Bilbao awaits an invasion between Tuesday and Wednesday, and therefore, it shields. It is not only the three -meter fence around, which converts the stadium into a fortress, but the entire city prepares for the arrival of more than 70,000 followers of Tottenham and Manchester United, many of them without entry. It is not a strange scenario for the Bilbao, who did the same thing more than a year ago in Seville on the occasion of the Cup final, but for the city.
In principle, the non -football will be practically isolated in its aerial communications, and in part terrestrial, because all connections with Loiu airport, from almost any origin, are covered by British fans who have reserved flights via Madrid, Malaga, Barcelona, Seville, Lisbon, Paris, Oslo or Frankfurt.
Finding a plane ticket to Bilbao on Tuesday and Wednesday, or starting Thursday is an almost impossible exercise. The latest direct itineraries from London, through British Airways, were sold on the airline website to more than 3,000 euros, and that is expected to arrive at Loiu Airport 40 flights charter on Wednesday. In the Bilbao terminal, 210 operations are planned that day. Flight websites still offer possibilities, all with scales and not less than 13 hours of travel in total, although with prices greater than one thousand euros. The aerial authorities, in tune with UEFA, have also arranged that the followers of organized trips will land in Vitoria (34 flights), and those of United in Santander (39 flights).
The authorities have allowed those three days of maelstrom at the airport to go to collect travelers, the taxi drivers from all the towns of Bizkaia, as well as those of Bilbao who are out of service. The bus lines are also reinforced to the airport and the subway schedule is extended, although the San Mamés station will close. The convoys will not stop there, and travelers who want to go to the game, must get off in Indautxu, 500 meters from the field.
Many links to Bilbao are also saturated by bus. Up to five Alsa lines from Madrid, which arrive at the Biscayan capital between 2:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. on the same day of the game, are complete. The same happens with eleven of the routes usually available from neighboring Santander at similar schedules, and it is not a coincidence. The previous day there are only two schedules of that route not available, in the early hours of the day, the most regularly saturated.
Before arriving in Bilbao, visitors also had to ensure accommodation, which has reached stratospheric prices. The hotel capacity of Bizkaia is around 13,000 places, for which many fans must stay in Cantabria, Gipuzkoa or Álava, but, even so, what they must pay for their beds exceeds the usual price, to the point that even a hostel with literas is quoted around 850 euros per person, when the days later at the end of the European League are sold at 25 euros. Hotels put prices, in some cases, exceeding 2,500 euros. There was some exception, but it was exhausted. On Saturday, an establishment of three stars from Barakaldo, of a well -known international chain, offered several rooms to 250 euros, a bargain, but on Monday morning it was already complete. In the center of Bilbao floors have been rented for several people, for two nights at a rate of 9,000 euros.
What is not going to be missing, or that seems, is beer. In the two areas for fans that have planned between UEFA and the Bilbao City Council, 60,000 liters will be sold. The Manchester United will be located in the, near the Basilica of Begoña, with access near the subway, the place where the fairground is located every August. The Fan Zone From Tottenham he will be in Amezola, much closer to San Mamés.
Also the security operation is prepared. Although in the recent visit of Manchester United to Bilbao, with more than 3,000 followers, there were no incidents and coexistence was quite good, between Ertzaintza, the Municipal Police and private security guards, they will monitor the event around 2,000 agents, which will establish several filters around San Mamés, whose accesses in private vehicles will be drastically restricted from several hours before the game.
