Portsmouth Bilbao ferry crossing and bookings.Car ferries Portsmouth Bilbao at cheap prices from Drive-Alive.

Brittany Ferries ferry crossings Portsmouth Bilbao. Brittany Ferries timetables, online ferry booking, prices, ferry tickets Portsmouth Bilbao and great fares from Drive-Alive Motoring Holidays.

Brittany Ferries Portsmouth Bilbao tickets bookings and best prices

Brittany Ferries inaugurated this ferry crossing from Portsmouth to Bilbao on March 27th 2011, the company's first new destination for 23 years. There are two crossings a week operated by their newest ship, the highly specified cruise ferry the Cap Finistere.

The Cap Finistere will depart Portsmouth every Sunday and Wednesday, returning from Bilbao Tuesday and Thursday with a crossing time of 24 hours. There are some occasional variations from this schedule, so click for up to date Brittany Ferries timetables from Portsmouth to Bilbao.

The Portsmouth to Bilbao ferries dock at the new Zierbena terminal in northern Spain, about 8 km from Bilbao. Zierbena is a small fishing port and the ferry terminal is 1 km from the town, where there are a number of small restaurants offering the chance to relax before continuing your journey. If you just want to get on the road then there is a link road from the terminal to the A8/E70 motorway, so you can avoid Bilbao altogether.

The journey into Bilbao takes about 20 minutes by car. If you are on foot it is a 5 minute cab ride to Santurtzi where there is a metro station with a direct line to Bilbao centre.

Brittany Ferries also operates between Plymouth and Santander, so effectively there are five journeys a week between the UK and Northern Spain. So you could sail out from Plymouth and return to Portsmouth, or vice versa, giving you greater flexibility in your choice of crossing dates. Or you could choose to drive through France on one leg of your journey, through the Brittany Ferries' ports of St Malo, Cherbourg or Caen.

Whale watching in the Bay of Biscay

The 24 hour crossing time makes this the speediest way to get from Portsmouth to Northern Spain.

The Cap Finistere is a magnificent ship, so the journey is a holiday in itself. You can enjoy the onboard facilities, take in some whale-spotting and enjoy a good night's sleep. The Cap Finistere boasts an outdoor heated swimming pool and is capable of speeds up to 30 mph.

Brittany Ferries is proud of its on board restaurant services, where the French ownership of the company is evident, with a full table service restaurant, a self-service restaurant, a caf�, two bars and an additional pool-side bar. The staff are extremely friendly and helpful, and Brittany Ferries is confident that these qualities will ensure the success of the service.

Onboard accommodation ranges from comfortable reclining seats to the luxurious Commodore Cabins with a standard of comfort and amenities usually associated with up-market hotel rooms.

The journey to Bilbao crosses the Bay of Biscay, a great place for whale watching and dolphin spotting. Brittany Ferries offers special whale watching sessions in conjunction with ORCA, a leading marine conservation charity. This is a great opportunity to get up close to species ranging from Harbour Porpoises to the mighty Fin Whale, the second largest animal on Earth.

Portsmouth has recently re-invented itself as a trendy waterside city, so if you can't make it to the ferry terminal without an overnight stop you could do worse than spend an evening in Portsmouth. The waterfont area has plenty of restaurants and bars to while away the time. The ferry terminal is right at the end of the M275, making it one of the easiest of all ferry terminals to access. The M275 links directly to the M27 which in turn links into the rest of the UK motorway network, so wherever you're coming from, Portsmouth is very convenient.

Bilbao is essentially a major port and commercial centre, but it has the benefit of the world-famous Guggenheim Museum to attract visitors. This is a fabulous exhibition centre for diaplying the best of modern art in a revolutionary setting, and should not be missed. There are plenty of hotels to tempt you to stay awhile, and the old part of town offers bars and restaurants specialising in the cuisine of the area.

Bilbao is also a gateway to the rest of northern Spain and offers easy access to the Pyrenees and the Basque country. South West France is also within easy reach, and its even possible to make a case for using Bilbao as a way to reach the Mediterannean coast, about 6 hours drive to the east.

	Brittany Ferries tickets bookings and best prices