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Holidays

Use our Travel forum for recommendations on everything from day trips to the best family-friendly holiday destinations.

Driving holiday - northern Spain. What are your ‘must visit’places?

11 replies

OMGitsnotgood · 12/08/2025 08:25

We are thinking of doing tbe Santander crossing, taking the car.

We have already been to Bilbao and San Sebastián and don’t feel the need to revisit. I am googling but would be interested in places you strongly recommend visiting? Or equally if there are places you that always seem to be recommended on the internet but you found underwhelming. We have no specific location requirements other than don’t want to spend hours driving into Spain, so more northern - either coastal or an hour or two inland), or into France but don’t want to make this too much of a French trip.We like sightseeing, visiting interesting towns and villages, good food (more ‘what the locals eat’ than fine dining); enjoy being and walking by the sea but don’t like spending time on the beach. We would ideally atay somewhere for 2- 3 nights, explore places within an hour or so’s reach, then move on to another base.
thank you

OP posts:
Forgottenmyphone · 12/08/2025 09:15

Our highlights in northern Spain:
El Capricho de Gaudi
Picos de Europa National Park and Potes
Covadonga Lakes and Cangas de Onis
Cudillero
Barro
Ribadesella
El Castillo caves

Pombear123 · 12/08/2025 09:34

We visited the Altamira caves recently and that was really cool- you can’t see the actual caves but there is a nice museum and a fantastic reproduction of the caves. The local town Santillana del Mar is very pretty too. Nearby there are various other actual prehistoric caves you can visit, such as El Castillo.

You can drive the coast road from Santander to Bilbau, lots of gorgeous little beaches and villages along there.

Next time I would love to go to Guernica and the peace museum.

MissAmbrosia · 12/08/2025 09:49

Salamanca and Segovia are both fabulous

Aaron95 · 12/08/2025 10:00

Go up into the mountains to the south. That part of Spain is just tiny villlages, cows with cowbells and spectacular views. There are some spectaculr national parks as well.

If you want to get away from the crowds you won't find many tourists either. It's a beautiful part of Spain. Last time we stayed in an AirBnB in La Gandara. It was a converted barn in the middle of nowhere with only the sound of cowbells to be heard and as it was off the tourist trail it wasn't expensive either.

OMGitsnotgood · 12/08/2025 11:53

Fantastic thank you, just the kind of tips I was after

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BadActingParsley · 12/08/2025 12:14

The picos de europa are fantastic - such good food! And very few British tourists.

CarlaH · 12/08/2025 12:25

Burgos is lovely but it takes two and a half hours so might be too far.

SabrinaThwaite · 12/08/2025 12:25

Picos de Europa are spectacular.

Depends how far you want to drive but Lugo is an interesting Roman town with intact city walls (UNESCO world heritage site) and Leon is an historic city and Las Médulas, the old Roman mining area, is nearby (also a world heritage site).

Definitely try some of the caves - info here:

https://www.brittany-ferries.co.uk/blog/visit-cantabria-caves

Book in advance for the popular ones.

Maddy70 · 12/08/2025 12:28

Pamplona
Zaragoza
Congost ... Possibly the most beautiful place I have ever been ! You can walk one way and kayak back if you so wish
Drive up into the pyranees, much cooler and some beautiful places

OMGitsnotgood · 12/08/2025 15:33

CarlaH · 12/08/2025 12:25

Burgos is lovely but it takes two and a half hours so might be too far.

2 1/2 hours is fine if there are other places inbetween to break up the drive. Will take a look at all the places suggested and see if a sensible route appears to help us decide what to include.

OP posts:
drspouse · 12/08/2025 15:35

Guernica was really worth it, also Vittoria.

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