MUGFOUNDRY

Travellers have been visiting Bilbao for its tasty tapas, forward-thinking art and trendy bar scene for decades.

Spain’s Basque city is usually considered a quiet and affordable alternative to more popular destinations such as Barcelona and Madrid.

But Manchester United and Tottenham fans will have to break the bank to get there for the Europa League final on May 21.

While many fans had preemptively booked tickets after the first legs, the costs are now astronomical. The cheapest hotel room in Bilbao for the night of the final is £1,469, and flight prices are nauseating.

Prices are changing by the minute, but the cheapest direct one-way flight from London to Bilbao on May 21 that Metro could find on Skyscanner is currently £570.

From Manchester, as of 10am BST Friday, it’s £507.

On social media, fans have raged at the inflated prices, with one person pointing out that direct flights from London to Bilbao drop to less than £70 one week after the final.

We know the pain of dynamic pricing. It’s soul-destroying to hand over hard-earned cash for something you know should be cheaper.

So, before you consider remortgaging your flat, we’ve analysed routes, compared airfares and crunched accommodation costs to find the best deals available ahead of the showdown at the San Mames stadium.

The nearest airports to Bilbao

Dublin, Berlin, Basel and Geneva are some of the European cities with direct routes to Bilbao. The ‘best’ option Metro could find is from Geneva.

The cheapest return on Skyscanner, flying out the day before and coming home the day with stops each way in Madrid, costs £228 per person.

Aer Lingus flights from Dublin are sold out the day before the final, but there are a few seats left on the afternoon flight on May 21 that would get you there just in time for the game.

A return fare, that takes you back to the Irish capital on May 22, is currently £765.

Flying from Berlin, the cheapest fare is a comparatively reasonable £300, but allowing for changes, you’d need to fly three days before the final to make it in time.

Bilbao’s closest alternative airport is Santander, but fares are already soaring. You’re looking at paying in the region of £400 for a return flight that arrives on the morning of the final, and departs the day after.

Biarritz in southwestern France is further away, but according to The Independent’s Simon Calder, it’s the best option.

The airport has no direct flights on May 20, but you could fly there via Basel in Switzerland. The quickest and cheapest option left is the easyJet route from Gatwick (£250), but this involves a self-transfer in Basel.

Airline TAP Air Portugal also has a £324 option from Gatwick on May 20, that gets you to Bilbao at 6pm after a short change in Lisbon.

Still, don’t panic — there are other options.

We’ve also contacted airlines including easyJet, Ryanair and British Airways to see if they plan to lay on additional flights.

Can I get the Portsmouth to Bilbao ferry?

Yes. A direct ferry runs from Portsmouth to Bilbao for £379 return.

The ship sails five days a week, except Tuesdays and Saturdays, but the journey takes almost 35 hours, so you’ll need to leave at least two days before the match.

The best option is travelling as a foot passenger on the evening sailing from Portsmouth on May 18, which arrives in Bilbao early on May 20, the day before the final.

The ferry port is a 20-minute drive to the city centre.

What about getting to Bilbao by car?

It’s possible. Die-hard fans could take their car across the Channel from Dover, Kent, to Calais, in northern France, by ferry or Eurotunnel.

From there, the driving time across France and over the Spanish border to Bilbao is around 12 hours.

Is there a bus to San Mames?

FlixBus has a coach leaving from London Victoria on the morning of May 20. It arrives in Bilbao at 7.45am on May 21, giving you plenty of time to rest before the game.

The bus costs £154 and involves crossing the Channel by ferry and changing coaches in Paris, with a total travelling time of just under 24 hours.

Coach company Central Connect is also running as many as 50 buses directly to the final, both from Manchester and across the UK to Bilbao for Manchester United and Tottenham fans. Round-trips cost £299 and the price is fixed, which means you’re not in danger of any dynamic surge.

Peter Nathanail, managing director of Transport Made Simple UK, tells Metro this event is ‘bigger than anything we’ve dealt with before’.

Don’t forget you’ll need your passport if you’re travelling by coach.

Can I get to Bilbao by train?

In theory, yes. From London St Pancras International on May 20, the cheapest morning Eurostar train to Paris Nord is £110.

That would get you to Paris Montparnasse, where you’d need to hop on the train to Hendaye (another £75). From there, it’s just under a 90-minute drive to Bilbao.

If you’re already on the ground in Spain, Bilbao’s Abando station is a major hub for long-distance trains, which means it has connections to many of the country’s biggest cities.

From Madrid, a standard return rail fare that gets you to Bilbao the night before the final and leaves the day after, costs £96. The journey takes just under five hours each way.

From Barcelona, only first-class train tickets are left for the days around the final and even then, seats are limited.

What are the cheapest rooms left in Bilbao?

At the time of writing, Metro found a double room at Optimi Rooms Bilbao for £66, for the night before the final (May 20).

This is a capsule hotel, which means you’d be sleeping in a pod.

Some of our Travel team have tried pod hotels before, and all confirm it can feel extremely claustrophobic. Let the booker beware.

Other than that, the cheapest room in a hostel-type property is priced at £763. The cheapest three-star hotel room is £1,469.

On Booking.com, 96% of properties in Bilbao are now unavailable on the night of the final.

Where to stay outside Bilbao with transport links to the city

Just a 20-minute drive from Bilbao is Getxo, a tourist town with pretty beaches and perhaps your last chance for reasonably priced accommodation for the game.

On the night of the final, you can still book a room at Vistas al Mar homestay for £75.

Further out, a 50-minute drive or 95-minute bus will take you from Bilbao to Elantxobe, where there are rooms on the night of the final for £93.

In Lekeitio, a one-hour drive from the city, hotels have plenty of availability, with two-star rooms from £85 a night. A bus runs directly from Lekeitio to the centre of Bilbao, and the journey takes just over two hours.

One-hour inland in Vitoria-Gasteiz, rooms in attractive apart-hotels are still available for £213 on the night of the final.

Another option is Bermeo, a fishing port just a 35-minute drive from Bilbao.

Rooms are priced at £68 the night before the final, but if you want to stay there on the night you’ll have to fork out as much as £1,175 just to lay your head.

What are fans saying about the prices?

Understandably, they’re not happy.

On X, hundreds have vented their frustration, calling out hotels and airlines for hiking rates.

A man named Wehib wrote: ‘The absolute shamelessness on display from hotels and co. in Bilbao is absolutely staggering.’

Carl Brady added sarcastically: ‘Does anyone know why hotels in Bilbao around 21st May are all a grand a night minimum but £100 rest of year?’

Another fan said: ‘As there are no direct flights to Bilbao from London for the final, the price for the quickest routes are between £500-£850. A week later the price is around £70. How can airlines be allowed to do this?’