# Bilbao or Santander



## rustyraider (Apr 7, 2015)

Hi

I have never been to Spain or know anything about the country.

At the end of the summer we are travelling to Spain with our car to spend and extended period of time in the country.

That's as far as the plans go at the moment.

What is the difference/ which is better - to sail to Bilbao or Santander?

Thanks for reading.


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## SandraP (Apr 23, 2014)

We are sailing into Bilbao in September, purely due to timings of ferry sailings. On the return journey we are having a couple of nights in Bilbao so I can cross on the Vizcaya Bridge, the world's oldest transporter bridge.


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## emlyn (Oct 26, 2012)

rustyraider said:


> Hi I have never been to Spain or know anything about the country. At the end of the summer we are travelling to Spain with our car to spend and extended period of time in the country. That's as far as the plans go at the moment. What is the difference/ which is better - to sail to Bilbao or Santander? Thanks for reading.


Where are you heading to after disembarking?Could influence which port you choose.


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## Alcalaina (Aug 6, 2010)

I agree, the timings and onward destination are the most important factors.

All things being equal I would choose Santander if you aren't used to driving in Spain. Bilbao is a big industrial city, whereas Santander is quite small and you are out of the city district quite quickly. Bilbao also has road signs in Basque, which can make things even more confusing.


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## Rabbitcat (Aug 31, 2014)

If you were heading for Alicante which port would be better?


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## Alcalaina (Aug 6, 2010)

Rabbitcat said:


> If you were heading for Alicante which port would be better?


Bilbao is further east so would be closer. Check here:

ViaMichelin: Michelin route planner and maps, restaurants, traffic news and hotel booking


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## rustyraider (Apr 7, 2015)

We decided to sail to Bilbao due to the arrival time of 1415hrs.

Please can I ask the following?

How punctual is the ferry?

After docking how long can we expect it to take before we disembark the ship?

Many thanks.


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## emlyn (Oct 26, 2012)

rustyraider said:


> We decided to sail to Bilbao due to the arrival time of 1415hrs. Please can I ask the following? How punctual is the ferry? After docking how long can we expect it to take before we disembark the ship? Many thanks.


Punctuality can be weather dependent,but normally pretty good. Disembarking in my experience tends to depend on where you've been parked in the ferry,also factor in whether your stopped by customs.


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## VFR (Dec 23, 2009)

Yes but with a name like *Rustyraider* ?, bound to get turned over in customs.


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## Gazeebo (Jan 23, 2015)

We sailed into Bilbao in October last year and drove down to Javea, stopping on the way at very well organised laybys for the dog and then at Zaragoza for refreshments. It took about 8 hours. The roads were very clear up to Alicante, where we met some traffic, but not bad. The slowest part was driving through the mountains outside of Bilbao, as the weather was misty and rainy. Getting out of Bilbao was fine, but we did book into an IBIS hotel after we docked for the night and set off early the following morning. I believe the ferry was on time, but then the crossing was not too rough. We are going back the same way in March.


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## Gazeebo (Jan 23, 2015)

Ooh forgot to say that it does take a time to embark and disembark, with embarcation taking rather a long time at Portsmouth.


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## ccm472 (Jan 6, 2016)

Personally I'd plan on it taking an hour and a half to disembark and clear the port. Anything less is a bonus. There are just so many variables that can cause delays.


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