually reach Basauri, when construction work is completed in 2010. Line 2 (Etxebarri-Portugalete) links Bilbao stations to the left-bank districts. It stops in some of the most densely populated districts in Vizcaya, such as Barakaldo and Sestao, and will be extended to reach Kabiezes and Santurtzi. Trains run Sunday to Thursday 0600 to 2230-2300. On Friday nights they run until 0130-0200, and they run every 30 minutes all night on Saturday.
The first tramway in Bilbao appeared in 1872, and by 1920 the city's tramway network stretched over 109km (68 miles), with Arenal being the hub for 12 different lines. In 1964, however, the tram was replaced by electric buses, and it was only in late 2002 that trams were reintroduced. The new line, run by Euskotran (tel: 902 543 210; website: www.euskotran.es), has been gradually extended to cover an area linking Atxuri to Basurto. There is a central stretch across the district of Abandoibarra, with stops by some of Bilbao's architectural landmarks, such as the Arriaga Theatre, the Guggenheim Museum and the Euskalduna Palace. Trams run Monday to Friday 0600-0630 to 2300-2330 and Saturday and Sunday 0700-0730 to 2325.
Metro Bilbao (tel: (94) 425 4000/25; website: www.metrobilbao.net), with its stylish fosteritos (stations designed by British architect Norman Foster) has two metro lines. Line 1 (Etxebarri-Plentzia) links Bilbao stations to the right-bank districts and will eventually reach Basauri, when construction work is completed in 2010. Line 2 (Etxebarri-Portugalete) links Bilbao stations to the left-bank districts. It stops in some of the most densely populated districts in Vizcaya, such as Barakaldo and Sestao, and will be extended to reach Kabiezes and Santurtzi. Trains run Sunday to Thursday 0600 to 2230-2300. On Friday nights they run until 0130-0200, and they run every 30 minutes all night on Saturday.
The first tramway in Bilbao appeared in 1872, and by 1920 the city's tramway network stretched over 109km (68 miles), with Arenal being the hub for 12 different lines. In 1964, however, the tram was replaced by electric buses, and it was only in late 2002 that trams were reintroduced. The new line, run by Euskotran (tel: 902 543 210; website: www.euskotran.es), has been gradually extended to cover an area linking Atxuri to Basurto. There is a central stretch across the district of Abandoibarra, with stops by some of Bilbao's architectural landmarks, such as the Arriaga Theatre, the Guggenheim Museum and the Euskalduna Palace. Trams run Monday to Friday 0600-0630 to 2300-2330 and Saturday and Sunday 0700-0730 to 2325.
Taxis
Radio Tele-Taxi (tel: (94) 410 2121 or 421 8750), Radio Taxi Bilbao (tel: (94) 444 8888) and Radio Taxi Nervion (tel: (94) 426 9026 or 422 2411) are some of Bilbao's taxi companies.
Car Hire
You can hire cars from Avis (tel: (94) 427 5760; website: www.avis.com), Europcar (tel: (94) 442 2226; website: www.europcar.com) and Hertz (tel: (94) 415 3677; website: www.hertz-europe.com). Atesa (tel: (94) 442 3290; website: www.atesa.es) is a Spanish operator and the company also serves Bilbao. All have desks at the airport and offices in town.
Bicycle Hire
You can hire bicycles and scooters from Alquimoto (tel: (94) 401 2563; website: www.alquimoto.com). The Town Hall (tel: (94) 447 9206; website: www.bilbao.net) has a regular programme in the spring and autumn seasons for renting out bikes free of charge.
