Best Day Trips from Bilbao

Bilbao is the most important landmark of the Basque Country and is now a city of services and art museums that attracts millions of tourists every year, but also, because of its strategic location, it is an ideal place to use as a base for exploring nearby cities and attractions.

Among the many things to see and do in Bilbao you can visit the Guggenheim Museum, sample the local wine and take a gastronomic tour, but you can also make the most of your stay in the city and explore the best sites of the Basque Country and the surrounding areas from there.

Gipuzkoa, located about an hour's drive from Bilbao, is one of the Basque Country's most charming historical territories.

Known for its capital San Sebastian, it is one of the main cities on the Bay of Biscay and as well as its beaches and world-class restaurants, it is renowned for its old cobbled quarters in the Parte Vieja (Old Town) and for the luxury shops that co-exist with the pinchos bars offering regional specialities and local wines.

During a day trip from Bilbao to San Sebastian you will get to know part of the multicultural Donostia, which is the Basque name for San Sebastian, and visit its main tourist attractions such as Mount Igueldo, the Buen Pastor Cathedral or the Peine del Viento sculpture.

In addition, you will also have options of San Sebastian and Biarritz Day Trip from Bilbao The first famous in Europe for being the summer resort of European royalty and San Juan de Luz, a fishing village with idyllic landscapes and unmissable views of the Bay of Biscay.

Details of interest

• Price: you can do this type of excursion for a cost ranging from 70 euros to 220 euros per person, depending on the activity.
• Duration: these activities can take approximately 9 to 10 hours.
• Advantages of these excursions: You can get to know San Sebastian from Bilbao on a day trip, which is ideal if you are planning a short stay in the city.

After your time in Bilbao, and when looking for more experiences outside the city, you can't miss the opportunity to visit the Rioja wine region, which together with the Bilbao wine tasting tours offers one of the best wine tours.

Located in the south of the Basque Country, this small and small town offers beautiful and unique landscapes, a lot of historical and cultural heritage and of course, as I mentioned before, a lot of history and experience about wine.

You can enjoy visiting two wineries and walking through the vineyards, as well as learning about the interesting and complex wine making from scratch and even tasting some of the best Rioja wines. An ideal experience for wine lovers, during the experience you will also get to know the medieval villages of Haro and Laguardia.

Details of interest

• Price: from approximately 210 euros per person.
• Duration: approximately 9 to 10 hours.
• Advantages of these tours... most of these tours include return transfers with hotel pick-up, the assistance of an expert local guide and entrance fees to wineries with wine tasting.

The Basque Country has no formal capital but Vitoria is the seat of the Basque Parliament and Government and occupies that place in the popular imagination. On a full-day visit you can get to know the mediaeval side of this city, characterised by the Gothic cathedral of Santa María and the church of San Miguel, notable for its Baroque altarpiece and the statue of the Virgen Blanca (White Virgin).

In addition, just over 98 km away you can also visit the charming town of La Rioja, renowned as one of the most famous wine-producing towns in Spain and also for its charming medieval-style streets and structures. During an excursion to Vitoria and a visit to a Rioja winery from Bilbao you will be enchanted by all the magic of the Basque Country and make the most of your day trip.

Details of interest

• Price: the initial cost of this experience can start from 75 euros per person
• Duration: approximately 9 to 10 hours.
• Advantages of these excursions: most of these excursions include return transfers with hotel pick-up, the assistance of an expert local guide and entrance fees to wineries with wine tasting.

The Basque coast has as many places to discover as you have time to explore the Basque Country, so if you have less than 3 days in Bilbao, you should make the most of your time to visit several nearby places in the same day.

If you decide to explore the coasts of the country, your tour can start from San Juan de Gaztelugatxe, famous for being the site where several scenes from Game of Thrones were filmed, and from where you can admire some of the best views of the Cantabrian coast. You can also pass through Getaria, Zumaya, San Sebastian and its historic centre in the Old Part, Bermeo, Mundaka and Gernika.

It is a tour that you can even take on a private tour in a luxury vehicle, or with a full day excursion, so you have the opportunity to choose what best suits your itinerary of plans.

Details of interest

• Price: if you decide to do a traditional tour the approximate cost can be from 59 euros per person, if done as a private tour with vehicle the approximate cost will be 195 euros per person.
• Duration: approximately 8 hours.
• Advantages of these excursions... most of these experiences include the company of an expert guide.

Another town you must visit during your visit to the Basque coast is Getxo, just 12 minutes away from Bilbao, you will have the opportunity to marvel at its corners full of history and the Bay of Biscay on the horizon.

During your visit you should visit its Old Port, its beaches and its Marina, where sailing is practised and which serves as a leisure centre for visitors and locals alike, as it has a large number of restaurants and entertainment venues.

Although I have always thought that to get to know a place well it is necessary to immerse yourself in its gastronomy, while you walk through all its streets. That's why I recommend the opportunity to mix two wonderful activities such as cycling and tasting local pintxos. Exercise and food, doesn't sound bad at all!

Interesting details

• Price: this activity can be done at a cost of 50 euros per person.
• Duration: around 2 hours and 45 minutes.
• Advantages of these tours... includes safety equipment and gives you free time to explore the city.

Are you a fan of the acclaimed HBO series Game of Thrones? Then this is an experience not to be missed. The opportunity to see some of the locations that gave life to part of the 7th season of the series.

Some of the places you can visit include: Barrika, where scenes from King's Landing were filmed; San Juan de Gaztelugatxe, where scenes from Rocadragon, the Targaryen fortress, were filmed; and Itzurun Beach, where the scene in which Daenerys Targaryen arrives for the first time at her real home was filmed.

Details of interest

• Price: this activity starts from 76 euros per person.
• Duration: approximately 9 hours.
• Advantages of these tours... most of these tours include return transfers, photo props at the locations and the assistance of an expert local guide.

San Juan de Gaztelugatxe became world famous as one of the filming locations for the popular series Game of Thrones and since then tourism has discovered that just 35 kilometres from Bilbao there is a rock castle on the coast of Biscay where it is possible to reach the top by a stone bridge with 241 steps.

At the highest point of the islet is the hermitage of John the Baptist and on this half-day excursion with return transfer and hotel pick-up you can visit this site and take some of the best photographs of the Basque Country. After the visit to Gaztelugatxe the tour continues to Puerto Viejo Bermeo and Gernika, before returning to Bilbao.

These activities offer one of the best options for getting to Gaztelugatxe from Bilbao and as they are half day experiences you will have time to do other visits during the afternoon, such as a tour of the city's pintxo bars or some activity in Bilbao in the evening.

Details of interest

• Price: the initial cost is approximately 67 euros per person.
• Duration: approximately 6 hours.
• Advantages of these excursions: it is an activity that does not take all day and allows you to get to know San Juan de Gaztelugatxe, on the coast of Biscay.

You can book excursions from Bilbao to the nearby sites in advance online or book them once you are in the city, although if you plan to visit Bilbao during the summer or during the high season months I recommend that you book in advance to avoid delays or price increases at the last minute.

If you plan to travel in a group and book the private luxury vehicle tour, I also advise you to book in advance to avoid running out of transfers during your stay, especially if you plan to tour Bilbao in 1 day or over a weekend.

The answer will depend on the tour chosen, although they are usually full-day tours, as they all include several destinations, with stops for lunch and city walks, as in the case of the excursions to San Sebastian and the Basque-French coast. On average these day tours last between 8 and 10 hours.

Excursions to San Juan de Gaztelugatxe, which also include a visit to Gernika, last half a day, approximately 6 hours, and are perfect if you are planning a short 2-day stay in Bilbao.

On these excursions you will be able to discover mainly the villages of the Basque coast, such as Orio, Zumaya, Guetaria and Gernika, but also other main towns near Bilbao such as San Sebastian and Biarritz and San Juan de Luz, which belong to the territories that the Basque Country claims in France.

You can also visit San Juan de Gaztelugatxe, which is the site that became famous as a film set for the series Game of Thrones and other fishing villages such as Puerto Viejo Bermeo, where you can get an insight into Basque culture outside the big cities such as Bilbao or Vitoria.

On tours that include a tour of the wineries in the Rioja region you can also visit vineyards and taste local wines, in one of the best excursions from Bilbao.

Bilbao has some of the best attractions in Spain and the city is a spectacle in itself but the Basque Country is much larger and has many places to show you, so once you get to know Bilbao I suggest you take a trip to the Basque coast, the Basque-French villages and the wineries of Rioja.

In all these places you will find the idiosyncrasy of the Basque people hidden outside the main cities such as Bilbao, San Sebastian and Vitoria and you will also discover ancient wonders such as the islet of San Juan de Gaztelugatxe, the reconstructed Gernika and the fishing villages.

You can rent a car and tour the Basque coast on your own or even do it by public transport, although this option is not very recommendable because you will lose a lot of time in transfers, but with an organised tour you will save time and money and you will enjoy a neat and stress-free itinerary.

Also bear in mind that some villages are not located so close to Bilbao, so if you visit them on your own you will have to make long journeys by car or public transport which can be tiring, especially if you are travelling from other cities or are planning a short stay in the Basque Country.