On April 16, 2022 I boarded the Emerald Princess in Fort Lauderdale Florida and sailed 15 days on a Trans Atlantic cruise that included 2 ports in Spain, La Coruna and Bilbao.
Spain is located in the extreme southwestern part of Europe, occupying 85 percent of the Iberian Peninsula. The remaining portion it shares with Portugal, it’s neighbor to the west. Spain has a total population of almost 47 million, with the most populous city and capital being Madrid with 3.2 million. La Coruna comes in with 247,000 and Bilbao with 351,000. The currency is the euro.
PORT OF LA CORUNA
Situated beside the Atlantic Ocean, La Coruna is a historic city whose history has maintained close ties with its old fishing and commercial port. The peninsula on which the old city stands contains the Tower of Hercules, one of the key symbols of the city.
The Tower of Hercules is the oldest active Roman lighthouse in the world. Built in the 1st century, it was completely renovated in 1791 by the order of King Charles IV of Spain. The structure stands 180 ft tall and overlooks the North Atlantic coast. According to mythology, Hercules cut off the head of Geryon and built the monument after burying his remains below it.
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| Tower of Hercules |
The lighthouse lantern is visible at sea from a distance of 32 miles. The tower is divided into three sections, each successively narrower, up to the lantern. There are a total of 242 steps leading to the top of the lighthouse, but the effort is well worth the view of the city of La Coruna and the coastline. In 2009 it was named a UNESCO World HeritageSite.
Tower of Hercules 
Tower of Hercules Lighthouse
If you want to take the local bus to the Tower of Hercules, you have lots of opportunities. The local bus service offers 25 routes throughout the city with 468 stops and cost 1.50 euros per ride. The closest stop to the tower is Cidade Deport Torre.
La Coruña began as a Celtic settlement but took on greater historical significance in Roman times, when the port became a key location for navigation routes.
La Coruna, Spain
The Emerald Princess docked in La Coruna at 7:00am. The ship was cleared by the local authorities and I walked off at precisely 8:00am. I made my way to the nearest bus stop which is appropriately named “Port Authority” and is located on Avenida de la Marina, a very easy and quick walk from the dock.
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| Fountain on Avenida de la Marina |
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| Heading to bus stop |
On the Avenida de la Marina, you will see characteristic houses with 19th century glazed white balconies that form one of the most recognizable features of La Coruna, earning it the title of “Glass City”.
I have never been a big advocate of purchasing your shore excursions via the cruise ship company, mainly due to their cost but also because I don't want to fight through a crowd of 50 other people on the tour. One positive reason you might want to buy your shore excursion from the cruise company is their “guarantee” that the boat will not leave without you.
That said, this cruise was no exception for me. Purchasing a shore excursion for La Coruna from Princess would run me anywhere from $40 for a simple 1.5 hour walking tour to $130 for an all day 7 hour tour.
I have always preferred to use local transportation. This affords me the ability to interact with the locals, which I love. At the Port Authority bus stop I boarded the first bus that came by, ironically bus #1.
Bus #1 schedule posted at bus stop
Local bus in La Coruna, Spain
If you simply stay on the bus and make the entire loop it will take about 1 hour. Be sure to have euros on hand as you can purchase your ticket onboard at a cost of 1.50 euro per ride.
Once I completed the bus #1 loop, I boarded bus #17, again at the Port Authority stop, and made my way over to the Castillo of San Anton, getting off at the Maestranza, Metroside stop, the closest stop to the Castillo. If you prefer to walk there from the ship it’s about a mile and will take around 15 minutes. Your entrance fee to the Castillo is 2 euros.
Bus #17 schedule posted at bus stop
Castillo of San Anton in La Coruna, Spain
Entrance to Castillo 
View just after entering the Castillo
The Castillo of San Anton stands at one end of the port area. Built in the late 16th century for defense, it was remodeled in the 18th century. It is now the Provincial Archaeological Museum, and displays an interesting overview of Galician prehistory with various metalwork pieces, objects and tools from the Castro culture.
You can check out
a virtual tour of the Castillo here.
I then walked back to the Maestranza, Metroside stop where I again boarded bus #1. This time I got off at a quaint little Café Bar called O’Remo to experience a local beer. The bus stop was Av. Da Concordia. I ordered a local beer and was pleasantly surprised when the waitress sat down a slice of quiche and a piece of bread to accompany my beer.
Cafe Bar O'Remo in La Coruna, Spain
Ordering beer inside
Once finished I simply crossed the street and jumped back on bus #1, getting off again at the Port Authority stop on Avenida de la Marina. My transportation cost for the day was 6 euros.
Before making my way back to the ship I made a stop at the cruise port gift shop and purchased a bottle of Bailey’s, a bottle of Captain Morgan Rum, a bottle of wine and 4 cokes. The total came to 39 euros, much better than the $10-$12 per drink, plus mandatory 20% gratuity, charged onboard by Princess.
All aboard time was set for 3:30pm with a 4pm departure as we headed to the port of Bilbao, Spain.
PORT OF BILBAO
At 8:00am on day 13 of my cruise, the Emerald Princess docked in Bilbao, Spain. The ship was cleared by local authorities and I walked off at 8:50am.
Bilbao, Spain
Downtown Bilbao is about 12 miles away. Princess made available a shuttle bus to downtown but at a cost of $15 per person round-trip. If you don’t pay the $15 you are forced to stay onboard the ship for the day as you are NOT free to walk around the port area.
I
purchased my ticket and hopped aboard the shuttle bus at 9:08am. We left almost immediately and I was dropped in downtown Bilbao by
9:40am. The shuttle dropped me at Plaza Moyua and from here it was an easy walk to the Guggenheim Museum, my destination for the day. 
Shuttle bus / dropoff point in downtown Bilbao
Unfortunately, the day of my visit, the museum didn’t open until 11am. Be sure and check the schedule for dates and times for your visit.
I would return to the Guggenheim later in the day but in the meantime decided to walk to "Casco Viejo" - old town. My GPS told me it was just over a mile and would take me 25 minutes.
During my walk I made my way past the riverfront of the Estuary of Bilbao, formed from the Nervion River.
Just across the bridge from the entrance to
the old town you will find La Ribera Market, the largest produce market in
Europe. Unfortunately it was closed the
day of my visit so be sure and check your dates and times first. 
La Ribera Market in Bilbao
The bars and restaurants of “Casco Viejo” are pretty much concentrated in a seven street area which includes: Somera, Artecalle, Tendería, Belosticalle, Carnicería Vieja, Barrencalle and Barrencalle Barrena. The top shopping streets are Ascao, Correos, Bidebarrieta, Víctor and Somera.
Have a relaxing lunch in the pedestrian shopping area, enjoy the local street musicians, try a local treat from one of the panaderias or simply people watch. The typical stores of the old city are “traditional Bilbao” shops and leisurely strolling along is a delight to the senses.
After a visit to old town I wanted to get back to the Guggenheim Museum so decided to take some local transportation instead of walking the mile back. My feet appreciated my decision.
There are several transportation options in Bilbao. I opted to use the tran that runs parallel to the river estuary.
I
purchased a ticket at the old town tran stop for the Green Line #1 tran. 
Ticket Machine 
Ticket Validation Machine - Validate BEFORE BOARDING
Cost was 1.50 euros and once I had boarded I decided
to take it all the way to the end, passing the Guggenheim Museum on the
way. My final stop – La Castilla. 
Inside the tran
I simply remained on the tran and in about 5 minutes it began it’s return journey. This time I got off at the
Guggenheim Museum stop.
In front of the Guggenheim 
Guggenheim Museum 
Guggenheim Museum
Entering the Guggenheim, I opted to check my day bag. They provide this service free of charge so why not. Admission was 18 euros due to the fact that I purchased the ticket at the museum, however, you can save a couple euros by pre-purchasing your tickets online.
The Guggenheim Museum opened in 1997 and is a spectacular structure made of titanium, glass and limestone. The collection of art spans mid-twentieth century to the present day.
I
am not a big fan of ‘modern’ art so I didn't fully appreciate a lot of the exhibits. Even so, there are lots of areas and interests
covered in this museum so you should find something of interest.
Leaving the Guggenheim I walked back to our shuttle bus pickup area, boarded and immediately left for my return to the ship. The return trip took less than 20 minutes. All aboard time was 5:30pm and we sailed at 6pm.
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