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Bilbao Coach Hire for Groups and Delegations

Bilbao is compact and strung along its river, and a coach gets around it easily. The work for an organiser lies in two details that are not published: the low-emission rules for coaches, and where a coach may set down.

Two things to settle before the trip

Bilbao has a low-emission zone in the centre, but the council page on it could not be opened when this guide was checked, so the rules for coaches and for vehicles registered abroad are not given here. The operator confirms what applies to the coach you book.

Nor is there an official list of coach set-down points. The stop for the Guggenheim, the Casco Viejo or the hotel is agreed in advance, along with where the coach waits.

MAN Lion's Coach 49-seat touring coach, front three-quarter view
MAN Lion's Coach 49-seat touring coach, front three-quarter view

Guggenheim, Casco Viejo and Abandoibarra

The Guggenheim and the Euskalduna congress centre share the Abandoibarra riverside. Across on the right bank, the Siete Calles of the old town and La Ribera market are for walking. A walk from the museum along the river to the old town frees the coach for the middle of the day.

Flying the group into Bilbao

  • Bilbao Airport (BIO) — about 13 km by road to Plaza Moyúa, in the centre of Bilbao, about 20 min by coach in light traffic; longer at peak times

Stadiums and arenas a coach can reach

  • San Mamés — Athletic Club home ground, at the west end of the centre
  • Bilbao Arena (Miribilla) — Indoor arena for basketball and events
  • Bizkaia Arena (BEC, Barakaldo) — Large concert and event hall at the BEC

Coach day trips out of Bilbao

  • Portugalete (Puente de Bizkaia) — about 13 km, about 25 min
  • San Juan de Gaztelugatxe — about 33 km, about 50 min
  • Gernika — about 37 km, about 45 min
  • Vitoria-Gasteiz — about 64 km, about 1 h 5 min
  • Haro (La Rioja wine area) — about 95 km, about 1 h 20 min
  • Santander — about 100 km, about 1 h 35 min
  • Donostia / San Sebastián — about 102 km, about 1 h 35 min
  • Laguardia (Rioja Alavesa) — about 111 km, about 1 h 45 min
  • Pamplona — about 157 km, about 2 h 20 min

Coach access and parking rules in Bilbao

  • Bilbao Airport (BIO, at Loiu) is about 13 km by road from Plaza Moyúa, about 20 min in light traffic. Journeys take longer at peak times.
  • Bilbao has a low-emission zone (ZBE) in the city centre. Its official page could not be read for this file, so its current rules for coaches and for vehicles registered abroad are not given here: the operator confirms what applies to the vehicle booked.
  • Spanish low-emission zones use the DGT environmental label (distintivo ambiental): 0 EMISIONES, ECO, C and B; vehicles without a label are classed "A". For vehicles with more than 8 passenger seats and heavy vehicles, label C generally goes to vehicles registered from 2014 and label B to those registered from 2006. Vehicles registered abroad have no DGT label, and each city treats them in its own way (see the notes for each city).
  • No official list of coach set-down points was found for this file; the operator confirms the stopping point near the Guggenheim, the Casco Viejo or the hotel.
  • Bilbao-Abando Indalecio Prieto is the main railway station; Bilbao Intermodal (beside San Mamés) is the main bus station.
  • Speed limits for buses and coaches (Reglamento General de Circulación, art. 48.1.a): 100 km/h on motorways (autopistas and autovías) and 90 km/h on conventional roads. Vehicles doing school transport or carrying minors drive 10 km/h below those limits (art. 48.1.b), and a bus carrying standing passengers or without seat belts may not exceed 80 km/h on any road outside built-up areas.
  • Seat belts must be worn wherever they are fitted, including in coaches (Reglamento General de Circulación, art. 117.1). In vehicles with more than nine seats including the driver, passengers must be told that belts are compulsory, by the driver, the guide or the group leader, by audiovisual means or by signs at each seat (art. 117.2).
  • EU drivers' hours rules (Regulation (EC) No 561/2006) apply to coach drivers: at most 9 hours of driving a day (10 hours twice a week), a 45-minute break after 4.5 hours of driving and at least 11 hours of daily rest. Long day trips are planned around these limits.
  • Some Spanish motorways are toll roads (autopistas de peaje, usually numbered AP-); the operator plans the route.

Fairs at the BEC, matches at San Mamés

Large fairs and concerts take place at the BEC in Barakaldo, west of the city, which includes the Bizkaia Arena hall. San Mamés, Athletic Club's ground, is at the west end of the centre beside the Intermodal bus station. On a match day, agree a pick-up point away from the stadium.

Coast, Rioja and Donostia

The Bizkaia Bridge at Portugalete is about 25 minutes away. San Juan de Gaztelugatxe is about 50 minutes, then a long path and steps from the road, so it suits a fit group; the rules for using the path change, so confirm them first. Gernika is about 45 minutes. Haro, in the Rioja wine area, is about 1 h 20 min and Laguardia about 1 h 45 min. Donostia / San Sebastián is about 1 h 35 min.

What organisers ask us

Where do flights land for Bilbao?

At Loiu, roughly 20 minutes out: some 13 km to Plaza Moyúa without traffic. Aena names no coach pick-up point there, so it is fixed when you book.

Can one coach do Bilbao and Donostia in a day?

Yes. At about 1 h 35 min each way, the driving sits comfortably inside a driver's daily limit.

Is Pamplona close enough for San Fermín?

It is about 2 h 20 min from Bilbao. Donostia is nearer, at about 1 h 25 min, so it is the better base.

More group trips we arrange

Vehicles with a driver