1. How to get from the airport to the hotels
2. DETAILS ABOUT ESPE 2002
3.Other details about Bilbao

1. How to get from the airport to the hotels:

There are two ways to go from the airport to any of the hotels:

1. Taxi:

• Route: Airport - Bilbao or Bilbao - Airport
• Price: 25 Euro. (Depending on the traffic)
• Estimated time needed to get to the hotels: It is approximately 12 kms away from the centre of Bilbao, where the hotels are located, so if it is not peak hour, it should not take more than 20 minutes.

2. Bus:

Bus line: Bizkaibus A-3247 Bilbao-Airport
Telephone: 94 448 40 70
Timetable: All the year

• Airport-Bilbao
  Work days: from 6:45 to 22:45 H. every 30 minutes.
  - Saturday and holidays: From 6:30 to 22:30 every 60 minutes.

• Bilbao-Airport
  - Work days: from 6:00 to 22:00 H. every 30 minutes.
  - Saturday and holidays: From 6:00 to 22:00 every 60 minutes.

• Route: Moyua Square - Airport - Moyua Square (This square is very close to the hotels).
  - Price:
  During the week 0,95 Euro
  Saturday and holidays 1 Euro

2. DETAILS ABOUT ESPE 2002

• City: Bilbao
• Conference Center: Hotel Ercilla
• Lunches (June 13-14):
  Hotel Indautxu
• Technical Secretariat: Hotel Ercilla
  You can pick up the congress documentation:
  - Wednesday June 12th from 16:00 to 20:00
  - Thursday June 13th from 07:45 to 18:45
• Computer Room: Hotel Ercilla (connected to internet)
  Timetable: the same as the Congress

Social Events ESPE 2002:

• June 12th Wednesday, 19:00:
  "Getting together" Town Hall Building - Cocktail included.

• June 13th Thursday, 20:30:
  Welcome Cocktail -Dinner: Basque Ethnographic Museum of Bilbao. It is in 15 minutes walking distance from the hotels.

• June 14th Friday, 20:00:
  Main Conference Dinner: Typical Basque House "Finca Bauskain". It takes 30 minutes by bus to get there. There will be a bus service.

• June 15th Saturday, 14:00:
  Farewell Cocktail-Lunch: Hotel Ercilla (Conference Center Hall)

We will give you one Guggenheim Museum Ticket with the Congress Information / Documentation to visit it any day. Schedule: 10:00 - 20:00 (no admittance after 19:30)

3.Other details about Bilbao:

1. DEMOGRAPHIC CHARACTERISTICS

- Continent: Europe
- Country: Spain
- Region: Euskadi (The Basque Country)
- Province: Bizkaia
- Capital: Bilbao
- Latitude: 43º 15' 42" N
- Longitude: 2º 55' 43" W
- Altitude of the Capital: 19 meters above sea level
- Area: 41,259 km2
- Population: 450,000 inhabitants
- Currency: EURO

2. CLIMATE

The climate in Bilbao is a humid maritime type, with mild temperatures throughout the whole year. Rain is very frequent in spring and autumn, with mild winters and not excessively hot summers. The average temperature is 20ºC in summer and 8ºC in winter.

Click here to look at the weather.

3. BANKS

Opening times to the public are from 08:30 to 14:00 hours from Monday to Friday and from 09:00 to 13:00 hours on Saturdays.

Some branches also open in the afternoon from Monday to Friday, with different timetables.

4. TIPPING

Tips are included in all prices and bills, so tipping is not considered obligatory. However, if the service received is considered satisfactory, especially in bars and restaurants, a tip is often left.

5. TELEPHONES

The code for international calls is 00.
The international code to call Spain is 34.
Directory enquiries service is 1003
The Bilbao municipal information service is 010
The emergency phone number is 112
Public phone boxes work with coins or with cards that can be acquired at tobacconists.

6. SHOPPING

The most usual shop hours are from 09:30 to 13:30 and from 16:00 to 19:30 hours. Many shops are open on Saturdays. Department stores are open form 10:00 through to 21:00, from Monday to Saturday.

7. ELECTRICITY

The electric power supply is at 220 volts and 50 cycles. Electrical plugs are the European type, with two round pins.

8. LANGUAGES

Bilbao has two official languages: Spanish and Basque.

Very basic Dictionary (English/ Spanish / Basque):