Boat tours along the Bilbao estuary.

Boat tours in the Bilbao estuary, get to know the capital of Bizkaia by boat.

The boat tours in the estuary of Bilbao give us a different perspective from which to discover the capital of Bizkaia. A trip that allows us to know the past and present of the city in a comfortable and didactic way. The estuary has been the axis of the city of Bilbao for as long as we can remember, a river route that has been crucial for the development of the city and its industry. Today, industry has taken a back seat, giving way to tourism and leisure. It is here where the tourist boats come into play, boats that show the history, culture and architecture of the great Bilbao from the waters that cross it. Currently, the fleet consists of 2 boats, Ibai Eder and Ibai Alai, a monohull and a catamaran respectively, 2 boats that cover the regular routes of the Bilbao estuary.

Although it was not the first time we sailed the Bilbao estuary, the views surprised us again. There is always some corner to discover. We recommend that you look at each and every one of the spaces in front of which you sail. And although it is normal that spaces of great importance such as the San Mamés stadium or the Guggenheim Museum attract your attention, we believe it is important to contemplate other types of spaces to get a more real idea of what Bilbao was, is and will be. A great example of this are the industrial spaces that you will find along the route.

Today it is common to find boats of all kinds making the same route that made the legendary Athletic Gabarra: kayaks, paddle surfing, water bikes and a long list of boats among which we find the boats that we present today. During one of the many cultural events organized in the city, we were lucky enough to board one of these boats, the Ibai Alai. Our experience aboard the star boat of this company from Bilbao was a success. A different experience that we will certainly repeat in the future, an experience that we want to tell you all about. In this aspect, we would like to indicate that after enjoying all the existing options to navigate in the estuary of Bilbao, the spacious boats with guide system are the most appropriate for families and people who want to know Bilbao from the comfort.

Boats in the Bilbao estuary.

The most important and emblematic company of the Bilbao estuary, currently has 2 vessels that perform regular routes: Ibai Alai and Ibai Eder. The first one, a monohull boat, the second one, a catamaran. Two spacious and practical boats that take us to know Bilbao from the estuary. The first of them, Ibai Alai, the boat that is usually used for the most important regular routes, has 2 floors and a covered area. A real pleasure.

Boat trip on the Bilbao estuary.

The Bilbao estuary is navigable practically in its entirety, a route that is worth doing from beginning to end. In this sense, we are offered 3 routes around the estuary of Bilbao: Navegando Bilbao, Navegando al mar and Navegas tú, 3 possibilities among which it is not easy to decide. Although the type of boat and the state of the tide must be taken into account when sailing from the San Antón Bridge to the Bay of El Abra, we must confirm that it is possible. If you want to opt for this option we encourage you to use our contact form so that we can help you.

Audio guide on the boats in the Bilbao estuary.

In all the regular lines along the Bilbao estuary we will find a QR code that will allow us to enjoy a free audio guide directly from our cell phone. A multilingual platform that allows us to enjoy the curiosities and anecdotes of Bilbao in Basque, Spanish, English, French, German and Italian. We should point out that the audio guide can be accessed directly from any web browser, regardless of the mobile operating system. A mandatory element if we want to discover the history of the buildings and bridges that we find on our way. A didactic and comfortable way to get to know our beloved “botxo”.

Schedules of boat tours in the Bilbao estuary.

Regular routes have fixed schedules during most of the year. However, these are not 100% fixed schedules as they are subject to the weather and other elements that are impossible to foresee. It is for this reason that we advise you not to rely solely on these data, check the online reservations section to verify which departures have been confirmed.

As we have already mentioned, the best thing to do is to consult the schedule of departures through our reservation center, where you can check all the schedules and routes available for the day you are interested in.

Rates for boat trips on the Bilbao estuary.

The rates are classified in 3 sections: adults, children (5 to 10 years old) and the group formed by over 65 years old, disabled and under 5 years old. The rates listed below are only indicative, if you want to know the actual price, you must go to our reservation center and simulate the reservation, at that time you will see the price of the route in the estuary of Bilbao that you have selected.

Additionally there is a 10% discount for groups of 10 or more people. You can check these rates when booking online through the groups section.

Dock embarkation routes by boat in the Bilbao estuary.

The departure of all the mentioned routes takes place at the Pio Baroja pier. It is here where we find the mooring, in front of the town hall, on the other side of the estuary of Bilbao. A space that can be reached by different public transport:

We can also go by private transport and park in any of the parking lots in the area. If you are in the center of Bilbao, the best option is to walk to the pier. Bilbao is small and we can cross it walking easily.

Where to buy tickets.

Tickets for these boat tours on the Bilbao estuary can be purchased online at our reservation center. Here. A simple, intuitive and safe way to avoid waiting in long lines once we are at our destination. In our opinion, buying tickets online, in a couple of clicks, is the most comfortable and safe way to get our tickets. What do you think?

Practical information.

After our boat route along the Bilbao estuary, after experiencing these first hand, we wanted to compile a series of tips and recommendations. We hope you find them helpful. In case you have any questions, we advise you to use the comment system that you will find at the end of the article, we will try to answer as soon as possible.

Boat tours in Urdaibai.

About 30 km from Bilbao there is a small natural paradise called Urdaibai. A space that we encourage you to know both by land and by sea. In this sense, we recommend reading our article ” boat routes in Urdaibai“. A text, in which we break down each of the existing maritime routes in this stretch of the Basque coast. An adventure to recommend.

Boat tours in Donostia San Sebastian.

One hour away from Bilbao, in the wonderful La Concha Bay, in the center of Donostia San Sebastian, there is a family business that has been transporting people to Santa Clara Island since 1942. If you visit Donostia San Sebastian, we recommend that you value the option of knowing the coast of the capital of Gipuzkoa from the deck of a boat. Boat tours in Donostia San Sebastian are one of its main attractions. A tour, which also gives us the opportunity to get off at Santa Clara Island and enjoy the charms of this small natural paradise. We recommend you to book this route at the best price, fast and safe, from our reservation center, from here.

Video of boat tours in Bilbao.

Once again, we wanted to accompany the words and images of this article with a short video. This time we have uploaded to our YouTube channel a timelapse that we had the opportunity to record during the route “Navegando Bilbao”. We hope it will help you to get a more real idea of what these boat routes offer us. In case you like to watch videos about Euskadi, we encourage you to subscribe to our YouTube channel.

As you have been able to see, the boat tours along the estuary of Bilbao are one of the best options to get to know Bilbao from the estuary. A great experience that we highly recommend. As you know, your opinion is very important to us, so we encourage you to use the comment system that you will find below these lines to send us your opinion and suggestions. Ondo pasa!