Using airport parking instead of driving into large cities

Sorry, I should have explained that it would be just for part of a day. We have a long term leased car from Renault Eurodrive. We would use the train or bus from St Jean de Luz, but want to visit Guernica and do the 2 1/2 hr. drive back to San Seb. that day. The Bilbao airport is very easy to drive to. I guess we will just try it once and see if it is doable. If we have to, we can drive into the city. Just thought someone on this board might have tried it before.

Point 1: The per/day cost on a second, short-term rental will be astronomical compared to the deal on the longer-term initial rental.

Point 2. The most you're going to spend in Bilbao is two nights (maybe just one), so you'll only "save" having a rental car for either zero or one days.

Point 3: Turning in one car and picking up another one will eat up half of a day.

Point 4: Dropping a car in Spain that you rented in France will rip the bottom out of your pocketbook.

The Bilbao airport is up on the plateau to the east of the city. I can't picture which way the roads come down, but the most direct route used to be a funicular, I would expect the bus ride would be lengthy. Of course you can park there; nobody cares where you go, just that you pay when you come back.

Bilbao is a very easy city in which to drive. Even better, if you drive into town on the east side of the river you'll be very close to the Plaza Nuevo (obviously the oldest square in town, but that's the way it goes). The entire underside of the plaza is a parking garage. The Casco Viejo metro station is handily adjacent.

Revision based on new info:

1. Park as before and ride metro two stops north.

2. Park at airport, ride funicular down and catch bus at bottom.

3. Drive to museum and park there -- free lots all around it.

4. Ride funicular down and walk fifteen minutes instead of riding bus. Just be aware that what appears to be the most obvious bridge is vehicles only -- you can't walk across it.

Lamiako Station is in Leioa which is down the hill and downriver from the aforementioned funicular. Getting to it is a rather complex operation involving crossing a canal in an industrial area.

It is not on the way in from Guernica and going there would entail a longer drive than going directly to the museum.

Apparently some of us are guessing and some of us actually lived there for a number of years.

Thank you for the replies. I guess the first question should have been how difficult it is to drive and find parking in Bilbao. Sounds like it is fairly easy so we'll just do that! We want to visit the Gug. and wander around the city for part of the day.

The best part of the city is the Old Town area, right around the Plaza Nuevo and the area from there, southwest to the river. Most everything on the museum side of the river was built within the last couple of hundred years.

When you leave back toward San Sebastian, drive up the east side of the river to just opposite Portugalete. There's a unique suspension ferry that resembles Tower Bridge in London in profile, but has a platform hanging beneath it from cables. The ironwork is very similar to the Eiffel Tower and it was, in fact, designed by a student of Eiffel's. After that, hang a right along the coast and follow the road to San Sebastian.

"Apparently some of us are guessing and some of us actually lived there for a number of years."

Ed is my favorite poster on this board. I am envious of his knowledge and personal experience over many years.

Ed, thank you for all the advice, I've already printed it and it is in my Bilbao file. I also really enjoy all your replies on this board, your answers are always down to earth and knowledgable. Thank you to everyone else for relying as well.