How to Bridge SOL to Ethereum: Step by Step Guide.

Okay, before you even think about wallets or anything, hit up PortalBridge.com. Why? In my experience, it's got the lowest fees right now - like 0.1% or less plus tiny Solana gas around 0.000005 SOL per tx. Ethereum side? Expect 5-20 gwei gas, nothing crazy. This hack works 'cause Portal's backed by Wormhole, which handles billions in volume without major hacks lately. Sound familiar? Yeah, it's that reliable one everyone whispers about.

But hold up - bridging SOL to Ethereum isn't just "send it." SOL becomes wrapped SOL (wSOL) or straight ETH equivalent on the other side. Why does this matter? Ethereum's got killer DeFi like Uniswap, Aave, but Solana's speed is addictive. You're basically moving your stack to tap into ETH's liquidity pools without selling.

Grab Your Gear - Wallets and Funds You Need

Look, don't skip this. You'll need:

• Phantom or Solflare for Solana. I usually go Phantom - it's snappier.
• MetaMask for Ethereum. Rabby if you want something fancier with gas savings.
• At least 0.01 SOL for fees. Ethereum? 0.01 ETH minimum to cover gas - check ethgasstation.info for real time.
• Your tokens ready: Native SOL, USDC, USDT, whatever. Portal supports 100+.

The thing is, if you're low on SOL, buy it right in Phantom with a card. Takes 30 seconds. No excuses.

Pro Tip on Fees Before You Start

Fees sneak up. Solana: super cheap, 0.000005 SOL flat. Ethereum redeem? Gas spikes to $2-10 during peaks. I always bridge small first - like 0.1 SOL test run. Saved my ass once when network was clogged.

Step by Step with Portal Bridge (My Go To)

Alright, let's do this. Head to portalbridge.com. Clean site, no BS.

1. Pick Chains: From = Solana. To = Ethereum. Boom. Easy dropdown.
2. Connect Wallets: Hit "Connect source wallet" - pick Phantom. Approve. Then "Connect destination" - MetaMask. Double check addresses. Wrong one? Funds gone forever.
3. Select Token & Amount: Choose SOL or USDC. Enter amount, say 10 SOL. It'll show fees: ~0.1% bridge fee + gas. Review. Why review? Hidden relayer fees can bite.
4. Initiate: Click "Next." Phantom pops up - sign. Takes 10 seconds on Solana.
5. Redeem on ETH: Wait 2-5 mins. Site says "Ready to redeem." Click it. MetaMask signs - pay that gas. Done. Check Etherscan for your wSOL.
6. Verify: Open MetaMask. Tokens there? Refresh if not. Sometimes lags 1 min.

That's it. First time I did this, took 4 mins total. Now? Muscle memory.

What If Shit Hits the Fan? Common Fuck Ups

Happens to everyone. Here's the fixes.

• Stuck Tx? Solana fast, but ETH redeem fails on congestion. Go to Wormhole scan, paste tx ID, resume from Portal. Sign 3-5 times - each 15 secs.
• Wrong Network? MetaMask on Base not Mainnet? Switch. Lost funds? Nah, just retry.
• High Gas? Wait for low gas hours - like 2AM UTC. Or use Layer 2 first, but that's advanced.
• Tokens Not Showing? Add custom token in MetaMask. Contract from Portalbridge token list.

In my experience, 90% of issues are user error. Triple check URLs. Scams love fake portals.

Other Bridges? Yeah, Here's a Quick Compare

Portal's my jam, but mix it up. Check this table for when to switch.

Bridge	Fees	Speed	Best For
Portal (Wormhole)	0.1% + gas	2-5 mins	SOL/USDC to ETH
Relay.link	0.3% swap fee	5-10 mins	If you want built in swap
Phantom Built In	~0.2%	Instant feel	Quick SOL swaps
Jumper.Exchange	Variable, low	1-3 mins	Multi chain hops

Why a table? Visual. Portal wins on cost. Relay if you're swapping mid bridge. Phantom? Lazy mode from app.

Honestly, test 'em. Fees change daily.

Phantom's Built In Swapper - Lazy Way for SOL

Okay, love this for noobs. Open Phantom app. Bottom tab: Swap.

1. Pay: SOL. Receive: Ethereum chain, pick wETH or USDC.
2. Enter amount. Say 5 SOL.
3. Hit Swap Now. Signs auto. Converts and bridges.
4. Wait 2 mins. Check MetaMask.

Super short. But! Only for SOL ish stuff. Not all tokens. Fees? Around 0.2%. In my experience, perfect for under 1 SOL moves. What's next? Scaling up.

But sometimes it glitches on high volume. Fallback to Portal.

Relay.link If You Want Swaps Too

Bridging SOL? Nah, this is more ETH to SOL, but reverse works similar. Go relay.link.

Connect Phantom first for Solana side. Select Solana → Ethereum. Pick token. Enter amount. Connect MetaMask. Bridge. Fees 0.3%, but it swaps if needed - like SOL to USDT on ETH auto.

Took me 6 mins once with a swap. Cool for complex stuff. The thing is, UI's slick - quotes real time rates.

One Catch with Relay

You get soETH or wrapped version. Unwrap later on DEX if needed. Gas for that? Extra 10 bucks sometimes.

Big Boy Moves: 100+ SOL? Do This

Split batches. Why? Risk. Never all in one tx. I do 20 SOL x 5. Also, check liquidity on bridge - low? Slippage kills ya.

Monitor: Use solscan.io for Solana tx, etherscan for ETH. Copy tx hash everywhere.

Tax thing? Yeah, bridging's a taxable swap in US. Track cost basis. CoinLedger or whatever.

After Bridge: What to Do on Ethereum

You got wSOL on ETH. Now?

• Uniswap: Swap to USDC, low fees.
• Aave: Lend for yield. 5-10% APY easy.
• Teller: Borrow against it, no liqs. Perpetual loans.

I usually lend first. Earn while deciding. Pretty much free money if you're patient.

Questions? "How much gas today?" Check dune.com dashboards. "Safe?" Stick to audited like Wormhole/Portal. No random Twitter bridges.

SOL to Base? Bonus Hack

Base is ETH L2 - cheaper gas. Portal does Solana → Base direct. Same steps. Fees? 90% less than Mainnet. Why? Gas like 0.0001 ETH. Perfect for DeFi hopping.

Bridge to Base, then Uniswap there. Sound familiar? It's Ethereum but fast and cheap.

Last Warnings - Don't Be That Guy

Phishing? Always. Bookmark sites. Approve only what you see.

Network switches? Solana mainnet only. No devnet BS.

Patience. Peaks = 30 min waits. Chill with coffee.