Where to stay near San Mamés Stadium: the 3 areas to know in 2026
Our member calls the San Mamés stadium “Bilbao's new cathedral”, and points out what matters: “Even though it is new, it stays connected to the century-old history of the Athletic Bilbao club”. The bust of Pichichi proves it, planted outside the ground since 1926, and every team that comes to play here for the first time lays a bouquet at it through its captain.
For the traveller, the peculiarity lies elsewhere: under the stands run both lines of the metro, the tram, the suburban train and the coach station. Sleeping at the foot of this 53,289-seat ground therefore takes you away from nothing, the Guggenheim being seven minutes away by tram. Three areas: San Mamés and its interchange, the Gran Vía up to the Plaza Moyúa, and the estuary around the Guggenheim.
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The two ways to stay near San Mamés Stadium
Distance settles nothing here: two kilometres separate the ground from the Guggenheim, and the tram swallows them in seven minutes. What is left is the street you step into in the morning.
| What changes | At San Mamés | Towards the centre and the estuary |
|---|---|---|
| After the match | A minute's walk for one of the addresses | Seven minutes of tram, or the Gran Vía on foot |
| Transport | Metro, tram, train, coaches in one place | One tram line, or your legs |
| In the morning | The Doña Casilda park, 700 metres off | The Guggenheim or the Fine Arts |
| Dinner | The bars of the quarter, without tourists | The tables of the avenue, or the pintxos further on |
| Arriving by coach | The interchange is right there | One more metro ride |
| The marks in our survey | From 8.5 to 8.9 | From 8.5 to 9 |
| The number of reviews | From four thousand four hundred to ten thousand | From one thousand nine hundred to seven thousand six hundred |
| Who it suits | Anyone coming for the match | Anyone coming for the city |
How long to the entrance, area by area?
The distances go by road. The ground is the only point in Bilbao where both metro lines, the tram, the suburban train and the coaches meet.
| From | Time | How |
|---|---|---|
| San Mamés and the interchange | 1 min | walking That is what the listing of the better rated of the two addresses announces. |
| The Gran Vía, from the ground to the Plaza Moyúa | 1.5 km | walking or metro The avenue runs straight from the ground to the Plaza Moyúa. |
| Abandoibarra and the estuary, around the Guggenheim | 2 km | tram Seven minutes from the stadium interchange to the museum. |
At a glance: our picks by traveller type
Pick the profile that fits you and go straight to the recommended area.
Map of the areas near San Mamés Stadium
See how the areas sit relative to one another before choosing your base. Click a name to jump to its description.
San Mamés and the interchange At the foot of the stands, on the metro, the tram and the coaches
For anyone wanting every service without leaving the quarter
The Basurtu district looks like nothing and yet holds the keys to the city: San Mamés is the only station served by both metro lines, the tram stops there, the suburban train too, and the coach interchange opened in November 2019 is 1.5 kilometres away. The two addresses here make the most of it, one of them announcing a minute's walk to the ground. The Doña Casilda park, 700 metres off, provides the breathing space.
Very nice, recently built stadium
Where to stay in this area
Hotel Ilunion San Mamés Mid-range
Ten thousand reviews and more for an overall 8.9, 9.4 for comfort as for upkeep: no hotel in this guide climbs higher, and its listing announces a minute's walk.
BYPILLOW San Mamés Mid-range
Nine point two for staff as for location, on four thousand four hundred reviews: three minutes separate the door from the metro and the coaches.
Pros
- Both metro lines at the same station
- The tram, the suburban train and the coaches
- A minute's walk for one of the addresses
Cons
- A residential quarter, with no old stone
- The pintxos are 3.3 kilometres away
The Gran Vía, from the ground to the Plaza Moyúa 1.5 kilometres away, along the nineteenth-century avenue
For anyone wanting to walk to the ground and dine in town
The avenue runs straight from the ground to the Plaza Moyúa, 1.5 kilometres of solid buildings, shops and offices: this is the spine of Bilbao, and the walk to the stands happens without thinking. The Fine Arts have their museum 1.1 kilometres from the ground, so halfway along, and the two houses chosen here carry review counts that only great avenues produce.
Where to stay in this area
Vincci Consulado de Bilbao Luxury
Seven thousand six hundred reviews for an overall 9: the highest score on this page, and nine minutes on foot to the Fine Arts.
NH Collection Villa de Bilbao Mid-range
Three thousand one hundred reviews and an overall 8.5: an address on the Gran Vía at number 87, hence between the stands and the Plaza Moyúa.
Pros
- The walk to the ground, in a straight line
- The Fine Arts halfway to the centre
- The shops and the tables on the avenue
Cons
- A busy avenue, hence a noisy one
- Nothing of the charm of the old lanes
Abandoibarra and the estuary, around the Guggenheim 2 kilometres away, on both banks of the Nervión
For anyone coming for Bilbao and adding a match
This is the Bilbao that came after the shipyards: the titanium of the Guggenheim 2 kilometres from the ground, the estuary walkways, the bridges, and the tram that links it all to the stadium in seven minutes. People sleep here for the city, not for the football, and one of the two addresses looks at the museum from the opposite bank. The Casco Viejo lies further still, 3.3 kilometres from the ground, and the Bilbao guide takes care of it.
Where to stay in this area
Barceló Bilbao Nervión Mid-range
One thousand nine hundred reviews and an overall 8.6: the highest mark on the banks of the estuary, and the Casco Viejo a bridge away.
Hesperia Bilbao Mid-range
Six thousand nine hundred reviews and an overall 8.5: a coloured glass façade on the bank opposite the Guggenheim, which it faces head on.
Stay in the city
Where to stay in Bilbao
Bilbao has its own guide: neighbourhoods, prices, our recommended hotels.
Pros
- The Guggenheim two kilometres from the ground
- Seven minutes of tram, and there is the stadium
- The Bilbao guide takes over
Cons
- The prices of the museum quarter
- The furthest of the three areas from the ground
Our tips for booking the right place
- The ground is Bilbao's station, and that turns the whole reasoning round: No other station in Bilbao brings both metro lines together; the tram stops there, the suburban train too, and the coach interchange, opened in November 2019, is 1.5 kilometres away. Sleeping at the foot of the stands therefore does not set you apart: it puts you on every network at once. Elsewhere in this series, closeness is usually paid for in missing transport.
- The bouquet is laid by the visiting team, not by the home one: Our member tells the ritual, and he is right about the essentials: a bust, flowers, and a story that goes back to the last century. The detail deserves to be exact. The bust of Pichichi, whose real name was Rafael Moreno Aranzadi and who died of typhus at 29 in 1922, was sculpted by Quintín de Torre Berástegui and finished in December 1926. It is the captain of the VISITING team who lays a bouquet there, and only on his side's first visit to San Mamés: the players of MTK Budapest opened the custom on 1 January 1927.
- Fifty-three thousand seats in a city of 345,821 inhabitants: The ground is the largest in the Basque Country, opened on 16 September 2013 beside the old one, and it carries the same nickname, the Cathedral. Set against the population, that means a match fills the city without saturating it as in Lens: Bilbao's hotel stock holds. But the best rated addresses on this page all pass three thousand reviews, a sign that they fill up all year round, match or no match.
- Choosing the stadium quarter while hoping for the pintxo lanes: you have to cross Bilbao, 3.3 kilometres further on.
- Taking a room on the Gran Vía without checking the floor: no avenue in Bilbao carries as much traffic.
- Believing you must move away from the ground to see the city: by tram it is only seven minutes to the Guggenheim.
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