The Port of Bilbao

This guide is tailored for cruise passenger visiting Bilbao. 

The Port of Bilbao Leaders – A “Can Do” Attitude
Just as important as the attractions of Bilbao and surrounding areas and the cutting-edge port facilities and services, is the “can do” attitude of the Port of Bilbao authorities. They will go the extra mile to work with cruise industry leaders to offer the best services, the most innovative tours, special incentives, and even entertainment and festivities for passengers.

Contact the Port of Bilbao at puertobilbao@bilbaoport.es, for additional information 

Sights and Attractions

The Basque Country, a must on your route
The Basque Country welcomes 2 million visitors per year. This is 18% more tourists compared to the three previous years; with regards to overseas visitors, the increase is 33%.

Guggenheim Museum Bilbao – A Spain “Must See”
Another outstanding visit is to Bilbao: the town, which has become an international example of urban regeneration, is only fifteen minutes from the cruise terminal. During their visit, tourists can get to know the town’s perfectly preserved old quarter and its more modern areas, where Frank O. Ghery’s Guggenheim Museum is located.

Just a few meters away is the Bilbao Fine Arts Museum.

The exhibition coincides with the year of his eightieth birthday and presents the same number of works carried out in the last sixty years to show the evolution of a painter who has developed his own style based on the exaltation of volume and color. 

Unparalleled Gastronomy and Excellent Shopping
In addition, Bilbao has many restaurants and bars where the renowned Basque cuisine can be savored, not to mention a great number of both traditional and international fashion shops. “Pintxos”, the refined Spanish tapas of the Basque country, Txacoli, the award-winning Basque white wine, and outstanding seafood, are some of the offerings that make the visit to Bilbao a memorable gastronomic journey.

Things to See

• Gernika, the emblematic town that inspired Pablo Picasso’s most famous painting, near the Biscay villages on the sea with long fishing traditions, and also near the Urdaibai biosphere reserve.
• San Sebastian, known all over the world for its beauty and international film festival, as well as its Michelin star restaurants
• Vitoria-Gasteiz, the administrative capital of the Basque Country, with a rich heritage including Santa Maria Cathedral, which inspired Ken Follett’s “World without end”.
• Visit some of the best wine cellars in Spain and tasting the best Rioja wines. At the Marques de Riscal Bodegas, tourists are amazed by the 42-room hotel designed by Frank Gehry—a mini-Guggenheim in pink titanium.
• The beautiful French-Basque towns of Saint Jean de Luz, Biarritz and Bayonne.
• Quaint fishing towns such as Bermeo and the charming Hondarribia, whose exceptional cuisine has been praised by the NY Times
• UNESCO natural spaces such as the Biosphere Reserve of Urdabai

Photo's taken by: Mr. A. Levitan and Bilbao Tourism Office

Things to Do

Photo's taken by: Mr. A. Levitan and Bilbao Tourism Office

Bilbao Cruise Terminal

The present cruise terminal is ideally located in Getxo, in a privileged environment next to promenades, a marina, a certified Blue Flag beach, a UNESCO-declared World Heritage site transporter bridge. In addition, there are several hotel and catering establishments including a restaurant managed by a one-star Michelin chef. Given the growth of the Basque Country as a tourist attraction and the international increase in cruise tourism, the Port Authority of Bilbao will build a second cruise terminal beside the existing one with the works due to commence in November. The Port Authority has invested 14 million euros in this facility, which hasa surface area of 27,400m², 355 meters berthing, and a 12-meter draught.

Photo's taken by: Mr. A. Levitan and Bilbao Tourism Office

Port Facts

The gateway to Spain’s “Must See” Attractions

Year after year, the Port of Bilbao has been consolidating cruise traffic while welcoming new vessels and a greater number of cruise passengers. These achievements have been due to its infrastructure and the exceptional tourist attractions in the Basque Country.

At the Port of Bilbao, visitors can begin their vacation on board cruise vessels offering routes from five to nine days mainly to the north of Europe or include Bilbao as a port of call, and even stay a day and a half or days berthed at the cruise terminal in the town of Getxo.

Other cruisers have also opted for Bilbao, some on more than one occasion, as a preferred port of call on their routes. In all, the Getxo Terminal, situated only 15 minutes from Bilbao and from its airport.

Notice: Content and travel advice presented is created by a port moderator and/or AI, courtesy of ChatGPT. It is specifically designed for cruise passengers visiting this port of call. A port moderator could be a local individual, destination expert, port authority, or a tourism agency. While every effort has been made to ensure accuracy, we recommend that you verify critical information like visas, health and safety, customs, and transportation with official sources before departure.