Athletic Bilbao
Official Athletic Bilbao website - http://www.athletic-club.es/ Tickets - Attendances are strong at the 40,000 capacity Estadio San Mames, but Athletic Bilbao tickets are usually available from the ticket office at the ground and BBK Bank ticket vending machines around the city two days before the match. Stadium - With its red and white seats and higgledy-piggledy stands, San Mames looks somewhat like an enlarged version of the Dell. A proper football ground, it's easily reached on foot from the city centre - simply follow Gran Via or any of the streets running parallel to it away from town. If you're feeling lazy the ground has its own metro stop - San Mames - on lines 1 or 2. There are several decent bars around the ground to soak up the pre-match vibe. Ultra Culture - Separatist and left-wing, the Herri Norte ultras are housed in the Lower North Stand, with the Abertzales Sur in the South Stand. The derby against Real Sociedad is played in good Basque spirit, venom reserved for the visit of the Madrid sides.
BILBAO
Overview - Fiercely proud, the Basque capital has reinvented itself in recent years, and is still something of a work in progress. Split by the river, to the east is the atmospheric old town, or Casco Viejo, whilst the west bank houses the more recent additions to the Bilbao landscape. As with all port cities there's a strong football tradition here too. The still English named Athletic Club Bilbao have never fielded a non-Basque player, and have never been relegated from Spain's top division either. Airports & Transfers - Bilbao Airport - six miles north of the city centre, linked by bus no. 3247, which takes 15mins and leaves every 30mins. Tickets are 1.20Euro. Taxi's 18-22Euros. Nightlife - Join the locals bar-hopping in the stand-up bar heavy Siete Calles ('Seven Streets') of the old town. Have a pintxo or two (the Bilbao equivalant of tapas), neck a beer and move onto the next one for more of the same. Shopping - Small boutiques line the pedestrianised streets of the old town with high street shopping and big department stores on the other side of the river. Athletic souvenirs are on sale all over the place.
Further reading -
Bilbao "Wallpaper*" City Guide ("Wallpaper*" City Guides)
Also Chapter 3 of - Morbo: The Story of Spanish Football
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