"Madrid to Santander to Bilbao" Top 5 Page for this destination Bilbao Transportation Tip by suvanki

To get to Bilbao from my home in the north of England, it was cheaper and more convenient for me to fly to Madrid from Liverpool, then from Madrid to Santander then get the bus to Bilbao! (A direct flight would have meant a long and expensive train to London then Stanstead)

My flight from Madrid cost 6 Euros! (inc taxes etc - Ryanair, hand luggage only and online check in)
The flight was less than an hour.

I picked up a map of Bilbao at the small tourist Info Office. I understood that there was a direct bus from Santander airport to Bilbao, but was told that I'd have to get a bus from the airport to Santander bus station in the city centre. (One was due in 5 minutes, and you purchased your ticket from the driver)

A bus pulled up, and a group queued to board, but the driver said you needed a ticket. One of the group was saying that the ticket office was closed, but the driver shut the doors and drove off. I wasn't sure if he just didn't like the look of this group.

I hung around for a bit longer, but then decided to get a taxi. I was quite shocked to find that the fare for the short journey was 18 Euros!!! I questioned this, but the taxi driver kept pointing to his meter 12 euro fare + 6 euros supplement (airport pick up and luggage (for my small case)

I later found out that the service bus from the airport was a couple of Euros-and the stop was a short walk from the arrivals area. The bus that had pulled up was from the ALSA company - you can pre book online, or purchase tickets when the desk is open)

(Yes, I should have done my homework!!)

I purchased a ticket for the journey to Bilbao, which cost 6.71 Euros for the 90 minute journey.
Bus 29 ALSA Bus Service.

There were a few stops before we arrived at the bus station in Bilbao, near the San Mames Stadium and RENFE train/metro station.

Mode: TO
Type: Airplane