Exit the bus station following the Euskotran signs. The tram station is at the surface, down a set of stairs next to the entrance to the metro. Take the tram that goes to the right, towards Atxuri. In other words, the one on the platform from which you arrived (don't the cross the tram tracks).
Take the opportunity to buy a Barik card from the ticket machine. It's a voucher that costs 3€ on which you can put 5, 10 or 15€. Each time you take the metro, tram or bus, the amount is automatically deducted from the card. Multiple persons can use it and the discounts are considerable (0.82€ vs. 150€ for the metro; for the tram and bus, 0.€ vs. 1.25€). If you plan to take the metro, tram or bus 4 times or more, it's a good idea to buy one. When it's used up, you can purchase new credit from the ticket machines with 5, 10 or 15€. You won't have to buy a new card and it will include the balance from the previous one. If you're travelling alone on our recommended route, a Barik card isn't worth it.
You'll have to "punch" the ticket in a machine in the station before getting on the tram. To open the tram door both from outside and inside, press the button in the centre of the door (the same as on the metro).
For the best views, sit on the left-hand side of the car and look straight ahead:
- After the first stop, on the left, is the curious Palacio de Congresos de Bilbao, a white building against which rests a rusty iron structure. Opinions about it vary widely, but in any event it effectively recalls the city's industrial past and the shipyards once located in this section of the river.
- On your immediate right, you'll see Doña Casilda Park, the largest park in Bilbao and where locals come to walk, play sports or sun themselves in summer. Note the small palaces on the other side of the park.
- Next, the tram will stop in Abandoibarra. In front of you is the famous Deusto Bridge. This drawbridge connects the neighbourhoods of Abando and Deusto. In the past, it opened to allow ships navigating the river to pass through. Today, in the absence of river traffic, it is opened only for certain festivities.
- When the tram starts moving again, on the opposite side of the river, you'll see the Universidad de Deusto. The first building on the right is La Comercial, the prestigious business school known today as Deusto Business School. To the right is the so-called "La Literaria" building where students pursue degrees in law, literature and philosophy.
- The next stop is the Guggenheim. Get off here. To the right, you'll see the impressive Iberdrola skyscraper. Directly in front of the station is the new Universidad de Deusto library and behind it, crossing the river, the footbridge that was built to connect the old library to the new one.
Cross the tram tracks and walk along Paseo de la Ría until you come to the Guggenheim. Formerly part of the old Bilbao shipyards, it was converted into a pleasant avenue at the beginning of the 21st century. You can enter the museum through a door to the left of the long staircase (you don't need to walk up it).
