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Bilbao · Spain

Car hire and driving in Bilbao

Driving distances to the cities around, the rules that change at the border, and where to compare rental prices.

OverviewFlightsHotelsTrainsBusesCar rentalTours

In Spain traffic drives on the right. Picking up at BIO means 4 km (2 mi) into the centre before the trip starts. The emergency number is http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q1061257 / http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q25648909 / http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q25648910.

Drives from Bilbao

Car rental from Bilbao: distances and estimated journey times
RouteCountryDistanceEstimated time
Bilbao to Gasteiz / VitoriaSpain50 km (31 mi)about 46 min
Bilbao to SantanderSpain75 km (46 mi)about 1 h 8 min
Bilbao to Donostia / San SebastiánSpain77 km (48 mi)about 1 h 11 min
Bilbao to LogroñoSpain97 km (60 mi)about 1 h 28 min
Bilbao to PamplonaSpain115 km (72 mi)about 1 h 46 min
Bilbao to BurgosSpain120 km (75 mi)about 1 h 50 min
Bilbao to GijónSpain223 km (139 mi)about 3 h 24 min
Bilbao to LeónSpain228 km (141 mi)about 3 h 28 min
Bilbao to ValladolidSpain232 km (144 mi)about 3 h 32 min
Bilbao to OviedoSpain236 km (147 mi)about 3 h 36 min
Bilbao to ZaragozaSpain245 km (152 mi)about 3 h 44 min
Bilbao to BordeauxFrance257 km (160 mi)about 3 h 55 min
Bilbao to LondonUnited Kingdom941 km (584 mi)about 14 h 21 min
Bilbao to BerlinGermany1,589 km (987 mi)about 24 h 13 min
Bilbao to MadridSpain323 km (201 mi)about 4 h 56 min
Bilbao to RomeItaly1,271 km (790 mi)about 19 h 23 min
Bilbao to ParisFrance743 km (461 mi)about 11 h 19 min
Bilbao to HamburgGermany1,485 km (922 mi)about 22 h 38 min
Bilbao to BudapestHungary1,772 km (1,101 mi)about 27 h 2 min
Bilbao to ViennaAustria1,590 km (988 mi)about 24 h 15 min

Distances are straight-line; road and rail routes run about 15–25% longer. Times are estimates from distance and typical speeds, not timetables.

Where to compare car hire

ExpediaCar hire from the major suppliers, and the one to look at if the flight or hotel is already booked there. Part of Expedia Group.Check car hire on Expedia (opens www.expedia.com in a new tab)
DiscoverCarsCompares local and international suppliers. Read the counter reviews before you pick.Check rental cars on DiscoverCars (opens www.discovercars.com in a new tab)
Auto EuropeA broker specialising in Europe, often with clearer all-in pricing for US renters.Get European rates on Auto Europe (opens www.autoeurope.com in a new tab)
Rentalcars.comBooking.com's car arm, with wide airport coverage worldwide.Compare suppliers on Rentalcars.com (opens www.rentalcars.com in a new tab)
Every link above leaves this site.

We take no bookings for these providers and hold no reservation with them. The provider you choose handles payment, confirmation, changes and refunds. How that works.

Common questions

Which side of the road do they drive on in Bilbao?

The right, as everywhere in Spain.

How are the journey times on this page worked out?

From straight-line distance and typical speeds for each mode, so they are estimates for planning, not timetables. Road and rail routes run 15–25% longer than the straight line.

Where these facts come from

  • GeoNames (CC BY 4.0): population, elevation, time zone, postal codes
  • Wikidata (CC0): area, sister cities, visitor numbers, heritage listings, stations and ports
  • OurAirports (public domain): airports, runways
  • Natural Earth (public domain): map outlines

Data compiled 13 September 2026. Hotel figures are from our booking partner’s catalogue on that date. Journey times on this page are estimates from distance, not timetables; check the operator before you rely on one.