After the San Sebastián Marathon: Bilbao
The Route: San Sebastián → Bilbao → Bilbao Airport Logistics: Direct coach to Bilbao's Termibus, the city on foot and by tram, airport bus in the morning. Marathon Month: November Duration: 1 night
San Sebastián bus station ──(about 1 hr 15 mins coach)──> Bilbao Termibus ──(about 20 mins airport bus)──> Bilbao Airport (BIO)
The San Sebastián Marathon ends on the Boulevard, and for most UK runners the flight home leaves from Bilbao. Staying a night there turns the airport transfer into a second city.
November in Bilbao is grey and wet more often than not, with afternoons in the low to mid-teens. That suits the plan: the best of Bilbao is either under a roof or along a riverside with the tram beside it.
Coaches run from San Sebastián's bus station to Bilbao's Termibus throughout the day in about 1 hour 15 minutes; book ahead on a Monday morning. Euskotren trains also link the two cities but take more than twice as long. From Termibus, the metro and tram are next door.
Night One: Bilbao
Bilbao built its wealth on iron and ships, and when the heavy industry closed in the 1980s the city rebuilt its riverfront. The Guggenheim Museum opened in 1997 on the site of old docks.
The riverside walk along the Nervión is flat and paved. From the Zubizuri footbridge, walk west along the south bank through Abandoibarra to the Guggenheim, about 1.5 km, with benches along the way and the tram running beside it for the return.
The Guggenheim Museum Bilbao is best on Tuesday: outside the summer season it closes on Mondays. Frank Gehry's titanium building is worth walking around outside, past Jeff Koons's flower-covered puppy by the entrance and Louise Bourgeois's spider by the river. Inside, lifts serve all three floors, and Richard Serra's steel spirals fill the largest gallery. Book at guggenheim-bilbao.eus.
The Casco Viejo, across the river, is the old town of seven parallel streets, level and compact, with the arcaded Plaza Nueva at its edge. Its pintxo bars rival San Sebastián's with fewer tourists.
Where to stay. Hotel Miró is a design hotel a few minutes from the Guggenheim. Hotel Carlton, on Plaza Moyúa, is the city's grand old hotel, beside the metro and an airport bus stop.
Where to eat. Café Iruña, on the Jardines de Albia, has served the city since 1903 in a tiled Moorish-style dining room; order the lamb skewers at the bar. For pintxos, work around the Plaza Nueva.
Getting to Bilbao Airport
Bilbao Airport (BIO) is about 20 minutes from the centre by the Bizkaibus airport bus from Termibus and Plaza Moyúa, which runs frequently from early morning. A taxi takes about the same time. Check the timetable at bizkaibus.eus for an early flight.