Three rail operators serve Bilbao and only one of them goes to the Urdaibai coast. The train for Mundaka and Bermeo is not at the main station and not on the metro map: it leaves from Matiko, and it stops in the Old Town three minutes later.
Where does the train from Bilbao to Bermeo leave from? Euskotren line E4 leaves from Matiko in Bilbao, calls at Zazpikaleak three minutes later, and reaches Gernika in 61 minutes, Mundaka in 79 and Bermeo in 84. Trains run every 30 minutes from 6.10am to 7.10pm on weekdays, and the 10.10pm service terminates at Gernika.
Euskotren line E4 is the regional train that links Bilbao with Bermeo across the Urdaibai biosphere reserve, stopping at Gernika-Lumo and Mundaka.
Which Bilbao station, and why it is not the obvious one
Bilbao’s rail map confuses first-time visitors because three networks overlap and share none of their stations. Renfe long-distance and commuter trains use Abando. Metro Bilbao runs its own underground lines. Euskotren runs the regional network, and the E4 to the coast starts at Matiko.
That distinction has a practical consequence: the E4 does not appear on the metro map, so planning a coastal day out from the metro diagram alone leaves the line invisible.
Nobody actually has to reach the terminus, though. The train calls at Uribarri one minute out and at Zazpikaleak, in the middle of the Old Town, at three minutes. For anyone staying centrally that stop, and not Matiko, is where the journey starts.
The weekend timetable, which is the one visitors use
Most trips to the coast happen at the weekend, and that is when the line starts latest. On Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays the first train leaves at 07:42 and the 30-minute frequency holds until 19:12, after which departures go hourly.
The last one carries a condition worth reading before booking dinner in a fishing port. The 22:12 departure reaches Bermeo on Saturdays only; on Sundays and public holidays it terminates at Gernika.
Weekdays start earlier and end differently. Trains run every 30 minutes from 06:10 to 19:10, then hourly, and the 22:10 stops at Gernika at 23:07 rather than continuing, which makes the 21:10 the last full run to the coast from Monday to Friday.
Night trains, on one night only
The E4 has something no other approach to this coast offers: night services on Saturday nights into Sunday, in both directions, with departures from Bermeo from 23:39 and from Matiko from 22:12.
Some of those are not through trains. They involve a change at Amorebieta Geltokia, marked on the timetable itself, so a late return means a connection rather than a single ride.
No other night of the week has that cover. A midweek evening in Mundaka or Bermeo ends with the 21:10 from Bilbao and the last return before midnight, and getting around Bilbao itself after that is a matter of the night buses set out in the guide to Bilbao’s night bus network.
Bikes, boards and children
Two conditions make this line unusually cheap to use. bicycles travel free on every train, with no supplement and no booking, according to Euskotren, which matters on a coast where the stations sit at the top of the villages.
The second is age: travel is free until the age of 15, as published by Euskotren. For a family of two adults and two children, the fare for a day in Urdaibai is two tickets.
Euskotren publishes its rail fares in its own document rather than through the operator pages of the Bizkaia transport consortium, where the rest of the network’s prices sit. How the regional card works across operators is covered in the guide to the Barik card, and the network as a whole in the guide to getting around Bilbao and Bizkaia.
Choosing your train
- Day trip to Gernika → any train in the 30-minute band, 61 minutes each way
- Surfing or walking at Mundaka → 79 minutes, five short of the end of the line
- Dinner in Bermeo on a Sunday → the 22:12 stops at Gernika, so plan an earlier return
- Saturday night out on the coast → the only night with trains back
- Carrying a bike → free on every service, no reservation
- Travelling with under-15s → they pay nothing
Journey times along the line
The figures come from the line’s own timetable, so they can be used to build a day rather than guessed at. Taking a departure at 06:10 from Matiko, the train is in Gernika at 07:11 and in Bermeo at 07:34.
| Stop | Minutes from Matiko | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| Zazpikaleak, Bilbao | 3 minutes | Old Town, the real boarding point in the centre |
| Amorebieta Geltokia | 38 minutes | Interchange, and the change station on night services |
| Zugastieta, Muxika | 51 minutes | Inland Urdaibai |
| Gernika | 61 minutes | Assembly House, Peace Museum and the town market |
| Busturia San Kristobal | 70 minutes | West shore of the Urdaibai estuary |
| Mundaka | 79 minutes | Fishing harbour and the wave over the sandbar |
| Bermeo | 84 minutes | Main fishing port, with buses onward to Gaztelugatxe |
The split is uneven. The first 38 minutes cover the urban corridor through Etxebarri, Basauri, Galdakao, Usansolo, Bedia and Lemoa, and the remaining 46 cover the run to the coast.
What each of the three stops gives you
The three destinations at the end of the line are different days out, not variations of one. Gernika-Lumo, at 61 minutes, is the inland town with the Assembly House and its oak, the Peace Museum and a working market.
Mundaka, at 79 minutes, is a small harbour at the mouth of the estuary, known for the wave that breaks over the sandbar. Bermeo, at 84, is the largest fishing port on this stretch of coast and the transfer point for buses to Gaztelugatxe, where entry is free and capped at 1,462 people a day, as set out in the guide to Gaztelugatxe from Bilbao.
Frequently asked questions about the E4 line
Which station in Bilbao has trains to Bermeo?
Matiko, the Bilbao terminus of Euskotren line E4. The train also calls at Zazpikaleak in the Old Town three minutes after leaving, which is the practical boarding point for anyone staying in the centre.
How long does the train take from Bilbao to Mundaka?
About 79 minutes from Matiko, with Bermeo five minutes further on at 84. Gernika comes earlier, at 61 minutes. Trains run every 30 minutes for most of the day in both directions.
Is there a late train back from Bermeo to Bilbao?
On Saturday nights Euskotren runs night services on the E4, some requiring a change at Amorebieta Geltokia. No other night of the week has them, so a late return needs the Saturday timetable or an earlier train.
Can you take a surfboard or bicycle on the train to Mundaka?
Bicycles travel free on every Euskotren train, with no supplement and no reservation. Anyone under 15 also travels free, which makes the line an inexpensive way to reach the Urdaibai coast.
Is the E4 line part of the Bilbao metro?
No. Metro Bilbao and Euskotren are different operators, and the E4 does not appear on the metro map. It is a regional rail line with its own stations, including Matiko and Zazpikaleak inside Bilbao.
A city breakfast and a harbour lunch sit 84 minutes apart, provided the return train is picked before the outbound one.