Bilbao - Taxi service experience?

[sunfan03]

Still looking at options for when in Port with my dad and his siblings (14 pax). Does anyone have experience with catching a taxi to Bilbao? Cost?

 

I'm thinking if we can get to Bilbao, then we can explore on our own. We'll be there at the end of October. 

[vivace91]

We were a group of 6 and never could get a "van" at the taxi stands.  We always ended up taking 2 separate taxis (as they only will take 4 and some only 3 passengers) or we pre-booked a van ahead of time.  We were in Barcelona and Rome but I think it's the same everywhere from what I've heard.  If you have to pay for 4 separate taxis, it could very likely be cost efficient and a better experience to see if you can pre-book a mini-bus that meets you at the cruise terminal - much less hassle and you will all arrive together. Happy travels!

[Hlitner]

A taxi for 14?  You will be waiting until the next century.  If you want to travel with a crowd that size you should consider pre-booking a mini-bus!  Otherwise you might need as many as 4 taxis which could be a problem.

 

Hank

[edinburgher]

I would still persevere trying to find a minibus in part due to cost as you will need to compare costs.

 

Our ship ran shuttle buses from the port to the entrance to the Old Town, but 14 x shuttle bus tickets may cost more than 2x minibuses.  2x minibuses as you will also need to be transported back to the ship and that too you will need to arrange. (and you are already struggling with ONE way)

 

From the shuttle bus drop off/pick up point, it was very easy to explore the main sights on foot, including the Old Town, riverside and the Guggenheim.

 

And is it absolutely essential that all 14 of you move around together?  There must surely be some ports where not every person wants to leave the ship at exactly the same time as the others, and do exactly the same as the others at the same time and for the same length of time depending on their interests.

 

Consider spitting into smaller groups and then you will have lots more to talk about over dinner.🙂

Edited July 21, 2023 by edinburgher

[sunfan03]

I guess I'm wondering average cost for a taxi that carries 4 pax from cruise terminal to Bilbao.

 

I have a quote for a minibus to take us around Bilbao at roughly $125/pp, so I'm wondering if this is worth it. Or if we can save money and catch a cab to Bilbao to sightsee on our own. 

[edinburgher]

9 hours ago, sunfan03 said:

Or if we can save money and catch a cab to Bilbao to sightsee on our own. 

The cruise dock is actually some distance from Bilbao in an area called something like Gexo. (sorry not more precise)

It has beaches, andI THINK  locals from Bilbao city can   use a metro or bus to reach it from Bilbao. You would need to check.

 

Before booking anything, may be an idea to check on buses or a metro line. If few or no results from your internet searching, maybe contact the OFFICIAL Bilbao Tourist Office and ask?

Edited August 4, 2023 by edinburgher

[Coral]

This probably isn't what you asked but I was really pleased with my Spain Day Tour:

https://www.spaindaytours.com/spain-shore-excursions/bilbao-shore-excursion/ 

 

By booking a private tour with them - you can control your day. We had enough balance of private guide and free time that I thought the tour was perfect. I am glad we had a bus to move us around the city from site to site.

 

I absolutely loved this tour. We had 11 on our tour if I remember correctly but they provided a full bus so we had plenty of space. We had a shared tour but they will book a private tour. This would be the way to go IMO.

 

They also do transfers. I am glad we had transportation within the city through them though. It maximized our time in the parts of the city we wanted to spend.

Edited August 5, 2023 by Coral

[edinburgher]

On 8/4/2023 at 6:16 AM, sunfan03 said:

Bilbao to sightsee on our own. 

Should you discover a bus or metro or tram, really any public transport, perhaps you would be kind enough to post the info here as it could be useful to others in the future.

[fonthillhdtv]

https://www.bilbaoturismo.net/BilbaoTurismo/en/mapas-de-transporte

 

[edinburgher]

On 8/4/2023 at 6:16 AM, sunfan03 said:

so I'm wondering if this is worth it. Or if we can save money and catch a cab to Bilbao to sightsee on our own.

Sunfan03 did you get any info from the Bilbao Tourist info office as I see a map of the metro system has been kindly posted.

 

ideally you would want to know the closet metro (or bus) stop to the port, also which stop you would need to get off at in the city to begin your sightseeing.

 

Should you already have that info, or find it, may be kind and post it as others reading this thread in the future might find it useful.

[Minesinger66]

Looks like Neguri is the closest metro stop to the port (about 25min walk accdg to google maps) and to get to Guggenheim the stop is Moyua then 9 minute walk to Guggenheim. Looks like metro rates are very reasonable, around 1 Euro for 1 way trip (although Google says 1.9Euro). Hope this helps.

We are stopping there in October and this is making me rethink that the metro is an option vs other taxis/transfers as we are mobile and can walk. Not sure about if touring the town ourselves makes sense

[edinburgher]

10 hours ago, Minesinger66 said:

Not sure about if touring the town ourselves makes sense

If you are happy to explore on your own you can choose where you want to go and how long you want to spend there, and if you want lunch or a snack you get to choose the location which most appeals to you. Bilbao has a reputation for pintxos, the Basque equivalent of tapas. Again, there should be recommendations online.

 

We spent some time exploring the Old Town then walked the relatively short distance to the waterfront which we strolled along.  You will see the Guggenheim  as it is located alongside the waterfront, so even if you don't want to visit inside, you will get some super photos of the "interesting" exterior from the opposite side.

 

Those two areas were flat so easily walkable although we didn't explore any other part of the city.

 

Should you feel you need it, you could easily take info with you, or be able to access it when there.

 

Try Tripadvisor and others for suggestions of what to do or see in Bilbao. and pintxos recommendations too.

Edited August 25, 2023 by edinburgher

[Y21]

15 hours ago, Minesinger66 said:

Looks like Neguri is the closest metro stop to the port

We'll be visiting there in Oct also and planning to do our own. Our plan is to take the metro from Gobela station (similar distance to Neguri) to Abando and stop at the tourism office to purchase a 24hr BB card (10€). The card covers metros, trams, buses as well as funiculars.

The Metro website does say a single ticket is 1.90€ (2 zones). BB cards are only available at one of two tourism offices in Bilbao, but it will still be less to cover our plan.