BASQUE COUNTRY - France 2014 - page 815

Tours in Bilbao
Walking Tours
Bilbao Walking Tours offers 1.5-hour tours Saturdays and Sundays (more often in sum-
mer): an Old Town tour (starts at the Arriaga TI at 10:00—but confirm where tour begins
asthislocationmayclosein2014),andamodern-citytourshowingthecity'shistorysince
the 19th century (starts at the Guggenheim TI at 12:00). Tours are in Spanish and English,
and you must call ahead to reserve (€4.50, tel. [phone], www.bilbao.net/bilbaotur-
ismo , [e-mail] ).
Tram Tour
Riding the EuskoTran round-trip between the Atxuri and Euskalduna stops is a great way
to see the city's oldest and newest neighborhoods, especially on rainy days. For more on
this tram, see “Arrival in Bilbao,” earlier.
Bus Tour
The TI runs a decent hop-on, hop-off bus tour around the city. The hour-long trip picks
up on the hour outside the Guggenheim TI, and has stops in the Old Town and across the
river (€14, ticket good for 24 hours, buy at TI or from driver at any stop, July-Aug daily
11:00-18:00, shorter hours rest of year, no buses Jan-March or Tue in shoulder season, tel.
696-429-848, www.busturistikoa.com ) .
Boat Tour
For a different view of the city, try the Bilboats one-hour tour along the river, offering
plenty of architectural Kodak moments. The tour begins near Ayuntamiento Bridge (€12,
dailyinspringandsummerat13:00,16:00,17:30,and19:00,fewerdeparturesoff-season;
reserve ahead, as trips are canceled if less than 10 people buy tickets; tram stop: Pío
Baroja, Metro stop: Abando; Plaza de Pío Baroja, tel. [phone], www.bilboats.com ) .
For hardcore sailors, a two-hour version goes all the way into the Bay of Biscay on week-
ends (€17, leaves at 10:30).
Local Guide
Knowledgeable Bilbao resident Iratxe Muñoz offers tours of the city, including the Gug-
genheimandtheBasqueregion(ratesvary,mobile[phone], www.apite.eu/iratxemun-
oz , [e-mail] ).