Port accessThe Bilbao Port Authority will once again take part in Seatrade Europe, the meeting of European and international cruise industry professionals, which will be held in Hamburg from September 10 to 12. At the leading European trade fair dedicated exclusively to cruises, the Port of Bilbao (Hall A4, stand 500) will showcase to shipping companies, wholesalers and tour operators the advantages it offers for hosting all types of cruises and serving both transit and turnaround passengers. This is thanks to its modern facilities dedicated exclusively to this type of traffic and the projects underway aimed at ensuring efficient and sustainable tourism.
Since the beginning of the 2025 season, the Port of Bilbao has welcomed 66 cruise ships with more than 118,000 passengers on board, mainly British (38%), American (23%) and German (17%). Ten cruise ships — from companies such as Norwegian Cruise Line, Ponant, Seadream, Carnival, Regent Seven Seas Cruises, Cunard Line, Scenic Cruises, Ritz Carlton and Disney Cruise Line — called at Bilbao for the first time.
It is also worth highlighting those that have made overnight calls up to August: the Balmoral and Borealis from Fred Olsen; the Seadream II from Seadream; Star Pride from Windstar Cruises; Le lapérouse from Ponant; Europa and Europa II from Hapag Lloyd; and Star Legend from Windstar. In the same period, MSC Poesía from MSC Cruises and Europa II from Hapag Lloyd carried out turnaround operations in Bilbao.
The cruise terminals of the Port are located in Getxo, only 20 minutes from the centre of Bilbao and 14 kilometres from Bilbao Airport, which is connected to the main destinations of the Iberian Peninsula and Europe, as well as Newark in the United States. The port has three berths, 366, 355 and 318 metres long and 12 metres deep, equipped to receive ships of any size, and offers state-of-the-art facilities that guarantee a comfortable, safe and efficient experience for both passengers and shipping companies.
The Getxo 1 and Getxo 2 terminals offer services such as free wifi, VIP lounge, tourist information, passenger gangway, ship repair, fuel, water and provisions supply, waste collection with full health and environmental guarantees, as well as safety and security measures such as ISPS Code compliance, scanners, security arches, surveillance, port police and restricted access areas, among others. In addition, the Getxo 3 cruise berth boasts a modern, dynamic, welcoming, functional, and competitive maritime station called “Olatua,” designed to deliver the highest standards of quality and applied maritime safety, placing it at the forefront of European terminals.
Furthermore, and in line with its commitment to decarbonising maritime transport and making cruise tourism more sustainable, the Port Authority is implementing the BilbOPS project. By 2027 this will enable vessels — including cruise ships calling at any of its three dedicated terminals — to connect to the electrical grid. This will lead to a significant reduction in emissions at the port and a notable decrease in the noise and vibrations produced by conventional engines, thus providing a better experience for tourists on board and reducing disturbances to nearby communities. In addition, part of the supplied energy will be of renewable origin, generated, among other sources, through photovoltaic panels installed in the port itself.
The BilbOPS project is being carried out in two phases and is funded by the Recovery and Resilience Facility, the “Connecting Europe” Facility (CEF Funds), and the European Investment Bank (EIB).
A destination with its own identity
Bilbao, the capital of Bizkaia, is characterised by its unique blend of tradition and modernity, where charming medieval streets full of shops and restaurants coexist with the dynamism of a city that in recent years has reinvented itself and become a showcase for cutting-edge architecture and urban planning, such as the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao, whose unmistakable titanium silhouette rises beside the river on land that once hosted port activity.
Next to the cruise facilities are the town of Getxo and its picturesque Old Port, as well as the impressive Vizcaya Bridge, declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Thanks to excellent road connections, in a short time visitors can also reach elegant San Sebastián, the captivating Basque-French coast, or the vineyards and wineries of Rioja Alavesa, among many other destinations.
Seatrade Europe 2025
Europe’s leading cruise tourism event will bring together in Hamburg (Germany) more than 3,500 industry professionals, as well as over 250 exhibitors and more than 70 cruise companies from around the world. For two days, more than 140 experts will debate the future of the sector in areas such as European maritime strategy, expectations for a sustainable future, passenger service quality, efficient port operations management, cybersecurity, innovation and naval design, among many others.
