The Best 14-Night Northern Spain Road Trip

• What makes a good Northern Spain self-drive itinerary?
• Our Design Considerations for a Well-Planned Road Trip
• Logistics - Open-jaw or Out-and-back?
• When to Travel to Northern Spain

• Stage 1: Bilbao and the Basque Country
• Stage 2: Western Cantabria
• Stage 3: Picos de Europa
• Stage 4: Western Asturias
• Stage 5: Costa Lucense and north-east Galicia
• Stage 6: Santiago de Compostela

• The key choices and trade-offs
• What should you add with more time?
• What should you remove if time is short?
• How Caminos can adapt this Northern Spain self-drive holiday

• How much driving is involved?
• Ferry-drive - bring your own car
• Fly-drive with car hire
• Low Emission Zones and city access
• Is this North Spain route suitable for a classic car?
• Is this Northern Spain road trip suitable for an electric car?

• The Gastronomic Journey from Bilbao to Santiago
• Art and Heritage in Northern Spain
• Northern Spain - Nature, walking and outdoor activities

A good Northern Spain road trip needs stages which follow one another naturally, keeping drive times reasonable whilst ensuring that each stop adds something different and uniquely interesting to the holiday.

The Bilbao to Santiago route works best because it encompasses the whole of north Spain and has a natural westwards progression following the Camino de Santiago. Bilbao provides a strong cultural and gastronomic opening – and, of course the Guggenheim. Cantabria slows the pace with historic coastal towns and rural valleys. The Picos de Europa introduce a distinct mountain stage before the route returns to the Atlantic through Asturias and northern Galicia. Santiago then provides a natural and logical conclusion to your 'pilgrimage'.

The contrast between the stages is as important as their individual attractions. City stays are followed by smaller towns and rural locations. Coastal days alternate with mountain landscapes. More active stages are balanced by places where the emphasis is on food, local life or a relaxed day exploring from one base.

The itinerary also avoids one-night stops. Two nights provide one complete day in a destination, while the three-night stays in Cantabria and Galicia (or wherever you prefer) allow greater breathing space. That extra night can accommodate a longer excursion, uncertain weather or simply a day without driving.

It is an extensive journey, and does full justice to the region, but it is not intended to cover everything in Northern Spain. San Sebastián, La Rioja, eastern Asturias, A Coruña and the Rías Baixas all merit more time than a hurried visit would allow. Leaving some interesting places out is part of designing a coherent route.

Our starting point for our tour design is always that every base should justify its place in the tour. Every location should be worth visiting in its own right or for access to a particular coast, mountain area, historic site or scenic drive.

We then consider geographical flow. Ideally transfers should add to the experience rather than simply get you from A to B. We normally aim for around one to three hours of driving time between hotels, although in reality, with plenty to see and do along the way the drives can take much longer than the distance suggests, and you’ll have all day to enjoy and make the most out of each trip. A transfer day should leave room for lunch, a historic town, a viewpoint or a scenic alternative to the fastest road.

Pace matters just as much as distance. Our preferred pattern is at least two nights at the principal bases, with regular three-night stays where the duration allows. A shorter holiday should usually cover fewer regions rather than squeezing the same journey into fewer days.

Optimising hotel selection is also a major part of the route design. A city hotel may provide easy access to museums and restaurants but involve more complicated parking. A rural property may offer gardens, space and a stronger sense of place but require a clear dinner plan. We generally favour independent hotels, family-run properties, historic buildings and hotels of architectural interest, provided their location, access and service work for the itinerary.

One of our main challenges is to offer interesting variety in the accommodation whilst at the same time maintaining a certain consistency. A charming guest house which works well with other smaller hotels can fall flat if it’s preceded by two or three 5-star palaces. This doesn’t mean that one shouldn’t mix the small with the large – we love to mix it up - but not every guest house is valid for every itinerary combo. This is important to take into consideration and certainly improves with experience.

Finally, we adapt the route around the traveller's logistical requirements. Arrival airport or ferry port, flight times, use of a hire car or personal vehicle, hotel preferences, mobility, budget and appetite for driving can all contribute to and determine the best sequence. Our suggested Caminos routes provide tested stage logic, but they are starting points rather than fixed packages.

Open-jaw: Bilbao to Santiago

The open-jaw, one-way, version is the most direct way to follow this route. Fly into Bilbao, collect a hire car and fly home from Santiago de Compostela — or reverse the journey, starting in Santiago.

This arrangement avoids unnecessary backtracking and produces the clearest geographical progression. It is particularly suitable when convenient flights are available at both ends. Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted and Edinburgh currently offer direct flight connections to both Bilbao (or Santander) and Santiago.

A one-way car-hire charge may apply, but generally it’s less than the cost of petrol and tolls associated with returning the car to its origin. Flight schedules are also seasonal and vary by UK departure airport, making it important to check the practical connections before fixing the itinerary – flight connections are detailed in the Travel Details section of all our tours. The current Caminos Bilbao to Santiago tour is designed as a point-to-point route and can be travelled in either direction.

Out-and-back: ferry or single-airport version

An out-and-back itinerary is certainly the better solution for travellers arriving by ferry, bringing their own vehicle or those where flight connections are limited meaning using the same airport in both directions.

Rather than send travellers from Santander or Bilbao to Santiago and have them drive all the way back at the end we interleave the stages between the outward and return legs. This keeps the driving days reasonable and allows different parts of Cantabria, Asturias and Galicia to be used in each direction.

The exact sequence depends on the arrival port, ferry timings, hotel availability and individual interests. The objective is to create a circular-feeling holiday even though the geographical shape is fundamentally out-and-back.

The existing Santander-to-Santiago-and-back route follows this approach, interleaving the stops to control driving times and making the itinerary suitable for an own car, motorbike or classic car.

Late spring, early summer and early autumn, up to mid-October, generally provide the best balance for touring, walking and sightseeing. These seasons usually avoid the busiest summer period while having useful daylight hours for scenic driving and outdoor activities.

The north is cooler than the rest of Spain so July and August can also work, particularly if you want a bit of sun and beaches and coastal activity are priorities. It’s peak season so accommodation is busier and more expensive, and popular coastal towns and parking areas require more planning – though we tend to avoid hotspots as a matter of course anyway.

Mountain weather should never be taken for granted. Even in summer, visibility and conditions in the Picos can change quickly. A three-night coastal or rural base provides useful flexibility when the forecast affects a planned walk or excursion. The Valley of Liébana, around Potes, does have a benign micro-climate, protected on all sides by mountains, worth bearing in mind if struggling to decide which side of the Picos suits best.

Winter changes the nature of the route. Cities, food and lower coastal areas remain possible, but mountain access, daylight and seasonal hotel opening patterns require closer checking. Ferry crossings out of season become less frequent and need careful consideration depending on your ‘sea legs’ as the Bay of Biscay can be particularly choppy, especially from late October onwards. Flight schedules are also trimmed back outside of the main dates, though services do still run to the main cities.

We start this Northern Spain road trip in Bilbao because it’s a practical arrival point for both flights and ferries, but it also gives the journey a really strong cultural and gastronomic opening.

Two nights normally means an arrival evening and one complete day. That is enough time to understand Bilbao without allowing the first stage to dominate the wider itinerary.

How to use your two days in Bilbao

For a first visit, we would concentrate on three parts of the city: the Guggenheim Museum, the regenerated riverfront and the streets of the Casco Viejo. Once you have reached your hotel and parked, central Bilbao is compact enough to explore largely on foot, using the Metro and tram system for longer trips.

Use the first evening for pintxos rather than a formal sightseeing programme. Café Iruña, a local institution, makes a characterful starting point, particularly for its pintxos morunos, before continuing towards the ‘Siete Calles’ of the old town and the bars around Plaza Nueva.

The following day can combine the Guggenheim and riverside with the Casco Viejo. For a broader view of the city, take the funicular to Monte Artxanda or mosey about the Old Town, perhaps with a walking tour. For art lovers the recently renovated Bellas Artes Museum is also a good visit, the works inside more accessible perhaps than the more famous sister museum, and the peaceful park of Doña Casilda provides the perfect spot for a breather between museum visits.

Another option is to use the Metro to reach the coast around Getxo and visit the World Heritage Hanging Bridge or Sopelana or Gorliz for surfy beaches and rock formations. we would treat this as an alternative to more time in the centre rather than trying to fit everything into one day.

Bilbao or San Sebastián?

For this 14-night route, Bilbao is our preference. It offers the easier connection with the westbound journey and introduces the modern, cultural and gastronomic character of the Basque Country particularly well.

San Sebastián is worth thinking about when high-end food is a priority (though Bilbao is no ‘second best’ in our opinion) and you’re looking for more gentile, photogenic setting with knock-out beaches. It can replace Bilbao, but we would not try to combine both cities with a substantial Basque coastal drive in a two-night stay. Add San Sebastián as a separate base if you have at least one or two additional nights to spare.

Two members of the Caminos team live in the Basque Country, and our experience is that the region rewards time rather than hurried sightseeing. Here it serves as an introduction: enough to establish its distinctive identity before the journey continues into Cantabria, Asturias and Galicia.

Where to stay in Bilbao

For most first-time visitors, we recommend a central Bilbao hotel. You can walk to the museums, old town and restaurants and leave the car parked until departure. The trade-off is that city-centre access and parking require more planning, you need to be aware of the Low Emission Zone restrictions and hotel rates are often higher.

We also work with a rural hotel on Monte Artxanda, above the city. It offers easier road access and a quieter setting while remaining connected to central Bilbao by regular public transport and the funicular (and late night taxis are very affordable).

Choose a coastal base when beaches, villages and scenic driving matter more to you than evening access to the city. It can be a good option for travellers arriving by ferry or touring in a special car, but it changes the emphasis of the stay.

Eating well in Bilbao

One of Spain’s most exciting cities for eating out, careful planning is required to get the most out of your short time in Bilbao, to get that authentic Basque culinary experience without feeling that something’s been missed out – but without it totally dominating the whole city visit!

With two nights, we strongly recommend getting straight out for pintxos on the first night and reserving the second for either a traditional Basque restaurant or one of Bilbao’s more contemporary dining rooms.

A pintxos evening is a uniquely Basque experience and will get your holiday off to a swinging start! You move from bar to bar taking one or two pintxos in each, along with a nice glass of Crianza, blanco or the local txakoli. Choosing bars is an unnecessary stress -  our restaurant guide offers some pointers and there are endless guides on the web, as well as guided pintxo tours, but we believe your best bet is to head for the hotspots and follow your intuition – the best bars are always busy, you can see exactly what’s on offer, and it’s all good!

From Café Iruña, mentioned above, head down Calle Ledesma and you’ll find a smorgasbord or head to Bar Bilbao in the Casco Viejo to explore the Plaza Nueva and the ‘Siete Calles’ streets which emanate from the square – you really cannot go wrong.

Bilbao has more than enough gastronomic interest for a two-night stay. San Sebastián offers greater depth for travellers looking to hit the two and three-star Michelin restaurants, but it should be treated as a separate base rather than squeezed into a hurried day trip.

Recommended stay: three nights

Just an hour and a half west of Bilbao, western Cantabria marks a clear change of pace. This is Caminos’ heartland: the region that inspired our founding partners to set up the company in 1985 and one we have continued exploring and enjoying ever since.

From one well-chosen base, you can combine small historic towns, fishing ports, Atlantic beaches, green valleys and some of Europe’s most important prehistoric heritage. Three nights gives you two complete days in the area - enough time to make choices rather than race between a list of sights.

The drive from Bilbao to Cantabria

The direct drive from Bilbao is relatively short, but you’ll have all day, so there is no need to treat this as a simple motorway transfer, though the coastal motorway has some very scenic stretches.

One option is to stop in Castro Urdiales, an attractive fishing town close to the border between the Basque Country and Cantabria. Alternatively, you could take the opportunity to visit Santander, particularly when you have chosen a base farther west for this stage.

Should you prefer mountain scenery to sightseeing can leave the main road and explore one of eastern Cantabria’s inland valleys, such as the Asón Valley or the Valle de Pas, just inland from Santander.

Whichever option you choose will makes the transfer part of the holiday, although we would choose one substantial visit rather than trying to combine a town, a city and a scenic drive on the same day.

How to use your three days in western Cantabria

We would devote one day to the historic towns and prehistoric heritage, beginning with Santillana del Mar and the nearby Altamira Museum.

Santillana is compact enough to explore on foot, but it merits more than a hurried dash up and down of its main street and is best visited in the evenings when the day-trippers have moved on. Wander beyond the busiest central lanes, visit the Collegiate Church and the Museum of Torture, and allow time simply to appreciate the collective beauty of the historic stone buildings.

The original Cave of Altamira is carefully protected and access is extremely restricted. For most visitors, the main experience is the museum and its Neocave, a rigorous three-dimensional reconstruction that explains both the cave art and the people who created it. The Altamira cave and 18 decorated caves across Northern Spain form a UNESCO World Heritage property.

Comillas fits naturally into the same day. Its interest comes from an unusual combination of beach, fishing harbour and, somewhat exotic, late-19th-century architecture. El Capricho de Gaudí is the best-known building, but the town’s wider collection of Modernista and historicist architecture makes it more than a single-monument visit.

Use the second full day either for the coast or for the inland valleys.

San Vicente de la Barquera provides the strongest maritime setting of the three principal towns, with its estuary, fishing harbour and views towards the Picos de Europa. From here, you can continue towards Oyambre and the beaches farther west or turn inland for a slower drive through the rural valleys of Saja and Nansa.

We wouldn’t try to do it all. Santillana, Comillas and San Vicente each offer something different, but trying to combine all three with Altamira, Santander and a substantial inland drive rather defeats the purpose of staying for three nights.

Beaches, walks and the countryside

Although, for most, this is not primarily a beach holiday, the Cantabrian coastline is too good to ignore. Oyambre, Cóbreces, Pechón and the smaller coves between them are our favourite spots for a walk, even when the weather is not warm enough for swimming.

A coastal walk can easily be fitted around town visits, and cattle farms sit right above the coastal cliffs but for  a deeper understanding of rural Cantabria a longer outing into the valleys is better. Carmona is one of our favourite inland destinations: a beautifully preserved mountain village reached by an enjoyable, circular drive through the Saja-Nansa countryside.

If you’re looking for something more active you can add a longer coastal walk, cycle ride or gentle hike. The Picos de Europa are coming next so there is no need to make this part of the route overly strenuous.

Eating well in Cantabria

Cantabrian cooking receives less international acclaim than Basque cuisine but eating well remains one of the pleasures of this stage.

What we look for is locally sourced, seasonal produce cooked on the premises, something which Cantabria - and the rest of Northern Spain - offers in abundance.  Here the food also reflects the landscape. Along the coast, look for seafood, grilled fish and especially anchovies from Santoña. Inland menus feature local beef, cheeses and hearty stews such as cocido montañés, made with beans, greens and pork.

With three nights, there is time to vary the experience: perhaps seafood or fish near the coast, a more traditional dinner in Santillana and lunch in one of the inland valleys.

One of our favourite simple stops is Bar Cantábrico, overlooking the beach in Comillas, for a vermouth accompanied by anchovies from Santoña. For a rural contrast, drive to Carmona for lunch and take time over the journey there and back.

Unless you’re aiming high-end this is not a region where every meal needs to be reserved months ahead. Our restaurant guide is very strong in this area and hotel recommendations are often more useful than compiling an exhaustive restaurant itinerary before travelling.

Should you include Santander?

Santander adds an urban contrast to the smaller towns of western Cantabria whilst keeping a maritime air. Its broad bay, beaches, waterfront promenades, markets and museums make it worth considering as a base if you prefer city life.

The city’s cultural offer is also growing. The Centro Botin is already well establishes and Faro Santander, the new art centre in the historic Banco Santander, is scheduled to open on 8 September 2026. Its opening programme includes Mexican modern art from the Gelman Santander Collection.

The maritime Museum is also worth a visit – if that kind of thing floats your boat – but our favourite is the MUPAC Museum of Archaeology and Prehistory which gives a unique insight into the region’s fascinating patrimony.

We would normally include Santander in one of three ways: as a stop on the drive from Bilbao, as a day visit from Santillana or as the main base for the entire stage. Trying to squeeze it in as an extra full day alongside every western Cantabrian town risks making the stay unnecessarily busy.

Where to stay in Cantabria

For most first-time visitors, our preference is Santillana del Mar or the surrounding countryside.

Santillana has a small-town atmosphere while remaining well placed for Altamira, Comillas, Santander and the western coast. Staying in or close to the historic centre also gives you restaurants and an attractive evening walk without needing to take the car.

Santillana does get busy with day visitors, particularly in summer months but staying overnight here reveals a quieter side of the town once the coaches and day-trippers have gone.

A rural hotel on the edge of town may offer easier parking, gardens and more space, but check whether you will be able to walk to dinner. We always try to choose accommodation where you can leave the car behind in the evening.

Choose a Santander hotel instead if you prefer a city base and would like a wider selection of hotels and restaurants, as well as easy access to urban beaches and cultural attractions. It's more expensive generally but is a practical choice for travellers arriving or departing by ferry, though Santillana is only 30 minutes from the port should that be your preference.

Comillas and San Vicente can also make rewarding bases when the coast is the main priority though we’ve always found Santillana has the better offering when it comes to hotels.

At Caminos, we consider the Picos de Europa an essential stop on almost any Northern Spain road trip. After Bilbao and the Cantabrian coast, the mountains provide a dramatic change of scenery and pace: limestone peaks, deep gorges, small, historic villages and winding mountain roads are reached without straying too far from the coastal route.

That said, this is one of the easier stages to leave out if mountains really are not your thing.

Two nights normally gives you the best part of a day and a half in the mountains. That is enough for a scenic drive, a cable-car excursion, a moderate walk and some time to explore the villages. It is a good taster rather than an opportunity to cover the whole mountain range.

The drive from the Cantabrian coast to the Picos de Europa

The trip from western Cantabria is short but scenic making it an important part of the experience rather than simply a journey between hotels.

If you are staying on the Cantabrian side of the Picos, the road towards the Liébana valley will take you through the dramatic Hermida Gorge with sheer limestone walls on either side before opening out to reveal the broader valley with Potes at its centre. The road has been greatly improved in recent years so you can enjoy the scenery without it becoming too stressful. As the valley opens look out for the Santa María de Lebeña on your let – this tiny 10th Century church is considered a jewel of Mozarabic architecture and well worth a quick stop.

If heading to the Asturian side, around Cangas de Onis you can take the coastal road to Ribadesella then head inland following the Sella river or head inland to Panes then follow the mountain pass via Arenas de Cabrales. Both options are scenic, so it’s down to personal taste, though if there’s low cloud at the coast we would normally advise taking the mountain route. The coastal route to Asturias passes close by Llanes and Ribadesella as well as some of north Spain’s finest beaches including La Franca and Playa las Cuevas whilst the mountain road will take you past the Lakes and Sanctuary of Covadonga and the start point of the Ruta del Cares. Covadonga is feasible as a visit (take a picnic maybe) but the Cares walk is really more of a whole-day experience.

Which side of the Picos should you choose?

Cantabria or Asturias - this is the most important planning decision for a short stay.

For this wider Northern Spain itinerary, our preference is often the Liébana valley around Potes. It connects naturally with western Cantabria and gives good access to Fuente Dé, while Potes itself is our favourite of the main Picos towns. Nearby villages such as Mogrovejo and Cahecho add the quieter mountain character that we are looking for from this stage, and the area is particularly rewarding for wildflowers in late spring.

The Asturian side, around Cangas de Onís, Arriondas and the Sierra del Sueve, makes more sense when Covadonga, the Ruta del Cares or proximity to the coast are the priorities.

The important point is that these two areas are separate entities and both sides can’t easily be covered in one short visit. They look close together on a map, but travelling between them by road takes considerably longer than many first-time visitors expect.

With only two nights, choose one side and enjoy it properly. Both sides are good in their own way and, if you fall in love, you can always come back for a deeper dive. In our opinion trying to combine Fuente Dé, Covadonga, the Ruta del Cares and several scenic drives turns a mountain stay into a driving exercise.

How to use your two days in the Picos de Europa

From a Potes Or Liébana valley base, we would normally make the cable car at Fuente Dé - a unique experience, taking passengers up to over 1800m - the main excursion. But it’s not just about the cable car itself, the journey there and back is part of the pleasure, passing through the upper Liébana valley where you can combine the main excursion with one or two villages, a leisurely lunch or simply time back in Potes. There can be queues at the cable car so at busy times, including weekends, we advise to take a sandwich and go at lunchtime when the Spaniards are enjoying their Menú del Día.

There are many pretty little villages but we always return to Cahecho, which occupies a special vantage point over the valley, for a drink and a pause towards the end of the day when the mountains catch the evening light. Mogrovejo, setting for a recent Heidi film, is another favourite stop, while the hidden-away hamlet Pendés provides an excuse to seek out local cheese and marvel at the twisted forms of the old chestnut trees nearby.

On the Asturian side, the emphasis changes. Covadonga and the mountain scenery become the obvious focus. If you want to do one serious hiking day on this trip make it the Ruta del Cares. It’s accessible to most walkers with a reasonable level of fitness but do take a picnic and make a day of it.

Cangas de Onis and Ariondas sit on a major crossroads with spectacular driving routes in all directions, making this a mecca for classic car enthusiasts and motor cycists. Head to the coast and Colunga, Ribadesella or Llanes via the viewpoint at Mirador del Fito or Posada de Llanes, or take the road south through the gorge of Desfiladero de los Beyos towards Oseja de Sajambre. Each route is a day out in itself so choose one and enjoy!

An active stay in the Picos de Europa

The Picos de Europa are the obvious stage to add some proper walking to the road trip.

There are options ranging from short village and valley walks to much more serious mountain routes. If you enjoy hiking, two nights will inevitably feel short, and this is one of the first places where we would recommend adding an extra night.

We would choose one good walk rather than trying to combine several. On the Asturian side, the Ruta del Cares is the best-known option, while around Fuente Dé there are numerous possibilities at higher level. From the Sierra del Sueve, you can also walk towards Pico Pienzu from the Mirador del Fito which gives outside-looking-in views over the Picos as well as the coast.

These are serious mountains, with peaks rising to around 2,600 metres, and conditions can change quickly. Choose routes according to the weather, your experience and the time available rather than simply following a list of the best-known hikes.

If serious yomping is not your thing, that is no reason to skip the Picos. Scenic drives, villages, viewpoints and the Fuente Dé cable car still make this one of the most rewarding stages of the journey.

Driving in the Picos de Europa

Driving here is part of the experience, but the character of the roads changes noticeably from the coastal stages.

Distances can look short on the map yet involve bends, gradients, narrow sections, livestock and slower local traffic. Allow more time than you might expect and do not build the day around a series of tightly timed stops.

This is particularly relevant for groups of classic cars and motorbikes. The roads can be enormously enjoyable, but hotel access, parking and the precise route should be considered carefully rather than leaving everything to the satnav.

Eating well in the Picos de Europa

Mountain food is another reason to stay overnight rather than treating the Picos as a day trip.

This is the stage for local cheeses, slow-cooked dishes and the more substantial cooking of the mountain valleys. The contrast with the seafood and pintxos of the previous stages is part of what makes the journey interesting.

Around Potes, cider and orujo are both worth trying. For something a little different, visit the Picos de Cabariezo distillery at Cabezón de Liébana which produces local spirits, including gin as well as orujo.

Our preference here is for straightforward regional cooking rather than seeking out elaborate dining. A long lunch after a walk or a good dinner in a small mountain hotel goes perfectly with the setting.

Where to stay in the Picos de Europa

For individual travellers we find a mountain-style hotel or family-run posada often suits the Picos best though the Parador at Cangas is a good option for groups and, for those looking for something different we often recommend an independent gastronomic hotel near Arriondas.

In general we usually avoid staying centrally in the main towns of Potes or Cangas de Onis which can be quite boisterous, instead we favour mountain-style properties on the outskirts or up the valleys that have their own restaurants and where you can enjoy an evening walk locally without taking the car.

For classic-car groups and motorbike tours, we pay particular attention to parking, access and dinner arrangements. A beautiful mountain hotel loses much of its appeal if a low car cannot reach it comfortably or everyone has to drive again in the evening.

As elsewhere on this route, hotel location is a key part of the experience but once you’ve chosen which side of the Picos to visit getting around locally isn’t usually an issue.

Western Asturias brings this Northern Spain road trip back to the Atlantic after the Picos, but we would never treat it simply as a staging point on the way to Galicia. This is a quieter stretch of coast, characterised by fishing ports, beaches, headlands and small rural communities, with some very special independent hotels that make it particularly rewarding for a two or three-night stay.

Cudillero and Luarca are the best-known towns, but part of the pleasure here lies in discovering the smaller ports like Puerto de Vega, the beaches and the farming villages just inland. Distances are manageable, traffic is generally lighter once you move west, and there is little need to plan every hour.

Though western Asturias has some wild mountains to explore, for this itinerary, our preference is usually to choose the coast. The Picos have already provided the main mountain stage, and western Asturias creates a natural transition towards Galicia. Give it two nights for a taste or three if you want time to slow down and explore more deeply.

The drive from the Picos to western Asturias

This is another transfer that deserves to be treated as part of the holiday.

Depending on which side of the Picos you have stayed, Oviedo or Gijón can fit naturally into the journey west. We would choose one rather than attempting both.

Oviedo is the stronger option if history, architecture and art appeal to you. Its compact historic centre makes it manageable as a stop of a few hours, although anyone with a particular interest in early medieval Spain could easily justify longer. The Asturian pre-Romanesque monuments around the city, including Santa María del Naranco, add something completely different to the coastal heritage elsewhere on this route.

Gijón gives you a more maritime stop: the old fishermen’s quarter of Cimavilla, the waterfront and the long curve of San Lorenzo beach. It also works particularly well for lunch before continuing west.

Alternatively, skip the cities altogether and make the journey about the coast. There are enough small ports, viewpoints and beaches between the Picos de Europa and your destination to fill the day without creating an elaborate sightseeing programme.

How to use your two days in western Asturias

With two nights, we would concentrate on the coast, with maybe a dip into the Comarca Vaqueira just inland, rather than trying to cover the whole of western Asturias which is immense.

Cudillero is the obvious first stop. Its colourful houses rise steeply behind the harbour, and it is well worth exploring, but it can become busy with day visitors. We prefer it either early or later in the day, when the day-trippers have gone and the harbour feels more like a working Asturian village again.

Luarca, la Villa Blanca de la Costa Verde’ is larger and more authentic, with its large working harbour, dockside streets and headlands. Farther west, Puerto de Vega is smaller again and one of our favourite places to combine a coastal walk with lunch.

Do not feel that Cudillero and Luarca are compulsory simply because they are the names that appear most often in guidebooks. This section of the journey works particularly well when you allow time for an unnamed beach, a small fishing port or a road that simply looks worth following. One of our top spots is Cabo Vidio where you’ll find the ‘prettiest bench in Asturias’ (it’s official) a nice bar and a sunset that’ll stay with you for a long time.

Coast or mountains?

This is the main choice for this stage.

For the 14-night itinerary, we normally favour the coast. You have just spent time in the Picos, and the fishing villages and Atlantic scenery introduce another side of Asturias while maintaining a logical westward progression towards Galicia, and the rolling green hills by the coast offer plenty of waling opportunities and some spectacular viewpoints.

Somiedo offers something quite different. It is one of Asturias’ great, protected mountain landscapes, with glacial lakes, traditional high pastures, wildlife and some excellent walking. It deserves proper time rather than being bolted onto a coastal stay as a long day trip.

If Somiedo is high on your list, we would include a stop there rather than the coast or add nights to visit the park as a separate inland base. Trying to combine Cudillero, Luarca and Somiedo within one full day rather misses the point of all three.

Another inland alternative is Cangas del Narcea. This is Asturias’ wine country — something that surprises many first-time visitors, though those who know Spanish wine will understand when they see that it borders the region of El Bierzo. Here you’ll find tiny mountain vineyards and a traditional way of life with deep Celtic roots. It works particularly well as part of a longer exploration of western Asturias rather than as a quick detour from the coast.

If you’re looking for something more active

The coast lends itself particularly well to walking because you can incorporate relatively short sections without turning the holiday into a hiking trip.

One of our favourites is the stretch between Puerto de Vega and Frexulfe. Frexulfe itself is a protected beach and natural monument, backed by dunes and reached by the coastal path. A walk here followed by lunch back in Puerto de Vega makes a very satisfying half-day.

If you prefer driving with shorter walks, follow some of the smaller roads through the coastal hills and viewpoints. The area around Somao and Malleza is particularly interesting for its casonas de indianos — elaborate houses built by Asturians who made their fortunes in the Americas and later returned home.

For proper mountain walking, Somiedo is the stronger choice. There are established routes to places such as Lago del Valle, the Saliencia lakes and the traditional brañas, as well as specialist wildlife experiences.

Eating well in Asturias

Asturias has one of the best-known gastronomic profiles on the whole route, and this is the stage where we would make a point of eating in a traditional sidrería at least once.

A cider house is more than a standard Spanish bar where you drink cider. It introduces you to the informal, communal style of Asturian eating: generous portions, straightforward dishes and cider poured from above the glass, sometimes way above the pourer’s head’ in the traditional way – quite a show and always an icebreaker.

Along the coast, fish and seafood naturally dominate. Inland, the cooking becomes heartier, but our the region’s signature dish, a good plate of fabes, is never far away…

The classic fabada asturiana combines white beans with pork, chorizo and black pudding, but on the coast look out for fabes con almejas — beans with clams — which is one of my personal favourites. Asturias Turismo recognises both among the region’s characteristic bean dishes.

There is even an annual ‘Best Fabada in the World’ competition to find outstanding fabada, and restaurants are understandably proud of their awards. Planning the journey around the league table is one for the aficionados, but if you spot a bar with the award displayed it’s rarely a bad sign.

With two or three nights, aim for some variety: fish in a port, an evening in a sidrería and perhaps one more ambitious restaurant if your hotel or local recommendations point you in the right direction.

Where to stay

We believe that the choice of hotel matters enormously in western Asturias because this is an essentially rural stage.

We generally favour a small coastal hotel rather than basing the stay in one of the larger towns. We have some outstanding independent properties here, and the right hotel can become part of the reason for choosing the area rather than merely somewhere to sleep.

The priorities are slightly different from a city stay. Views, gardens, character and a peaceful setting matter, but so do parking, road access and dinner arrangements. A beautiful hotel several kilometres from the nearest restaurant works perfectly when it has a good restaurant of its own; less so when you have to drive out again every evening.

For groups of classic cars and motorbikes, we’d select a larger hotel with facilities paying particular attention to access and secure or appropriate parking.

Choose Luarca, Cudillero or Avilés perhaps, or stay in a fishing port like Puerto de Vega when you value being able to walk out for dinner. Choose a rural or coastal property when scenery and tranquillity are more important.

We usually suggest three nights in the Costa Lucense - the coastal part of Lugo province in north-east Galicia - as a real slow-down stage. This is a rural area, more extensive than it first appears and we feel it requires more time to get to know.

Coastal roads, estuaries and numerous small-scale diversions, including viewpoints, beaches and fishing ports, make distance a poor guide to the time needed – and who’s in a hurry anyway?

Ribadeo provides the natural introduction from Asturias, while farther west Viveiro makes an excellent base for exploring this quieter stretch of the Galician coast. Three nights gives you time to see the headline sights but, more importantly, to leave some space in the itinerary.

How to use the drive from western Asturias

The border between Asturias and Galicia is crossed at the Ría del Eo, bringing you immediately to Ribadeo.

This can be an easy transfer day, but there is no need to rush towards the hotel. Ribadeo is worth a wander and makes a natural lunch stop, or an excellent option if you wish to combine the western Asturias and north east Galicia stages into one. The coastline beyond offers plenty of opportunities to linger before continuing west including the tiny fishing port of Rinlo.

Playa de las Catedrales — Praia das Catedrais in Galician — is the obvious attraction on this coast, but it requires a little more planning than an ordinary beach stop. Access to the sand and rock formations is governed by the tide, and advance authorisation is currently required during Easter and from 1 July to 30 September. Entry itself is free.

We would therefore plan the transfer day around the tide and if low tide falls at an inconvenient time, plan to see the beach on another day.

How to use your three days in north-east Galicia

There are fewer headline attractions or “must-sees” here than in some earlier stages, and we think that is one of its strengths.

Viveiro has enough going on to provide focus to the stay, with a historic centre, estuary, fishing activity at neighbouring Celeiro and several lovely beaches in the town and nearby in the mouth of the estuary. It also places you well for exploring both the Mariña Lucense and the wilder coast farther west.

One day can follow the coast east or west, stopping where something appeals rather than attempting to complete a fixed circuit. Small fishing ports such as San Cibrao and O Barqueiro and unspoilt beaches like San Roman or O’Vicedo  provide the sort of short diversions that make this area rewarding by car.

To the west, Estaca de Bares is well worth the detour. Situated, strictly speaking, in La Coruña province it belongs naturally in this stage and makes a good objective for a wonderful day’s drive. The rugged, windswept headland is the northernmost point of the Iberian Peninsula, where the Atlantic and Cantabrian coasts meet.

Again, we would not try to combine everything. Las Catedrales, Viveiro, Estaca de Bares and every fishing village between them make a list, not a holiday.

Sargadelos Pottery: one visit we particularly recommend

Near Cervo, the Sargadelos Pottery complex is one of our favourite cultural stops in this part of Galicia.

The distinctive blue-and-white ceramics have become closely associated with modern Galician design, but the interest goes beyond buying a cup or plate. The complex combines industrial history, architecture, art and present-day ceramic production, and includes the Sargadelos Museum.

At the time of writing, weekday visits to the working factory are possible, including guided visits at set times, while the museum has separate opening arrangements. These details can change, so check directly with Sargadelos before building the day around a visit.

It is exactly the sort of place we like to include on a road trip: distinctive to the region, interesting without requiring half a day and something many first-time visitors would otherwise drive straight past.

If you’re looking for something more active

This is a good stage for gentle outdoor activity rather than a major hiking programme.

Coastal paths, beaches and estuaries offer plenty of opportunities for shorter walks, and the Mariña Lucense contains a considerable number of protected natural areas.

If birdwatching interests you, Estaca de Bares deserves particular attention. Its position on major migration routes makes it one of Galicia’s important seawatching locations, especially during the autumn migration period. Cetaceans can also sometimes be seen from the headland, although naturally sightings can never be guaranteed.

Kayaking, sailing and other watersports are also possibilities around the estuaries and coast, Particularly in Viveiro and Ribadeo, but we would advise to keep an eye on the weather and book ‘on-the-fly’ rather than filling the itinerary with advance commitments.

After the Picos and western Asturias, this is a good place to enjoy being outdoors without feeling that every walk needs a summit at the end of it.

Eating well in north-east Galicia

Crossing into Galicia brings another noticeable change in the gastronomy.

Fish and shellfish become increasingly prominent, particularly around the fishing ports, but Galician cooking is certainly not limited to seafood. Ternera Gallega has protected geographical status, while the local Faba de Lourenzá bean is another protected product closely associated with the Mariña Lucense.

Look out too for Galician cheeses, empanada — the traditional filled Galician pie — and the excellent bread that accompanies almost everything.

Our approach here is much the same as elsewhere on the northern coast: let the location dictate the meal. Eat fish in a fishing port, order shellfish when it is local and in season, and do not overlook a country restaurant simply because you are staying near the sea.

One of the surprising pleasures of this stage is value for money. Simple seasonal dishes are central to the region’s food culture and good cooking remains remarkably accessible in this area, away from the better-known tourist centres.

Where to stay

For couples, we usually recommend a small rural hotel in this part of Galicia. The best offer a unique opportunity to make a deep connection with the local culture with a strong sense of place and an authenticity in every aspect of the experience – particularly the food.In such a rural area the hotel itself can make an enormous difference to the stay.

For groups, classic cars or motorbikes, or those looking for more facilities a larger hotel or Parador in town can sometimes be the better solution as parking, access and evening logistics become more important. We usually opt for the Parador de Ribadeo in such cases or where the option to walk out for evening meals is a priority.

Recommended stay: two nights

Santiago gives this Northern Spain road trip something that many touring itineraries lack: a definite sense of arrival.

For centuries, pilgrims have travelled west across northern Spain towards the tomb of St James, and although we have made the journey by a rather more comfortable means, following broadly the same direction before finishing in Santiago gives the route a satisfying geographical and cultural conclusion.

After the quieter Costa Lucense, the city also changes the pace again. Medieval streets, university life, pilgrimage, monumental architecture and Galician food come together in a historic centre that is compact enough to explore on foot.

Two nights normally gives you an arrival evening followed by one complete day. For a first visit, and if you just want to focus on the city, we think that is about right.

How to use the drive to Santiago

The journey from the north coast is another relatively manageable transfer, so there is no need to arrive in Santiago first thing in the morning.

Depending on your interests, use the journey for one final rural or historic stop, have a leisurely lunch en route and aim to reach Santiago with enough time to settle into the hotel before going out for the evening.

If you are following the route as an open-jaw fly-drive and staying centrally, we would normally suggest dropping the car on arrival at the city. You won’t need it to explore Santiago, and driving and parking in the historic centre only adds unnecessary cost and hassle.

How to use your two nights in Santiago

The Cathedral and the great squares surrounding it are the natural focus, but Santiago makes much more sense when somebody explains what you are looking at.

We strongly recommend taking a walking tour with a qualified guide. It helps put the city into the context of the journey you have just made: why the cult of Santiago developed here, how the pilgrimage shaped it and why the streets, churches, monasteries and former pilgrim institutions are arranged as they are.

Afterwards, leave some time simply to wander. Santiago is compact, but it rewards looking down side streets, crossing the same squares at different times of day and stopping for coffee or a glass of wine.

You won’t really need an elaborate sightseeing schedule and two nights is enough to do the city justice.

The end of the Camino

You do not have to be a pilgrim to feel the importance of the Camino in Santiago.

Throughout the road trip you will have repeatedly crossed or followed sections of the Camino del Norte and other historic routes westwards. Here those threads finally come together around the Cathedral.

Spend a little time in Praza do Obradoiro watching walkers arrive. Some have travelled the minimum 100km which takes about a week, others for many hundreds of kilometres, and their arrival gives the square an atmosphere quite unlike that of a conventional monumental city centre.

For us, this is one of the reasons Santiago makes such a good place to finish the journey. It feels like an ending rather than simply the sixth hotel on an itinerary.

Eating well in Santiago

Santiago also gives the gastronomic side of the road trip a strong finale.

Start with the Mercado de Abastos. It remains a working food market as well as one of the city’s major attractions, with fish, shellfish, meat, cheeses, vegetables and other Galician produce piled across the stalls.

By now you will already have encountered plenty of Galician seafood, but Santiago brings together food and wines from across the region. This is a good place for one final restaurant dinner, while the old town also lends itself to a more informal evening moving between bars.

And there is a pleasing Galician habit that visitors quickly appreciate: many bars will still put a small complimentary tapa on the table with your drink. Quite what arrives is generally up to the bar, which is part of the fun.

Our preference would be to make the two evenings different — perhaps an informal first night followed by a restaurant reservation for the final dinner of the holiday.

Catch the Botafumeiro show

Seeing the Botafumeiro in motion is one of Santiago’s great spectacles, but it can be hard to catch.

The enormous Cathedral censer (incense burner) is suspended high above the crossing and swung at speed’s approaching 70kmph through the transept by a team of tiraboleiros. Originally conceived as an essential hygienic measure to ameliorate the smell of the hordes of unwashed pilgrims arriving from all over Europe who would sleep in the Cathedral, over time it has become a religious rite and a symbol of purification. It operates on the Cathedral’s principal religious occasions and can also be used for pilgrim groups that have arranged it separately. In our experience, these days, it swings more frequently than they’d like to admit but it requires a little on-the-ground investigation to find out when it will be operational.

If your visit does not coincide with one of the scheduled swings, ask your hotel, your guide or enquire at the Cathedral whether it is expected to operate while you are there. You may get lucky.

When it does, the combination of speed, incense and the sheer scale of the Cathedral is difficult to forget.

Where to stay

For a first visit, we strongly recommend staying in or within easy walking distance of the historic centre.

Once the car has been returned or parked, everything you are likely to do during a two-night stay can be reached on foot or with public transport. More importantly, staying centrally allows you to experience Santiago in the evening and early morning, outside the busiest sightseeing hours.

There is a broad range of historic hotels, converted religious buildings and small character properties as well as more conventional city hotels which we would tend to avoid if possible. As elsewhere on the route, we choose according to the traveller rather than assuming that the most prestigious address is automatically the best one.

A country hotel on the outskirts can make sense when you are travelling in your own car, particularly with a classic-car or motorbike group, or when secure and easy parking is a priority. In that case we would normally keep the vehicle and travel into the centre as required.

If you have another day

Keeping the car becomes much more worthwhile if you add a third night.

The obvious extension is west towards the Atlantic coast around Finisterre, Carnota and the Ría de Muros e Noia. After reaching Santiago, continuing to the coast gives the journey another possible ending: in fact, following a more recent tradition, some pilgrims carry on to Finisterre to throw their boots in the sea!

We wouldn’t squeeze this into a standard two-night Santiago stay. Give the city its complete day first and add another night when you want the coast as well.

Alternatively, stay in Santiago and use the extra day to see more of the city at a slower pace. There is plenty here beyond the Cathedral, particularly for anyone interested in religious art, architecture, Galician history or simply eating well. Lovers of modern architecture shouldn’t miss the chance to visit Peter Eisenham’s Santiago City of Culture, a short distance outside the city – an epic project involving the replacement of an entire hilltop with a cultural complex for the arts.

This itinerary provides a well-balanced starting point, but the best route will depend on your available time, preferred pace and particular interests. The following sections explain the main choices involved, where to add extra nights, what can be removed if time is tight, and how our expert team can help create the perfect itinerary for you.

Bilbao or San Sebastián?

Bilbao is generally the more practical start for this particular route as it’s a well-connected port of entry both by air and sea and provides a broader combination of art, architecture, food and onward access – generally, it’s a bigger city and there’s a lot more going on. San Sebastián maybe has the edge when it comes to gastronomy (maybe), and where beach and elegant coastal surroundings are the main priorities.

Including both properly usually requires at least one additional night. Otherwise, we would choose the city that best matches the traveller rather than treating one as a hurried excursion from the other.

Santander or western Cantabria?

Santander works well for ferry access, urban restaurants, city-beaches and if you fancy a short city break. Western Cantabria gives easier access to Santillana del Mar, Comillas, San Vicente de la Barquera and the approach to the Picos whilst allowing a dip into Santander should you be curious.

For a 14-night journey, we generally prefer to keep the substantial Cantabrian stay somewhere on the western coast, allowing the traveller to cover more ground – unless, of course, Santander is your priority.

Which side of the Picos?

A tricky one, both are excellent choices, but we generally choose Liébana and the Potes area when the route flows naturally from western Cantabria and the cable car at Fuente Dé is of interest. Choose the Asturian side when Covadonga, the Ruta de Cares, a visit to Oviedo or the onward trip to eastern Asturias are more important.

The Valley of Liebana has a benign micro-climate due to its topography. The only connection to the coast is by the slender Hermida Gorge so it’s effectively a bowl, ringed by mountains on all sides. It’s also the best side for wildflowers and butterflies in the late Spring, with people travelling from all over Europe to see the splendid show!

In the Picos it’s a common error to select a base simply because it appears central on a map, thinking you can do it all from one base. Roads follow the valleys so straight-line distance can be misleading and the drives can be longer than you might think.

Coast, mountain or city in Asturias?

A western coastal base gives the route its cleanest progression towards Galicia, and the mountains come right down to the coast so you can always dip inland for hiking and scenery. That said, Somiedo or Cangas del Narcea are a spectacular choice for keen walkers and wildlife enthusiasts, but are too far inland to explore from a coastal base so you'd need to either place yourself there or include an additional two nights in the mountains.

If you prefer a city, Oviedo is the better choice for architecture, urban culture and restaurants whilst Gijón is up-and-coming as a destination for Spanish travellers, with its golden sandy San Lorenzo beach and lively little old town.

Historic-centre or easy-access hotels?

Central hotels make evening exploration easier but may involve restricted streets, Low Emission Zones and paid parking. Rural hotels provide easier access and more space but can limit dinner choices.

The right option varies from stage to stage. There is no advantage in insisting on one hotel style throughout the holiday and personal preferences come strongly into play. We try to offer a selection of hotels at each location so each traveller can make their own choice.

San Sebastián or Hondarribia

Add two nights if Basque food, beaches and Belle Époque architecture are priorities. Alternatively add a night in Bilbao and take the direct, express bus to San Sebastian as an excursion. If you’re only staying two nights in the Basque country we recommend choosing one or the other city.

La Rioja

A bit of a detour, La Rioja adds a significant wine component as well as a peek into Spain's interior. It works best after the Basque Country on the way through to Cantabria or the Picos. Otherwise consider making it part of a different circular route rather than as a casual detour from the north coast.

Another night in the Picos de Europa

An additional night makes a significant difference if you plan to do some walking. It also provides more flexibility if cloud or rain affects your preferred mountain excursion.

Oviedo

Add one or two nights if pre-Romanesque architecture, museums and Asturian urban culture are your thing. Oviedo fits more naturally as a separate city stage than as a rushed excursion from the western coast.

La Coruña and the Costa da Morte

These extend the Galician coastal journey and suit travellers who enjoy unspoilt, emerald green, Atlantic landscapes, fishing towns lost in time, and maritime history. We’d always recommend additional nights rather than a longer day trip from the Costa Lucense, though it is possible to pop in to La Coruña on the way through to Santiago if you just fancy a quick visit.

Rías Baixas

The Rías Baixas have a lot to offer including a benign micro-climate which is generally hotter and drier that the northern coast. It’s not a lot further on than Santiago so we often add it in as a penultimate stage, allowing you to retain the facility to drop the car on arrival at the city. This is a highly recommendable extension if you can afford two or three nights, with lovely beaches, Spain’s best seafood, Albariño wine, stately homes (Pazos de Galicia) and the Islas Cies lying just off the coast.

We wouldn’t recommend trying to compress this complete route into seven or eight nights by cutting every stay to one night. That preserves the mileage while removing most of the holiday.

10 days is just about feasible but we feel that a shorter journey should cover less ground with fewer stops. The most sensible options are:

• Start in Santander rather than Bilbao and concentrate on Cantabria, Asturias and Galicia.  You can still use Bilbao as an entry point if that suits, there’s only an hours' drive between the two cities.

• Finish in Asturias rather than Santiago and make the holiday about the Basque Country, Cantabria and the Picos.

• Omit the mountain stage if the coast is the clear priority.

• Omit either western Asturias or the Costa Lucense - in some ways they're the most similar stops and the flow still works pretty well. A good option is to place the stop in Ribadeo, on the Asturias / Galicia border which gives a taste of both sides and is the perfect compromise in terms of driving times before and after.

• Choose a compact Cantabria and Asturias itinerary instead of continuing into Galicia.

The right reduction depends on what matters most. Removing a whole stage generally creates a better short holiday than shaving one night from every destination.

The Bilbao-to-Santiago route is intended as a tried-and-tested structure rather than a fixed, off-the-shelf package. Its stages can be reversed, interleaved or replaced according to the traveller’s arrival point, available time and interests.

Possible adaptations include:

• Open-jaw fly-drive or out-and-back ferry-drive.

• Bilbao, Santander, Asturias or Santiago as the arrival point.

• More time for food and wine.

• Additional walking time in the Picos.

• A city-light route with easier parking – or a string of city breaks if that’s your thing!

• Hotels selected for character, gastronomy, facilities or value.

• Special adaptations for classic cars and motorbikes.

• A slower itinerary with fewer bases.

• An extension into the Rías Baixas, La Rioja or San Sebastian.

The most important decision is not how many places can be fitted into 14 nights. It is which combination will create the strongest journey for the individual traveller. We generally think it’s better to leave certain things out rather than overload the trip – you can always come back for more Caminos!

Is this Northern Spain road trip suitable for an electric car?

It is possible to complete this route in a modern electric car with good range, but we would not describe it as the easiest option. Charging points are fewer and farther between than in the UK and the itinerary includes rural and mountainous stages where charging is less convenient than around the larger towns and principal roads. Mountain driving, weather and the use of heating or air-conditioning can also reduce the car’s practical range.

We would recommend an electric vehicle primarily to experienced e-drivers who are already comfortable planning longer journeys around charging stops. Confirm that your hotels have working on-site chargers, plan at least one alternative public charger for each transfer and avoid relying on the car’s advertised maximum range. Red Eléctrica’s REVE service provides current information on charger locations, connector types, charging speeds, prices and availability.

IMPORTANT NOTE: If bringing your own electric car, it is essential to be aware that your electric car is not exempt from Low Emission Zone restrictions. A foreign-registered electric vehicle remains a foreign vehicle for administrative purposes and is thereby unclassified. This needn’t be a problem, but you do need to make sure you are up to date with the low emission restrictions and exemptions in each city you may visit.

Overall, the route is feasible by electric car, particularly in a vehicle with a good real-world range and rapid-charging capability.

When choosing the destinations to include in this north Spain road trip we selected places which, as far as is possible, cater for all interests. Our team then tailor the trip to match the individual's personal preferences. Here we've set out some considerations with regard to the main categories; food and wine, art and architecture, hiking and nature, but we're always happy to advise on any topic from it's beaches and river swimming to historic trains or giant squid...

Food is one of the route’s strongest themes, and it changes subtly but noticeably from east to west.

The Basque Country begins with pintxos, fish, grills and a wide range of restaurants, from informal bars to the pinnacle of high-end dining. Here you’ll find the highest concentration of Michelin stars and a general (healthy) obsession with all things foodie – but the prices do reflect this and dining out here is considerably more expensive.

Cantabria is perhaps more humble, and certainly more affordable, and introduces anchovies, seafood, cheeses and cooking from the inland valleys. The Picos bring mountain dishes and local produce suited to the cooler, more rural setting.

Asturias has its famous cider houses, which bring a different social aspect to dining out. Here look out for ‘fabada’ bean dishes, cheeses.

Galicia then shifts the emphasis even more towards fish and shellfish, direct from the Atlantic, but don’t miss the local beef from ‘blonde’ Gallego cows, the empanadas, and the wonderful bread, before the journey ends among Santiago’s markets, restaurants and tapas bars.

Though you could easily build the trip around a list of famous restaurants, we find that regional food in authentic local restaurants helps explain how landscape, agriculture, fishing and regional identity change along the route and our restaurant guide, which we developed over 40 years of working and living in the area, is designed to help you eat like a local, and at the same time give something back to the local communities.

Most stops in Caminos itineraries are arranged on a bed-and-breakfast basis, leaving travellers free to use local restaurants. Where a hotel is remote, we make sure dinner is available or include a meal when that is the most practical arrangement - and where the restaurant meets our criteria of course. Our regional guides always include a restaurant section covering the options where you’ll be staying.

Dinner times are sometimes a challenge for British and American travellers but the north is the least extreme of all the regions in Spain, with most hotels and restaurants offering evening meals from 20.00 onwards. Eating like a local can be helpful in this respect. Spaniards enjoy a hearty lunch (usually three courses) and a lighter dinner and many restaurants offer a lunchtime-only ‘Menu del Dia’ with three courses plus wine averaging between 14 and 16€ currently, depending on the region. You might need a siesta but that will also put you on the Spanish timetable – and the late-but-light evening meal won’t give you a tricky night’s sleep.

For wine lovers there are two small, but worthwhile, regions right on this route – the Txakoli producing regions on the coat near Getaria and to the northeast of Bilbao with their acidic, fresh young whites, and the Cangas del Narcea in western Asturias which produces some excellent, low-yield reds and whites similar to the El Bierzo region in León. This of course doesn’t mean that you’re limited in any way and you’ll find a wide range of Spanish wines in most restaurants along the route – and the mark-up is considerably lower than in the UK making it possible, and inviting, to try a special bottle.

When dining in a hotel they’ll usually be happy to save any unfinished wine for the next evening, a liberating experience.

We have a wonderful selection of foodie tours throughout the Iberian Peninsula as well as many which go through Spain and Portugal's fascinating wine regions.

Northern Spain offers a diverse mix of cultural highlights including prehistoric sites, medieval towns, religious architecture, industrial heritage and contemporary design, rather than focussing on any single period or style. The contrast between modernity and ancient history is striking and, from cave-dwellers to Guggenheim, gives a sensation of a voyage through the history of mankind.

Bilbao provides the clearest modern starting point. The Guggenheim Museum is the principal attraction, but the city’s wider interest comes from the relationship between contemporary architecture, the regenerated riverfront and its grimy industrial past of shipbuilding and steelworks. From there, the journey moves west into a much older cultural landscape. Lovers of modern art and architecture will also enjoy Santander’s Centro Botín by Renzo Piano and the futuristic Niemeyer Centre in Avilés.

Western Cantabria has one of the strongest concentrations of heritage on the route. Santillana del Mar preserves its medieval street plan and historic stone buildings, while the Altamira Cave and Museum introduces the prehistoric cave art for which the region is internationally known – with 18 decorated caves making up the World Heritage Site. Nearby Comillas adds an unusual architectural twist, with Modernista buildings associated with Antoni Gaudí sponsored by the town’s wealthy 19th-century, robber-baron, patrons.

Asturias brings together mountain and maritime traditions with some of the most distinctive early medieval architecture in Spain. Near Oviedo, Santa María de Naranco is the best-known example of Asturian pre-Romanesque architecture. Elsewhere, Iron Age hillforts, traditional villages, fishing ports and indiano houses reveal the region’s Celtic roots, Atlantic connections and long history of migration.

The Camino de Santiago becomes an increasingly important presence as the route moves west. Historic paths, churches, monasteries and pilgrimage towns connect the cultural landscapes of Asturias and Galicia before the journey reaches Santiago de Compostela.

Northern Galicia continues the story through Celtic sites, medieval towns, religious architecture and former centres of craft and industry. Mondoñedo is one of the most worthwhile cultural stops, while the Sargadelos Pottery offers an insight into Galicia’s ceramic and industrial heritage. The route then finishes in Santiago, where Romanesque, Gothic and Baroque architecture come together around the cathedral and historic centre.

Rather than trying to include every museum or monument, we recommend choosing one or two significant cultural visits in each region. This keeps the journey varied and leaves enough time to experience the towns and landscapes around them.

Northern Spain is particularly well suited to travellers who want to combine a road trip with time outdoors. The route passes through mountains, forests, wetlands, estuaries and a long stretch of Atlantic coastline, offering everything from gentle walks and scenic cycle routes to more demanding hikes and organised wildlife experiences.

The Picos de Europa provide the most obvious focus for walking. There are short valley routes, woodland paths and accessible viewpoints as well as full-day mountain hikes, so the region can be enjoyed without committing to a strenuous walking or climbing holiday. Spring and early summer are especially rewarding for wildflowers in the meadows and limestone landscapes with travellers coming from all across Europe, while autumn brings quieter trails, cooler climes and changing woodland colours. The Sunflower Guide to the Picos de Europa has several gentle, scenic routes specifically aimed at nature lovers. Mountain weather can alter quickly, however, and routes should always be chosen according to current conditions and individual experience.

Urdaibai, which can be visited from Bilbao or added as an extra stop, offers a very different natural environment. Its estuary, marshes, woodland and beaches make it one of the best places on the route for birdwatching. Ospreys have been reintroduced (from Scotland!) and the reserve is particularly busy during migration periods. Walking and cycling routes explore the reserve, while kayaking, paddleboarding and surfing provide alternative ways to experience the coast and estuary. Seasonal whale and dolphin-watching trips also operate from the Bermeo area, although departures depend on sea conditions and sightings can never be guaranteed.

Somiedo is not part of the core coastal itinerary, but it is one of the most attractive inland additions for travellers with more time or a strong interest in nature. This protected mountain landscape is known for its glacial lakes, high pastures, traditional settlements and varied wildlife – including bears. It has excellent walking opportunities and specialist guided excursions focused on birds, wildflowers and other flora and fauna. Somiedo works best as a two or three-night extension rather than a hurried dash into the mountains.

Elsewhere, the coastline provides many opportunities for shorter walks along cliffs, beaches, estuaries and sections of the Camino del Norte. Cycling can also be incorporated, either on quiet rural roads or designated routes – beware though, the terrain is frequently hilly. Surfing, sailing, kayaking and other water sports are available along the Basque, Cantabrian and Asturian coasts, with sheltered estuaries often providing gentler conditions than the open sea.

Birdwatchers will find interest throughout the journey, from the wetlands of Urdaibai to mountain habitats in the Picos and Somiedo and the estuaries and coastal headlands of Galicia.

In summary there are plenty of opportunities for walking, nature and outdoor activities throughout the trip and often can be enjoyed straight from the door of your hotel. If this is your focus it should be taken into account when choosing where to take those precious three-night stops.