NEW: The Port of Bilbao, destination of cruises

Bilbao, thanks to the Santurtzi port, is getting to know as a cruises destination. Since 1997 that the first tourist ship had came, the increase of this type of ships has been big, until seventeen last 2003 year, which supposes the arrival of 7433 persons, from the Britain and the U.S.A in the majority. The prevision for this year in Bilbao is of twenty cruises and with the possibility of having other ones before April. This supposes the attractive recognition of Bilbao and of the general Basque Country for this type of tourism.

The constant increase is because of the tourist "boom" of Bilbao, to the tourist demand, and also because there are expanding the new routes for this boats alternative to the Mediterranean and The Caribbean, and finally because of the promotion labour of the "Costa Verde Cruises" association, which, are included four of the ports of the Cantabric: A Coruña, Gijón, Santander and Bilbao.

The ship-owners companies that have operated with Bilbao until this 2004 year had been thirteen. Some of them are repeating scale this year in the Basque Country, such as: Silversea, Saga Shipping, Clipper Cruise, Sea Cloud Cruises, Seven Sea Radisson, Berghav Management, Holland American and Lindbland Expeditions. Others as the Ocean Cruises with four scales in the Lisboa-London- Lisboa, and P&O with the twin boats of 2016 passengers "Oceana" and "Adonia", they are incorporating this year for the first time to Bilbao as a scale in their route.

The months of the alongside are between April and September, principally. When these boats arrive they have some organized bus to get to know different places of the Basque Country. The most common destinations are normally four: One direction Gipuzkoa to visit Donostia, another one to discover the Guggenheim Museum and Bilbao, the third one is to meet the historic village of Gernika and its entire past history, and the last one to walk along the Bilbao city and to go through the Basque coast until Bermeo. There are also buses to Bilbao all along the day, for somebody that has decided to stay in the boat.