Overview
Bilbao's metro (Spanish: Metro de Bilbao; Basque: Bilboko metroa) is a rapid transit system serving the city of Bilbao and the wider Greater Bilbao region. It opened in 1995 and is the third-busiest metro in Spain after Madrid and Barcelona. As of 2021 it runs on 51 kilometres (32 mi) of route with 48 stations, and all three lines use metre gauge.
For a visitor, the system is easy to use end to end. Lines 1 and 2 form a "Y" shape: they run along both banks of the river Ibaizabal and then combine into a single line through the centre of Bilbao. Line 3 serves the higher neighbourhoods to the east of the city. All three lines meet at Zazpikaleak/Casco Viejo station, which is the network's main hub.
To ride, you tap a Barik card or buy a single ticket, pass through the automatic gates, and tap again when you leave. Trains run every couple of minutes at peak hours, and stations in the city centre are mostly very close together, so expect a lot of stops on longer journeys. The metro is clean and efficient, and security guards are often present. It is best suited to longer trips; within the centre you may find the tram or buses more convenient, though you will miss the views underground.
The network
Metro
- Line 1 (L1) — runs from Etxebarri to Plentzia. The first stretch opened on 11 November 1995 with 23 stations between Zazpikaleak/Casco Viejo and Plentzia, taking over most of the old Bilbao–Plentzia railway, parts of which date from 1887.
- Line 2 (L2) — runs from Etxebarri to Santurtzi, serving the left bank of the Ibaizabal-Nervion estuary. It shares tracks with Line 1 inside Bilbao and splits off at San Ignazio. The first five stations opened on 13 April 2002.
- Line 3 (L3) — opened in 2017 and runs between Matiko and Kukullaga-Etxebarri. It is operated by Euskotren and, unlike Lines 1 and 2, is run jointly with the Euskotren Trena commuter railway network.
Lines 1 and 2 are operated by Metro Bilbao, a company owned by the Biscay Transport Consortium. Key interchanges include Zazpikaleak/Casco Viejo (all three lines, plus Euskotren commuter services), Abando (Cercanías and Feve commuter lines and Renfe long-distance services) and San Mamés (Cercanías and the main bus terminal, Bilbao Intermodal). Urbinaga on Line 2 was built as a future interchange with two Cercanías lines, but as of 2021 that commuter station had not yet been built.
Tram (light rail)
- Euskotren Tranbia / TRAM: Line A — a single line with 16 stops that mostly follows the river through the city centre, with stops near the San Mamés, Abando and Zazpikaleak/Casco Viejo metro stations. It runs between La Casilla and Bolueta.
Suburban and commuter rail
- Renfe Cercanías — four commuter lines: C-1 (Santurtzi), C-2 (Muskiz), C-3 (Orduña/Llodio) and C-4 (Balmaseda). C-1 to C-3 start at Abando station; C-4 departs from Concordia station, adjacent to Abando.
- Euskotren Trena — a network across the Basque Country. Its main Bilbao station is in Casco Viejo at Plaza de San Nicolás, sharing an entrance with the Casco Viejo metro station. Lines include E1 (Amara–Donostia/San Sebastián), E3 (Lezama) and E4 (Bermeo), plus a shuttle line E3a (Lutxana–Sondika).
- Renfe Cercanías AM (formerly Feve) — narrow-gauge services from Concordia, including R-3f (Bilbao-Concordia/Santander), R-3b (Bilbao-Concordia/Carranza) and T-1 (Transcantábrico).
- Renfe long and medium distance — Alvia trains to Madrid and Barcelona leave from Abando on sparse schedules, so check ahead.
Buses
- Bilbobus (red) — inner-city routes, including night lines known as Gautxori (G1–G8).
- Bizkaibus (green) — provincial routes around Bizkaia, connecting Bilbao with surrounding towns.
- Bilbao Intermodal — the main long-distance bus station, in San Mamés near the Athletic Club stadium. Long-distance coaches to other provinces leave from here.
Ferries
- Brittany Ferries — a direct car ferry between Bilbao and Portsmouth, England. Ferries land at Zierbena, about 15 km from the centre, with a shuttle bus for foot passengers to and from the city centre.
Tickets & fares
Fares and prices below are approximate and change over time; always check the operator's current information before you travel.
- Single metro tickets — cost roughly €1.70 to €1.95 depending on how many zones your journey covers (one zone about €1.70; two zones about €1.90; three zones about €1.95).
- Barik card — a rechargeable stored-value smartcard valid on the metro, tram, Bilbobus, Bizkaibus, Euskotren services and local Renfe trains within Bizkaia. It is also valid outside Bizkaia on the Euskotren to San Sebastián and on Dbus buses there, and on trams and buses in Vitoria-Gasteiz. The card costs about €3.00, and you can load whatever amount you wish at purchase (no change is given, so the remainder is loaded as credit). Pay-as-you-go fares with Barik are much cheaper than single tickets — roughly €0.48 for one zone, €0.57 for two zones and €0.62 for three zones. Up to 10 people can travel on one card if they are making the same journey and the balance is sufficient, so you may see a family tapping the same card several times.
- Where to buy and top up — Barik cards are sold from machines inside metro and train stations (look for the smaller machine, usually furthest right) and from other outlets displaying the Barik sign. You can add credit at station machines or via the Barik phone app (available in English), which tops up in €5 increments with a credit card. The app can also be used as a card in its own right.
- Zones and validity — the Barik card works on a zonal basis for the metro, Euskotren and Bizkaibus, while local buses and trams are a flat fare. Outside Bizkaia, the card can only be reloaded at Euskotren stations or through the Barik phone app.
- Tourist passes — Tourist Bilbao Bizkaia Cards are available for 24, 48 or 72 hours, but a Barik card is likely to be better value if you are making more than a few journeys.
- Coordination between operators — public transport is generally good and reliable as long as you stay with one operator (Cercanías, Euskotren, tram, metro, Bizkaibus, Bilbobus). If you need to combine operators, there is no proper citywide map for all modes, you are charged two fares, schedules are often not coordinated, and way-finding can be hard. Moovit or Google Maps are useful for planning.
From the airport
Bilbao Airport (BIO) is served by a few European airlines and low-cost carriers, with Vueling and Volotea the primary tenants, alongside British Airways, easyJet, Air France, Lufthansa and KLM, while Iberia provides further domestic connections. An alternative is a flight to Santander.
- Bizkaibus A3247 — from the arrivals hall, take this bus into the city. There is a ticket booth at the far right end of the floor. A ride costs about €4.50 (as of 2025) and it is the only bus where you can pay by tapping a credit or debit card, with no need to tap out. The bus stops at Alameda Recalde (near the Guggenheim), Plaza Elíptica and Gran Vía (both in the city centre) before terminating at Bilbao Intermodal interchange station. It is quite frequent, with around four departures per hour, and a timetable for the reverse journey is available online.
- Taxi — a taxi from the airport to downtown Bilbao costs about €25–30.
- From Santander Airport — a direct coach runs to Bilbao Intermodal, roughly €15 single and about 1 hour 15 minutes.
Etiquette & customs
- Queuing — queue in an orderly way at ticket windows and machines. At Bilbao Intermodal there are many ticket machines in a line behind the escalators, so you may be able to avoid the long queue at the ticket window.
- Escalators — stand on the right so that people in a hurry can pass on the left, as is standard across Spain.
- Priority seating — seats near the doors are reserved for the elderly, pregnant passengers and people with reduced mobility; give them up when needed.
- Eating and drinking — eating and drinking are not part of normal metro etiquette; keep food and drink for outside the system.
- Rush hour — trains run every couple of minutes at peak hours, and the system is busy with commuters. Let passengers off before you board, keep your bag close, and avoid blocking the doors.
- Security — security guards are often in evidence on the metro to reassure the public, so expect to see them on platforms and in stations.
- Card sharing — it is normal for a group or family to travel on a single Barik card, tapping it once per person, as long as everyone is making the same journey.
Official links
Survival terms
- Metroa (metroa) — metro / subway
- Billetea (billetea) — ticket
- Linea (linea) — line
- Sarrera (sarrera) — entrance
- Irteera (irteera) — exit
- Transbordoa (transbordoa) — transfer
- Bidaia bakarra (bidaia bakarra) — single fare
- Eguneko txartela (eguneko txartela) — day pass
If you plan to make more than a couple of journeys, buy a Barik card at a station machine on your first day — it is valid across the metro, tram, buses and trains in Bizkaia and will save you considerably compared with single tickets.