The road to Bilbao? The ultimate travel guide for United and Spurs fans hoping to get to the Europa League final

The road, boat, plane, train.. some would anything to get to Bilbao (Picture: Getty Images)

Travellers have been visiting Bilbao for its tasty tapas, forward-thinking art and trendy bar scene for decades.

The Basque city is usually considered a quiet and affordable alternative to more popular Spanish destinations such as Barcelona and Madrid.

But Manchester United and Tottenham fans will have to break the bank to get there if they reach the Europa League final on May 21.

The costs are astronomical. The cheapest hotel room in Bilbao for the night of the final is £1,469, and flight prices are nauseating.

The ‘best’ direct return on Skyscanner from Manchester to Bilbao, flying out the day before and coming home the day after, costs £1,720 per person.

On social media, fans have raged at the inflated prices, with one person pointing out that direct flights from London to Bilbao drop to less than £70 one week after the final.

At Metro, we know the pain of dynamic pricing. It’s soul-destroying to hand over hard-earned cash for something you know should be cheaper.

So, before you consider remortgaging your flat, we’ve analysed routes, compared airfares and crunched accommodation costs to find the best deals available ahead of the showdown at the San Mames stadium.

Which airports are near Bilbao?

We’ve already given you the grim news about direct flights from Manchester, but what if you’re willing to endure a connection?

The cheapest option is £224, but that would involve a total of 46 hours of travel (including stopovers) — and missing the match, landing three hours after kick-off.

Right, so let’s look at flying from other airports in the UK.

Travelling from one of London’s main hubs will get you there in plenty of time, but a direct return from Gatwick is currently £1,679.

(Picture: Skyscanner)

A cheaper return from Heathrow flying out the day before is £833, with a quick change in Brussels.

There are no direct flights from the UK to Bilbao on the day, but don’t panic — there are other options.

We’ve also contacted major airlines including easyJet, Ryanair and British Airways to see if they plan to add services to cater for demand.

Can you get a ferry to Bilbao?

Yes. A direct ferry runs from Portsmouth to Bilbao for £379 return.

The ship sails five days a week, except Tuesdays and Saturdays, but the journey takes almost 35 hours, so you’ll need to leave at least two days before the match.

The best option is travelling as a foot passenger on the evening sailing from Portsmouth on May 18, which arrives in Bilbao early on May 20, the day before the final.

The ferry port is a 20-minute drive to the city centre.

Can I get to Bilbao by train from Madrid?

Bilbao’s Abando station is a major hub for long-distance trains, which means it has connections to many of Spain’s biggest cities.

That’s good news for fans willing to take circuitous routes.

From Madrid, a standard return rail fare that gets you to Bilbao the night before the final and leaves the day after, costs £96. The journey takes just under five hours each way.

Travelling to Bilbao by train might not be a bad idea (Picture: Trainline)

From Barcelona, only first-class train tickets are left for the days around the final and even then, seats are limited.

For United fans, getting to the Spanish capital in time for the game isn’t as expensive as you might think.

The cheapest option from Manchester to Madrid, flying out the day before and coming home the day after, costs only £116.50. This does, however, involve a stop in Lanzarote en route, and in Dublin on the way back.

The fastest route from Manchester to Madrid, travelling on the same days with shorter stops in Ibiza and Porto, costs £225.

Is it cheaper to fly to Bilbao from other European countries?

Dublin, Berlin, Basel and Geneva are some of the European cities with direct routes to Bilbao.

The best option Metro could find is to fly from Geneva.

The cheapest return on Skyscanner, flying out the day before and coming home the day with stops each way in Madrid, costs £228 per person.

Aer Lingus flights from Dublin are sold out the day before the final, but there are a few seats left on the afternoon flight on May 21 that would get you there just in time for the game.

One example of a possible route home (Picture: Skyscanner)

A return fare, that takes you back to the Irish capital on May 22, is currently £765.

Flying from Berlin, the cheapest fare is a comparatively reasonable £300, but allowing for changes, you’d need to fly three days before the final to make it in time.

What are the cheapest rooms left in Bilbao?

At the time of writing, Metro found a double room at Optimi Rooms Bilbao for £66, for the night before the final (May 20).

This is a capsule hotel, which means you’d be sleeping in a pod.

Some of our Travel team have tried pod hotels before, and all confirm it can feel extremely claustrophobic. Let the booker beware.

(Picture: Booking.com)

Other than that, the cheapest room in a hostel-type property is priced at £763. The cheapest three-star hotel room is £1,469.

On Booking.com, 96% of properties in Bilbao are now unavailable on the night of the final.

Where to stay outside Bilbao with transport links to the stadium

Just a 20-minute drive from Bilbao is Getxo, a tourist town with pretty beaches and perhaps your last chance for reasonably priced accommodation for the game.

On the night of the final, you can still book a room at Vistas al Mar homestay for £75.

Further out, a 50-minute drive or 95-minute bus will take you from Bilbao to Elantxobe, where there are rooms on the night of the final for £93.

You’ll have to move fast to get any kind of accommodation (Picture: Booking.com)

In Lekeitio, a one-hour drive from the city, hotels have plenty of availability, with two-star rooms from £85 a night. A bus runs directly from Lekeitio to the centre of Bilbao, and the journey takes just over two hours.

One-hour inland in Vitoria-Gasteiz, rooms in attractive apart-hotels are still available for £213 on the night of the final.

Another option is Bermeo, a fishing port just a 35-minute drive from Bilbao.

Rooms are priced at £68 the night before the final, but if you want to stay there on the night you’ll have to fork out as much as £1,175 just to lay your head.

What are fans saying about the prices?

Understandably, they’re not happy.

On X, hundreds have vented their frustration, calling out hotels and airlines for hiking rates.

The road to San Mames is an arduous one (Picture: Getty Images)

A man named Wehib wrote: ‘The absolute shamelessness on display from hotels and co. in Bilbao is absolutely staggering.’

Carl Brady added sarcastically: ‘Does anyone know why hotels in Bilbao around 21st May are all a grand a night minimum but £100 rest of year?’

Another fan said: ‘As there are no direct flights to Bilbao from London for the final, the price for the quickest routes are between £500-£850. A week later the price is around £70. How can airlines be allowed to do this?’