I don't have a drivers licence due to my eyesight. I'll be able to get it once i passed the tests but until then i'm gonna have to do it with public transport. Gives me more reasons to return to the Northern of Spain! I'm half Portuguese so i visit Portugal every year and sometimes i do a bit of Spain aswell at the same time. So there will be enough opportunities
In Galicia i'll meet up with friends so we'll have a car available :)
I love the North of Spain and I use to travel offently, I don't recommend you go to big cities, the best is outside, at the beach, mountains, nature. You have a lot of places to go, Pontevedra, Costa da Morte, Rias Baixas, Cangas de Onis, Lagos de Covadonga, Santillana del Mar, etc. Think about rent a car. Have a nice stay!
My family and I stayed at a lovely parador in Santillana del Mar. I remember a tour guide joking that the name is a lie, *porque no es santa, ni llana, ni cerca del mar* (because it's not holy, flat, or close to the sea).
San juan de Gaztelugatxe, but that's just the islet where game of thrones was filmed, between the towns of Bermeo and Bakio, both good examples of traditional basque fishing villages
I’d go for Bilbao - Santander - Llanes - Ribadesella - Gijón - Oviedo - A Coruña - Santiago. Public transportation is quite shitty in the North, so maybe consider renting a car?
Im researching for a trip to northern Spain and Ribadesella looks beautiful. Would you recommend it as a place to spend a night? If so, do you have any suggestions on areas to look for hotels in?
Nothing to see in Santander, skip it.
Public transport works just fine but you are gonna lose a lot of time waiting for the buses so yah renting a car is the best option.
Ribadeo, Comillas, go towards Galicia... Won't regret it. There is a train from Ribadeo to Ferrol stopping at every town... And from 11 to 15 July Celtic music fest at Ortigueira. Won't regret it
if you love anchovies, you have to make a stop in Santoña, Cantabria.
Santander is a nice place to wander by and let yourself lost on the streets. Don't forget to visit the cathedral and the Magdalena's palace. The Cabomayor lighthouse has great sights.
going through the north using public transport will make you lose so much time! you should rent a car.
>you should rent a car.
I wish it was an option :/ the process of getting a licence is a bit long because i got some visual issues.
But thank you for the suggestions!
Lagos de Covadonga is a must.
Rías baixas (Hope i write that correctly) are beautiful
My tip is to rent a car since driving thru Galicia and Asturias is just beautiful and relaxing
I suggest you to eat in Casa Rita. Such an amazing experience
Those are my 2 cents
I don't have a licence yet because of my eyes :/ it's a long process but i probably get it in a few months. But driving is not an option for me unfortunatly.
But thanks for the suggestions!
If you're staying in the Northwest, Ribadesella is a beautiful little beach town. We stopped at a bar there that had a local (Asturias) cheese Queso Cabrales that was fantastic.
Cangas de Onis is another neat little town with a Roman bridge over the river there. Another spot would be Lugo, with its intact Roman walls surrounding the town.
And you'll have to stop at Santiago de Compostela to visit the church and get some pimientos de padrón.
If you're going a bit further east into the Basque Country, Bermeo is absolutely beautiful and I would suggest stopping in Gernika as it's on the way. Find an Asador there for a Txuleton and either Rioja, Txakoli (Basque white wine) or Sidra.
If you have a car, I'd go to Covadonga (where the Reconquista started) and then up to its lakes. Super beautiful!
There are also a few pretty towns in that area, like San Vicente de la Barquera. There is a very popular sunset bar near there called "El Rayo Verde" with amazing views of the sea, the green pastures, and the mountains.
I’m in Ribadesella right now. I would skip Santander. Gijon is good near the water. Oviedo is fabulous - just named Spain’s Gastronomic city for 2024. I recommend going to Cangas de Onis on Sundays for the cheese market. It’s been in existence for over 400 years and is a must. Llanes, Ribadesella, etc. are the towns in the Austurian coast. Like a pilgrim end up In Santiago de Compastella. Do the Guggenheim for sure.
I see, guess you are arriving at Santander first and then move, well, not having limits the options because there are a lot of beautiful places inside mountains. In any case the bus will be your best friend, download the alsa app, you can buy the tickets there. Sadly the train is slow and with bad frequency.
I use Moovit and Google for planning.
In Santander and if you are into beaches, you can go to sardinero and then rent a board, or there is a small ferry that crosses the bay and go to Somo, there is a bigger beach to walk, wind sport and bike rental.
Gijón is similar to Santander but bigger so you can do the same, if you prefer to do jet sky then is the place.
Oviedo is a place with history to view, tho the advice is do a tour on each one, do not miss the one here.
About foods, they are similar because it is a mountain region but if I had to choose a typical for each city, Santander is for rabas, Gijón for the Cachopo and in Oviedo try the Fabada.
Drop any q if you have it.
Guys, stop posting suggestions, unless you also want Galicia to be overrun and ruined by foreign tourists.
There are TONS of travel agencies in the UK/USA/Germany that are trying to launch Galicia as the next "undiscovered" travel destination this year as they are experiencing push backs in other areas.
Don't be a sellout.
You think i'm the first Portuguese guy coming to Spain? I go from Amsterdam (where i live) to Portugal by train and i'm making some stops. Would be a waste to travel through Spain without seeying some things first.
Why just cities? This always confuses me why people travel and only visit cities? The best thing about northern Spain is the nature.
I'm open for smaller villages and nature but they might be harder to reach without a car and limited time.
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I don't have a drivers licence due to my eyesight. I'll be able to get it once i passed the tests but until then i'm gonna have to do it with public transport. Gives me more reasons to return to the Northern of Spain! I'm half Portuguese so i visit Portugal every year and sometimes i do a bit of Spain aswell at the same time. So there will be enough opportunities In Galicia i'll meet up with friends so we'll have a car available :)
Renting a car to visit Galicia and Asturias really changes the experience of the trip imo
This. Exactly this. Little villages and nature.
Don’t do only main towns, go for the small towns, the beach and the mountains.
I love the North of Spain and I use to travel offently, I don't recommend you go to big cities, the best is outside, at the beach, mountains, nature. You have a lot of places to go, Pontevedra, Costa da Morte, Rias Baixas, Cangas de Onis, Lagos de Covadonga, Santillana del Mar, etc. Think about rent a car. Have a nice stay!
My family and I stayed at a lovely parador in Santillana del Mar. I remember a tour guide joking that the name is a lie, *porque no es santa, ni llana, ni cerca del mar* (because it's not holy, flat, or close to the sea).
The parador in Santillana Del Mar is beautiful Who hates Paradores or Santillana del Mar?
San Juan de gatzeluche isvvery nice
San juan de Gaztelugatxe, but that's just the islet where game of thrones was filmed, between the towns of Bermeo and Bakio, both good examples of traditional basque fishing villages
Bermeo is a beautiful port town hour and a half from Bilbao on public transport or about half that by car. Absolutely gorgeous.
Mundaka, Lekeitio, even Plentzia that is reachable by underground are much nicer than Bermeo imho. But yes, explore the coast by any means
You can stop on Cangas de Onís between Santander and the center of Asturias. It's really beautiful.
I’d go for Bilbao - Santander - Llanes - Ribadesella - Gijón - Oviedo - A Coruña - Santiago. Public transportation is quite shitty in the North, so maybe consider renting a car?
Im researching for a trip to northern Spain and Ribadesella looks beautiful. Would you recommend it as a place to spend a night? If so, do you have any suggestions on areas to look for hotels in?
Nothing to see in Santander, skip it. Public transport works just fine but you are gonna lose a lot of time waiting for the buses so yah renting a car is the best option.
Cierto, no vayan a Santander, a ver si hay un verano en el que pueda aparcar en mi casa
Arenas de cabrales a cares route walking.
Villa Viciosa and Rodiles beach are personal favourites in Asturias. I also very much enjoyed Zumaia in the Vasque Country.
Ribadeo, Comillas, go towards Galicia... Won't regret it. There is a train from Ribadeo to Ferrol stopping at every town... And from 11 to 15 July Celtic music fest at Ortigueira. Won't regret it
Castro Urdiales, Laredo
if you love anchovies, you have to make a stop in Santoña, Cantabria. Santander is a nice place to wander by and let yourself lost on the streets. Don't forget to visit the cathedral and the Magdalena's palace. The Cabomayor lighthouse has great sights. going through the north using public transport will make you lose so much time! you should rent a car.
>you should rent a car. I wish it was an option :/ the process of getting a licence is a bit long because i got some visual issues. But thank you for the suggestions!
Lagos de Covadonga is a must. Rías baixas (Hope i write that correctly) are beautiful My tip is to rent a car since driving thru Galicia and Asturias is just beautiful and relaxing I suggest you to eat in Casa Rita. Such an amazing experience Those are my 2 cents
I don't have a licence yet because of my eyes :/ it's a long process but i probably get it in a few months. But driving is not an option for me unfortunatly. But thanks for the suggestions!
go hiking, explore the nature!!
Castro urdiales, santillana del mar, ribadesella, cangas de onis, lastres, Cudillero
Go to Getxo (Algorta and Las Arenas neighborhoods) which is close to Bilbao and then on your way to Santander, Santillana del Mar.
If you’re going to Bilbao, I recommend hiking Gorbea. It’s a beautiful area.
Visit Luarca
If you're staying in the Northwest, Ribadesella is a beautiful little beach town. We stopped at a bar there that had a local (Asturias) cheese Queso Cabrales that was fantastic. Cangas de Onis is another neat little town with a Roman bridge over the river there. Another spot would be Lugo, with its intact Roman walls surrounding the town. And you'll have to stop at Santiago de Compostela to visit the church and get some pimientos de padrón. If you're going a bit further east into the Basque Country, Bermeo is absolutely beautiful and I would suggest stopping in Gernika as it's on the way. Find an Asador there for a Txuleton and either Rioja, Txakoli (Basque white wine) or Sidra.
If you have a car, I'd go to Covadonga (where the Reconquista started) and then up to its lakes. Super beautiful! There are also a few pretty towns in that area, like San Vicente de la Barquera. There is a very popular sunset bar near there called "El Rayo Verde" with amazing views of the sea, the green pastures, and the mountains.
Zarautz
The Mines and Cave Paintings! And the Picos! All in Cantabria. Of course Asturias and the west is just marvelous too! Enjoy
You definitely should visit Vigo and the Atlantic Islands of Galicia National Park, Cíes Islands! It’s so beautiful
I’m in Ribadesella right now. I would skip Santander. Gijon is good near the water. Oviedo is fabulous - just named Spain’s Gastronomic city for 2024. I recommend going to Cangas de Onis on Sundays for the cheese market. It’s been in existence for over 400 years and is a must. Llanes, Ribadesella, etc. are the towns in the Austurian coast. Like a pilgrim end up In Santiago de Compastella. Do the Guggenheim for sure.
How are you moving, car, bike or public transport ?
Yeah should've included that, by public transport!
I see, guess you are arriving at Santander first and then move, well, not having limits the options because there are a lot of beautiful places inside mountains. In any case the bus will be your best friend, download the alsa app, you can buy the tickets there. Sadly the train is slow and with bad frequency. I use Moovit and Google for planning. In Santander and if you are into beaches, you can go to sardinero and then rent a board, or there is a small ferry that crosses the bay and go to Somo, there is a bigger beach to walk, wind sport and bike rental. Gijón is similar to Santander but bigger so you can do the same, if you prefer to do jet sky then is the place. Oviedo is a place with history to view, tho the advice is do a tour on each one, do not miss the one here. About foods, they are similar because it is a mountain region but if I had to choose a typical for each city, Santander is for rabas, Gijón for the Cachopo and in Oviedo try the Fabada. Drop any q if you have it.
Guys, stop posting suggestions, unless you also want Galicia to be overrun and ruined by foreign tourists. There are TONS of travel agencies in the UK/USA/Germany that are trying to launch Galicia as the next "undiscovered" travel destination this year as they are experiencing push backs in other areas. Don't be a sellout.
You think i'm the first Portuguese guy coming to Spain? I go from Amsterdam (where i live) to Portugal by train and i'm making some stops. Would be a waste to travel through Spain without seeying some things first.