Europe > Spain > Bilbao (BIO)
The Car or no Car advice for Bilbao can be broken down into three similar questions - do you need a car in Bilbao ; is it worth it (based on costs), and ultimately - should you rent one? (a balance of the two).🚆 🚌⛴️ Do we need to rent a car in Bilbao ?
These scores are based on the quality of public transport and other travel options. If these are good enough to see the main points of interest, then you don’t need to rent a car.
💰💶💳 Is it worth hiring a car in Bilbao?
These scores reflect the practical factors that affect whether renting a car is convenient, good value, and stress-free.🏙️ The Centre: Super Walkable and Beautifully Designed
Bilbao’s core is compact, level, and pleasant.
You can stroll easily between:
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The Guggenheim Museum
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Casco Viejo
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Plaza Nueva
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La Ribera Market
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The riverfront promenades
Wide pavements and pedestrian zones make walking effortless.
➡ A car is no help for central Bilbao.
🚇 Metro Bilbao: Fast, Stylish, and Extremely Useful
Norman Foster designed the metro entrances, and the system is one of Europe’s cleanest and easiest to use.
It connects:
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The historic centre
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Abando district
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Newer neighbourhoods
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Beaches and towns along the coast (Getxo, Sopelana, Plentzia)
➡ The metro alone replaces the need for a car for most day-to-day travel.
🚋 Trams, Buses, and Renfe Trains Fill Every Gap
Bilbao’s tram glides through the riverfront and museum district.
Bizkaibus services link nearby towns.
Renfe Cercanías trains connect the region’s commuter belt.
Euskotren services even reach Guernica, Durango, and the rolling green countryside.
➡ Public transport is strong, frequent, and very tourist-friendly.
🌊 Coastal Day Trips Without Driving
You can reach many highlights without a car, including:
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Getxo
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Portugalete (via the famous Vizcaya suspension bridge)
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Gernika
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San Sebastián (direct bus or train)
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Zarautz
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Mundaka (surfer heaven)
➡ The Basque coast is surprisingly accessible by transit.
💡 Architectural Pilgrimage: Bilbao and Beyond
Your architectural journey actually begins the moment you land.
Bilbao Airport (BIO) is one of Santiago Calatrava’s great sculptural buildings, shaped like a bird in flight. Its sharp wings, white concrete, and soaring geometry create a dramatic gateway to the Basque Country. Even before reaching the city, you’re immersed in world-class design.
Once you head into Bilbao, the centrepiece is of course the Guggenheim Museum, Frank Gehry’s titanium masterpiece shimmering beside the Nervión River. Only a few minutes away you’ll find Zubizuri, Calatrava’s elegant white pedestrian bridge — a graceful arc of glass and steel that links both banks and reinforces Bilbao’s architectural renaissance.
To travel between districts, you ride another landmark: the Bilbao Metro, designed by Norman Foster. It isn’t just a train system; it’s what Wagner called a Gesamtkunstwerk — a total artwork. Foster designed the entrances (the glass “fosteritos”), the interiors, the typography, and even the signage system, making the entire metro feel like a fully unified piece of contemporary design.
🍷 Architecture Meets Wine: The Rioja Alavesa Pairing
To complete the perfect design-focused trip, you need to pair Bilbao’s architecture with Rioja’s vineyard masterpieces.
Start with the Marqués de Riscal hotel in Elciego — Gehry’s shimmering ribbons of titanium sweeping above the historic winery. It’s worth staying overnight if you can, but even if you don’t, the City of Wine tour includes access to parts of the hotel and gives you a close-up look at Gehry’s structure.
Just 10 minutes away lies another architectural icon: Bodegas Ysios, designed by Santiago Calatrava. It stretches like a wave across the landscape, echoing the mountains behind it and creating one of the most photogenic wineries in Europe. Between the two sits Laguardia, a stunning medieval hill town, ideal for lunch or a slow walk between tastings.
You can reach these wineries in two main ways:
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Join an organised tour, which solves the logistics and allows you to enjoy the wine freely.
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Rent a car for a single day, which gives you the freedom to visit both wineries, explore Laguardia, and stop for viewpoints and photography whenever you like.
A rental car also opens up the rest of the Basque Country, and beyond, from the rugged coastline to the mountains of Cantabria and the Picos de Europa, making Bilbao an ideal springboard for both architecture lovers and nature seekers.
🌄 When a Rental Car Does Make Sense
A car helps mainly for deep rural exploring.
For example:
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Remote mountain villages
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Small cider houses in the hills
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Off-grid hiking areas
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Scenic loops across the Basque interior
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Photographic tours of hidden coves and cliffs
Public transport becomes sparse once you leave the main corridors.
➡ Driving offers flexibility in the countryside.
🧭 Quick Decision Table
| Your Plans in Bilbao | Car Needed? |
|---|---|
| Staying in the centre | ❌ No |
| Guggenheim + Casco Viejo | ❌ No |
| Metro-accessible beaches | ❌ No |
| Visiting a couple of inland towns | ❔ Optional |
| Deep rural touring | ✅ Yes |
🎯 Conclusion: Should You Rent a Car in Bilbao?
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❌ Skip the car for Bilbao itself, the Guggenheim, beaches on the metro line, San Sebastián, and most coastal or suburban day trips.
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❔ Consider renting a car if you want to explore the Basque Country’s remote mountains, tiny villages, cider houses, or off-the-beaten-path hiking regions.
