Driving in Bilbao and surrounding areas

Traffic and driving in Bilbao

The Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao Bilbao is of Spain's large cities. It has a high volume of traffic due to both its size and shape which stretches along the banks of the river. Driving in the city centre is quite complicated because of the layout.

Access to the City Centre:

There are 4 access routes into Bilbao:

You can arrive using the AP-8 from Irun/Francia,
The AP-8 from Santander in the other direction,
The AP-68 from Vitoria or Madrid
The A-636 if you are coming from Burgos.

All these access routes link up with the AP-8 which is also a bypass.

To get to the city centre where all the museums, shops, football stadium, the Old Part and the Palacio Euskalduna Opera House are you need to leave at the Bilbao Oeste exit on the bypass.

To reach other areas of the city like Barakaldo, Sestao, Portugalete (the Bilbao Exhibition Centre BEC, the suspension bridge and a large commercial area including IKEA) you need to continue on the bypass. However, it is best to avoid driving on the bypass during the rush hour.

The Main Bilbao Exit Routes

To leave the city you need to get onto the bypass which takes you in all directions. You can get onto the bypass from virtually any area of the city.

Traffic and Driving in the Centre of Bilbao

Driving in the city centre is typical of any large city. The most important streets are:

Gran Via (this is where most of the shops are),
Avenida de Sabino Arana,
La Alameda de Recalde,
la Alameda de Urquijo and
Avenida Autonomía.

To find your way around the centre of Bilbao, it is a good idea to locate the Plaza Moyua which is right in the centre of the city. Everything is near from this point and you can easily get to the Guggenheim, the main shopping area or the Old Part on foot from here.

Parking in Bilbao

There are various underground car parks or you can park in the street using pay and display although you need to be careful when parking because some areas are reserved fro residents only.

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