Metro Bilbao runs three lines across the city and a visitor will realistically use one of them. The other two go where most trips never reach, and the service that stops at the museum door is not a metro line at all but a tram charging a flat €0.74.
Three lines, two riverbanks
Bilbao’s metro was built along the shape of the estuary, and each line took a side. Line 1 runs the right bank north to the coast, ending at Plentzia. Line 2 runs the left bank west through the old industrial towns to Kabiezes. Between them they cover both shores of the ría and share the trunk through the centre.
Line 3 is the odd one out. It carries seven stations across the northern districts of Bilbao, from Matiko to Kukullaga-Etxebarri, and the Basque Government puts at more than 70,000 the number of people it brought onto the network.
The practical consequence for a visitor is simple. Line 1 is the one that matters for the coast, Line 2 for the left-bank towns and the Vizcaya Bridge at Portugalete, and Line 3 almost never.
Which Bilbao metro line do I need? Metro Bilbao runs three lines: Line 1 to the right bank and the beaches, Line 2 to the left bank as far as Kabiezes, and Line 3 to the northern districts, all meeting at Zazpi Kaleak-Casco Viejo. A trip starts at €1.02 with a Barik card; the tram charges a flat €0.74.
The tram runs at street level, and stops at the museum
The tram is run by Euskotren, not Metro Bilbao, and it charges a flat €0.74 on Creditrans according to the Consorcio de Transportes de Bizkaia. There are no zones: the shortest hop and the full run cost the same, against €1.02 for the shortest metro journey, which then rises by zone.
Its route is what makes it useful. It runs Bolueta to La Casilla by way of Abusu, Atxuri, Ribera, Arriaga, Abando, Pío Baroja, Uribitarte, Guggenheim, Abandoibarra, Euskalduna, Sabino Arana, San Mamés, Hospital and Basurto. In one line that is the Ribera market, the Arriaga theatre, the Guggenheim, the Euskalduna concert hall and the football stadium.
Trams run every 15 minutes, per the timetable Euskotren publishes, and the weekend service is the one worth knowing. Midweek the last trams go shortly before 23:00, but on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays the line keeps running until close to 23:30, starting later in return.
That weekend extension is the part worth remembering. The tram runs later at the weekend than midweek, which is exactly when a visitor needs it.
Line 3, the most frequent and the least used by visitors
The Basque Government publishes connections every 7.5 minutes on Line 3 between Kukullaga-Etxebarri and Matiko. That beats the general network, which Getxo Town Council describes as under six minutes at peak times but ten minutes on Sundays and public holidays.
Its purpose is regional rather than urban. According to the Basque Government, Line 3 lets people arriving from Durangaldea, Gipuzkoa and in future Urdaibai reach Zazpi Kaleak-Casco Viejo directly, the point where they change onto Lines 1 and 2. It also folded the Txorierri line permanently into the Basque rail network.
Construction was funded 50 % by the Basque Government and 50 % by the Diputación Foral de Bizkaia, with European Union support through FEDER funds.
For a visitor the line rarely answers a question unless the hotel is in Uribarri or Txurdinaga. Its value is the interchange, not the destination.
| Service | Minimum Barik fare | Frequency | Best for | Limitation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Metro Line 1 | €1.02 | under 6 min at peak | Coast, Getxo, Plentzia | Does not serve the left bank |
| Metro Line 2 | €1.02 | under 6 min at peak | Barakaldo, Portugalete, Santurtzi | Does not reach the beaches |
| Metro Line 3 | €1.02 | 7.5 min | Northern districts, regional interchange | Little use for the centre |
| Tram | €0.74 | 15 min | Ribera, Guggenheim, San Mamés axis | Does not leave Bilbao |
Where to change, and what the metro still misses
Three interchange points do most of the work, and knowing them saves more time than knowing the lines.
- Zazpi Kaleak-Casco Viejo — where Line 3 meets Lines 1 and 2, and the arrival point for anyone coming in from Durangaldea or Gipuzkoa
- Moyua — on the shared central trunk of Lines 1 and 2, and the stop the €5 airport bus uses, which makes it the default arrival point with luggage
- San Mamés — metro, tram at €0.74 and the coach station in one place, at the western end of the central axis
Two absences shape any itinerary. The metro does not reach the airport: that connection is a single bus line with its own timetable, covered in the guide to Bilbao Airport transfers.
And one line alone serves the coast. Of the twenty beach municipalities in Bizkaia, only Getxo, Sopela and Plentzia have a station, all on Line 1, as set out in the guide to beaches near Bilbao without a car.
There are park-and-ride car parks at Ibarbengoa, Leioa and Etxebarri, according to the Basque Government. Ibarbengoa, in Getxo, is the most recent station added to Line 1.
All four services share one card, so whether it pays to buy one is worked through in the guide to the Barik card.
Frequently asked questions about the Bilbao metro
Which Bilbao metro line goes to the Guggenheim?
None of them directly. The nearest metro station is Moyua, a walk uphill from the museum, while the Euskotren tram has a stop called Guggenheim at street level, on a flat €0.74 fare with no stairs at either end.
How many metro lines does Bilbao have?
Three, plus a tram. Line 1 covers the right bank out to Plentzia and the beaches, Line 2 the left bank to Kabiezes, and Line 3 the seven stations of the northern districts. All three meet at Zazpi Kaleak-Casco Viejo, the interchange in the Old Town.
Do the metro and the tram share stations?
They meet rather than share. San Mamés is the clearest interchange, joining the metro, the tram and the coach station in one spot at the western end of the central axis. Elsewhere the tram runs on the surface while the metro runs beneath it.
How late does the Bilbao metro run?
The general timetable closes at eleven at night, with a night service running roughly three hours later on Fridays and Saturdays in the winter schedule, according to Getxo Town Council. Sunday and public holiday intervals stretch to ten minutes rather than the usual six.
A city buried its railway to get its river back. The tram is what stayed above ground to follow it.