Bilbao, the Basque Country and Beyond

This short article is an introduction to the series of linked articles about Bilbao and the Basque Country. The city, or villa, of Bilbao is the biggest urban settlement in the area. It is an interesting place both to live in, and to visit.  Mountains, sea and villages surround the city, so there is lots to do and see. 

The Basque Country

Bilbao is a Basque city about 90 minutes away from the Spanish-French border, so it is a good place to go if you want a multi-cultural trip. You would pass by or through San Sebastián on the way to France and the Basque towns of Saint Jean de Luz, Biarritz or Bayona on the other side of the border. The areas which neighbour Bilbao and the Basque Country, like Cantabria, with its main city of Santander, and the wine country of La Rioja have their own distinct character. You are spoiled for choice whenever choosing direction and activities, with excellent transport links and a choice of car-hire companies.

The city itself has a population of about 350,000 but the greater Bilbao area is in and around the million mark. It has an excellent transport system which includes buses, trains and the underground system. It is an area you can easily explore and you can easily escape into the beautiful surrounding countryside quickly. Bilbao boasts a series of distinct neighbourhoods from the old town, which you can read more about at this link. There are also the unique neighbourhoods of San Francisco and Deustu, which you can read about here.

An Introduction to the Article Series

Travelling Tailtiu's series of linked articles about Bilbao cover many of the activities you can get up to either as a visitor on a brief visit. Maybe you are a global migrant who would like to settle down for a while and get to know the place a bit better? Just as with our linked article on first impressions of the place, the full series of articles aims to give the reader the impression of what an outsider feels and how they feel visiting or living in the city of Bilbao and when they are exploring the surrounding area. We will add more articles on life here as time goes on to eventually give you a fully-comprehensive guide.

One particular aspect which we are eager to show people is how to get around the place, especially if you don't want to spend unnecessarily on transport. The area can be cheap to get around and public transport connects the place up incredibly well. From arrival at the airport if you are flying, which you can find out more about here, you can easily get into town on the provincial bus service Bizkaibus, specifically on the A3247 line, which departs from the airport door.

Transport options

The public transport options become even cheaper with the purchase of the Barik transport card, which is only €4 and has more information at this link. You can easily jump between the various city and provincial buses as well as the various train and tram tracks using the Barik card, while availing of a discount on the subsequent journey within a certain timeframe, known as transbordo in Spanish. You can learn more about each of the public transport options and check out timetables at this link. 

In Tailtiu's eyes, a city is kind of a big town possibly containing a cathedral (it also has a football cathedral which the fans have nicknamed as such in the form of Athletic Bilbao's stadium. You can read more about it here) or university, or both, which Bilbao certainly has on all three counts, so why was Bilbao referred to as a Villa at the start of this article?  

Well, start clicking the links in this article, on the Bilbao, the Basque Country and Beyond menu page in the above menu or browse Travelling Tailtiu's latest articles to start exploring and find out!