How to Get to Bilbao from San Sebastian

There are several ways to get from San Sebastian to Bilbao, the most common are by plane, train and bus, however, they are not the only ones. You can choose to travel by car or maybe for more comfort you prefer an excursion and go straight to the best things to do and see in Bilbao and its surroundings, such as the visit to the Targaryen House from Game of Thrones, or the entrance to the Guggenheim Museum.

In this post I discuss all the options available to go from San Sebastian to Bilbao with prices, duration and comparison so you can decide which alternative suits you. Let's start!

Want to avoid the crowds of San Sebastian and visit another highlight of the Basque Country? Sign up for one of the best day trips from San Sebastian: the visit to Bilbao.

During this type of excursion you travel from San Sebastian to Bilbao, where you enjoy a walking tour of the city. You visit several sites of interest, including the 10th century hermitage of San Juan de Gaztelugatxe, and learn about Basque mythology and history from an experienced guide. Also, if you liked Game of Thrones, you should know that winter is here, in this hermitage is located one of the castles of the kingdom of the series.

At the next stop, recharge your batteries with a hearty lunch sampling some of Bilbao' s best pintxos in the old town. Next, the small group explores the impressive Bilbao Museum of Contemporary Art, which will take your breath away as you walk through its halls of art and architecture.

If you decide to visit Bilbao in 1 day and want to make the most of your time, this type of excursion is the solution.

Details of interest

• Price: from 234 € per person.
• Duration: 9 - 10 hours.
• What this option may include: transportation service to and from your accommodation. Private transportation in a minivan. Entrance to the Guggenheim Museum. Entrance to the islet of San Juan de Gaztelugatxe. Typical lunch. Local guide service in your language.
• Pros: it is an all-inclusive tour of the most famous sites of Bilbao, you travel in small groups, plus this type of tour usually includes a lunch with pintxos, the flagship food of the area. Finally, let's not forget the convenience of a private transfer with an expert on board.
• Cons: It is perfect for a quick tour of the capital of Biscay, however, for those who wish to explore the city in detail, it may be advisable to choose one of the following options in this article to customize your itinerary.

Arrive in Bilbao comfortable, relaxed and in style. Imagine avoiding the worry of where to park, where to catch a cab, or the right bus to link to your places of interest. Now make it happen with a private transfer from San Sebastian to Bilbao, the service that frees you from all the stress of getting around the Basque Country so you have the freedom to enjoy your trip from the first minute.

With this type of service a driver will pick you up at your accommodation to take you to discover the economic capital of Biscay and its surroundings in a minivan or modern car.

This type of transfers works 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, so it adapts to your schedule regardless of the time of year or the day of the week you feel like visiting the best towns of Bilbao from San Sebastian.

Details of interest

• Price: from 325 € per person.
• Duration: 8 - 9 hours.
• What this option may include: round trip transfer from your accommodation, including from San Sebastian Airport (EAS). Bottled water. Driver service around the city.
• Pros: you can organize the itinerary as you wish, the driver will serve as a guide and driver to follow your plan.
• Cons: this type of plan offers in essence only transportation service, entrance fees to sites of interest, food, internal guide or any other service is usually excluded.

The fastest route to get from Bilbao to San Sebastian by car is the AP-8 or Cantabrian highway. It is a 100-kilometer route that can be done in approximately 1 hour and 15 minutes.

Another option available is to take the Northern Highway or A-1. This route is 130 km long and takes approximately 1 hour and 30 minutes to complete. You should know that in both cases tolls are included for approximately 15 €.

As for transportation, you can choose the cab service, there is a cab rank at the exit of the airport and the waiting time depends on the flow of people of the day. Cab service between San Sebastian and Bilbao often costs around 180 €. You can also choose to rent a car.

Companies such as Basque Motor, SIXT, Europcar and Thrifty have a good reputation, however, you have an interesting variety of options available for all tastes.

This way, you will have a means of transportation to get back to San Sebastian and you will have a car for excursions from 40 € per day!

Interesting details

• Price: from 40 €.
• Duration: 75 minutes.
• What this option can include: transfer by car from Donostia to Bilbao.
• Pros: it is a personalized service, both if you choose a cab and even more if you rent a car, so you will have more control over the time and destinations visited.
• Cons: in the case of rentals, consider that you must reserve money for the deposit, fuel or at least have located the recharging stations in case you choose an electric car.

This is the easiest and cheapest way to get from San Sebastian to Bilbao. First of all you have to know that there are multiple alternatives and two routes, namely:

Via Donostiako Autobus Geltokia to Bilboko Autobus Geltokia

The bus leaves from Donostia Geltokia station, just 1 km from La Concha beach and takes you directly to Bilbao through one of these operators:

• By Lurralde Bus, better known as Pesa, the journey takes 1 hour and 15 minutes, you just have to get on the buses of lines Do01 or Do03 to get to Bilbao. Its frequency of departure is one trip every hour and you can get one of the tickets for this route from 9 €.
• By ALSA bus it takes 1 hour and 20 minutes to get to Bilbao and you can catch the bus at Donostia, Federico García Lorca station. Tickets are available from 7 € and have departures every 3 hours.
• By FlixBus you have the possibility to get to Bilbao on any of its 5 daily routes that make the journey in 1 hour and 25 minutes. Tickets are available from 8 €. An interesting point is that you can take the bus on lines: N155, N156, N703, N716, N743, N1157, 711, 783 and 786 and connect with Bilbao.

Via Donostiako Autobus Geltokia to Ernesto Erkoreka Plaza

• By BizkaiBus you can take a bus line A3912 every hour. The trip to Bilbao takes 2 hours and 25 minutes. Tickets cost approximately 2 €.
• By Lurraldebus Euskotren you can take a DB02 bus every hour and, best of all, the journey takes 50 minutes and you can get a ticket for this route from 2 €.

As in the case of buses, there are several trains that cover this route with different prices, duration and frequency. Even so, this is one of the most practical options, let's see the main alternatives:

• By SNCF at the central station of San Sebastian you take the train 18012 that takes you to Miranda de Ebro, in that station you make a change of trains to take the number 438 to Bilbao Abando. The duration of this route is 4 hours and 15 minutes, tickets cost from 35 € and have a daily frequency.
• By Euskotren from the central station Amara-Donostia or any of the stations of the E1 line, every hour you can take the train that will take you via MATIKO-BILBAO, to the Old Town of the capital of Biscay. The journey takes 2 hours and 30 minutes and you can get a ticket from 5 €.
• RENFE trains, similar to its predecessor, every hour you can take the train at Amara-Donostia station or any of the stations of the E1 line to take you to Miranda de Ebro where you change trains to Bilbao Abando. The journey takes at least 6 hours due to the time in transit. Tickets are available from 9 €.

Carla's Traveller Tip

A combination of transport such as train and bus often reduces travel time considerably, plus you can take advantage of offers with vouchers.

If you want to go from San Sebastian to Bilbao and you feel like doing it by car at the best price, the recommendation is to share your transport, it is the fastest and most comfortable option. You may be tempted to take a cab or find out train or bus schedules, but these options can be expensive and time consuming.

Shared transfers from San Sebastian to Bilbao are a good alternative. Companies such as UBER or BlaBlaCar are usually the most used for this type of service.

The trip will be relaxed and offers many of the advantages of cabs, but for a small price. In addition, the service is available 24 hours a day, you just have to book in advance. If you don't mind sharing your car and you only have one travel bag, this is your option!

Interesting details

• Price: from 7 € per person.
• Duration: 1 hour and 15 minutes approximately.
• What this option may include: shuttle service from a central point in San Sebastian to the main streets of Bilbao.
• Pros: you save connection time. Prices are competitive. The duration of the transfer is similar to the cab service because travelers are connected by the application according to the proximity to the destination.
• Cons: The amount of luggage is usually limited to one travel bag per person. Since these are extra-urban transfers, you must hire the service in advance.

Bilbao is located 100 kilometers from San Sebastian. The average travel time is 1 hour and 5 minutes, however it varies depending on the type of transport you use.

The fastest way is by car or direct cab, although there is a bus line, which offers an arrival time of 50 minutes.

The best time to visit Bilbao will depend on your tastes. Some people prefer to travel when the city receives more visitors because the locals and visitors together have a good vibe and some activities are best experienced in groups, while others prefer the low season.

So I leave it up to you to choose what time is best. You just have to take into consideration some details to make your decision easier:

• Spring (March to May) brings good weather and lots of festivals. The average temperature is 16° C.
• The summer months (June to September) bring even more festivals, but also higher prices. June and September are the best months to travel, as this is when most tourists visit Bilbao. At that time the average temperature is 22° C.
• Autumn (October to November) can be great, because you walk around the city among multicolored trees, the atmosphere is pleasant and the temperature is cool, around 14° C.
• In winter (December to February) the average temperature is 8° C and they are usually windy months.