Champions Cup final: Trip to Bilbao will require deep pockets

The Champions Cup final at the rebuilt 53,000-seater San Mamés Stadium looks set to be quite an occasion with Leinster taking on Parisian aristocrats Racing 92 but, for fans who didn't book well in advance, it is a final that will be enjoyed only by those with deep pockets.

Let’s see what a quick internet search throws up for a trip from Friday May 11th until Sunday May 13th. At the time of writing there are two Aer Lingus flights still available from Dublin to Bilbao on the Friday and two coming back on the Sunday. By choosing the cheapest options you’ll be set back €775.

On to accommodation. The first thing you notice is the shortage. Just 20 double rooms show up as available for the weekend of the final when you search on Booking.com. The cheapest option is a one star hotel in the town of Erandio, a 25 minute taxi journey from Bilbao city centre. That will be €500 for the two nights. If you want something inside the limits of Bilbao city centre you’ll be set back €1,243 for a two-star B&B. If you fancy staying in a hostel there is just one left available on Hostelworld.com and that will cost you €600 for the two nights for a single bed in a 10-bed mixed dormitory.

Next you will want your match tickets. All of the tickets that went on public sale last year have now been sold out while both Leinster and Racing will get allocations of 3,200 each. If any of those tickets aren’t sold they will most likely be re-circulated on public sale where they are priced between €40 and €95. Already tickets are selling on secondary touting websites for up to €750.

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So, if you’re lucky enough to secure the cheapest option in each of the three above categories you will pay €1,315 for the weekend. And that’s before you feed yourself, have a few drinks and pay for whatever transport you need over there. You can save money on flights by taking Ryanair to Santander but even then you will still be paying around €570 for the return trip and €35 for the 90-minute bus journey to Bilbao. Far from cheap, then.

As an aside, if you fancy a weekend in Bilbao the previous week you can get your flights and a city centre hotel for two nights for just over €290.

Speaking to The Irish Times, Martyn Hindley of tournament organisers European Professional Club Rugby (EPCR) explained that there were early concerns about the inflation of hotel prices in Bilbao shortly after it was confirmed as the host city.

“When we announced in April 2017 we noticed that prices went up unusually quickly. So if you go to Cardiff, even if you announce a game in Dublin, prices go up. But in Bilbao they went up unusually quickly in some areas.

“So we went back liaising with the city and did a lot of work as to what they’re putting in to people staying across the Basque country and most of the hotels in the city are signed up to a charter which means that they have to retain a certain number of hotel rooms at a certain price which is the price throughout the year,” he said.

While it is always to be expected that prices will inflate on the weekend of a big event, it is those big prices and the shortage of rooms which have raised questions as to whether Bilbao is suitable to host two finals in two nights (the Challenge Cup final takes place at the San Mamés on the Friday night) where all four teams will be coming from other countries and therefore relying on accommodation being available.

“The city are looking into solutions to house a large number of supporters,” says Hindley. “I know that one of those is glamping which is going to be cost-effective and would create about 2,800 to 3,000 more places to stay. We’re waiting for confirmation on that and we’re hoping it comes through.”

When contacted about the price of additional flights to Bilbao, an Aer Lingus spokesperson said: “Aer Lingus has applied normal and standard pricing models for these flights. Aer Lingus would expect seats to be snapped up early and as ever would advise early booking for the lowest prices.”