The Bilbao ferry departs Portsmouth Ferry Port and arrives at Bilbao - see below for more information about the ports including directions, parking, and more. We also cover the Plymouth and Santander ports since this route compliments the Bilbao route.
Portsmouth ferry terminal is conveniently located just off the M27 and is well connected to the rest of the motorway network.
From London, take the M3 or A3. From the Midlands take the M3 to the A34, and from the South West take the A31. From Bristol and south Wales take the A36. These roads lead to the M275, from which an exit road leads directly to the port.
There are train services between Portsmouth and London Waterloo, taking 85 minutes. There are also services between London Victoria and Portsmouth passing through Chichester, Brighton and Gatwick. From Cardiff the train passes through Salisbury and Bristol. Portsmouth stations include Portsmouth & Southsea and Portsmouth The Hard Interchange, both of which are close to the Port. A shuttle bus runs from each station between the months of May - September, outside of these months a taxi should be taken from outside either train station at a cost of around £5
Regular coach services go from Portsmouth to London Victoria and Heathrow Airport. From London on-bound connections can be made to the rest of the UK.
It takes approximately 20 minutes to walk to the ferry terminal from the town centre and 30 minutes from Portsmouth & Southsea train station.
The car park is inside the port. Use the left hand lane at the entrance to the car check-in area, and then follow the signs. Disabled parking is available on the ground floor. Luggage trolleys are available for a £1.00 deposit. 516 spaces. The maximum height for vehicles in the car park is 2.2m high. Payment for the car park is made upon exit.
The car park is privately run by APCOA who can be contacted 02392 873378.
Caravans can be parked in the check-in lanes after the last departure of the day. Please note that no facilities are open overnight.
Bilbao is on the north coast of Spain and provides easy access to the rest of Spain and southern France.
Terminal de Brittany Ferries, Puerto de Bilbao, Muelle A3, Zierbena 48508
GPS coordinates: Lat: 43.35378, Long: -3.07035
Brittany Ferries operates from the port of Bilbao close to the small village of Zierbena. To reach the port follow signs from the motorway to Portua and then Ferry. Zierbena lies approximately 13 miles (21km) to the west of Bilbao and is accessible from both the west via the A8 (Santander) and the east (Madrid, Barcelona and SW France).
The city centre of Bilbao can be reached in 20 minutes by car. Bilbao is 1 hour 30 minutes from the French border, 3 hours from Zaragoza, 4 hours from Madrid and 6 hours from Barcelona.
The nearest station to the port is Santurtzi, approximately 3kms from the Brittany Ferries terminal (a 5 minute taxi ride away). Santurtzi is the last stop on Line 2 and provides direct access into the city centre of Bilbao. For more information visit www.metrobilbao.net.
There are direct national rail network connections with the major Spanish cities and the whole Iberian Peninsula. The station can be found on Plaza Circular 2. Two daily trains operate to and from Madrid with a journey time of six hours if you take the afternoon train and seven if you take the night train.
A network of buses operate to and from the city's TermiBus Bus Terminal with routes to many Spanish cities. In the city itself, more than 100 BizkaiBus bus lines link Bilbao and other areas of the region with nearly every location in the Bay of Biscay (Tel: +34 902 222265), www.bizkaia.net.
Taxis can be booked through Parada de Taxis de Santurtzi (Tel +34 94 461 03 56) parada-taxis-santurtzi A taxi from Zierbena to Santurtzi is approximately 10€.
There is a small, new, air-conditioned terminal at the port, with limited facilities, including toilets and vending machines. The nearest restaurants can be found in the small fishing port of Zierbena, approximately 1km from the terminal.
Access to the terminal is possible for disabled passengers. There are disabled toilet facilities.
The port offers parking with designated disabled parking areas. It is possible for camper vans, caravans and cars to park overnight in the terminal car park.
