In Bilbao there are not residents, there are txikiteros. Txikiteros are names given to those who drink txikitos, small glasses of wine served in the bars.
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Bilbao is a city that has experienced a notable increase in the number of tourists, mainly due to its avant-garde urban development.
It is a great attraction for those who love good gastronomy, history and museum lovers, for those who are looking for monuments from all eras and, without doubt, for hunters of unique photos. There is a Bilbao for each of us.
Its evolution and urban development, together with all the virtues we have just mentioned, have made it a favourite destination for thousands and thousands of new tourists. And how has Bilbao prepared itself?
Twelve kilometres from the city, Bilbao Airport is a good example of the evolution of Bilbao. Although the old terminal and most of the airport services are in the town of Sondica, the new terminal is in the municipality of Lujua.
This new terminal was designed by Santiago Calatrava and was inaugurated in 2000. It is shaped like a bird about to take flight, hence its nickname "La Paloma" (The Dove). Like all the new Bilbao, it is a masterpiece and an ode to architecture.
Continuing with that very Bilbao mix of the avant-garde and the traditional, of modernity and roots, the old terminal remains practically empty, like the old runway that is used in a secondary way, as part of a story of the Bilbao that was, and that will never be forgotten, as it forms the foundations of this new and exciting metropolis.
We are going to explain all the ways you can get from the most important airport in northern Spain to your new home in your days in the centre of Bilbao in the blink of an eye; Latroupe La Granja Hostel Bilbao.
The most common and cheapest way to get to the heart of Bilbao from the airport is by bus.
Take the Bizkaibus bus line A3247, which has very central stops such as Alameda Recalde 11, Plaza Moyúa, which is located at Gran Vía 46, and Gran Vía 79. Your last stop is the Bilbao Intermodal station, Bilbao-Abando Indalecio Prieto. From here it will take you less than a minute to get to Latroupe La Granja Hostel Bilbao, just go around the statue of Diego López de Haro.
It costs 3 euros and, depending on traffic, takes about 20 minutes. It operates daily from 6 a.m. to midnight, with departures every fifteen or twenty minutes, depending on the number of passengers, the busiest time being from eight in the morning to eight in the evening.
This is the most comfortable option but, as you can imagine, the least economical. As soon as you leave the arrivals terminal, you will find an official taxi rank. The journey, depending on traffic and the time of day, usually takes about fifteen minutes. The fare is around €25, although if there are several of you and you fill up the taxi, it's actually not bad, as the journey is short.
If you have decided to take a rented car when you leave the airport or you simply know someone who will lend you their car so that you can discover the surroundings of Bilbao, you should take the BI-631 motorway and take Exit 11 to reach the capital. Latroupe La Granja Hostel Bilbao is located in Plaza Biribila, 3, Abando.
We are not going to take you on a journey into the future, but we can tell you what the near future holds for the busiest terminal in the north of Spain. The metro will join the list of ways to get from the airport to the city centre.
Work began in 2009 and it is planned as an extension of the existing Line 3. In other words, it will link the Matiko station on the aforementioned metro Line 3 with the airport terminal. The journey is expected to take no more than seven minutes.
In the metro, work began in 2009 with the excavation of a tunnel under Mount Archanda, which would link the Matiko station on Line 3 of the Bilbao Metro with the La Paloma terminal in just 7 minutes.
