Northern Spain Recommendations

Oviedo, absolutely! Burgos will be a quite a bit out of your way, but Leon is about an hour from Oviedo and has an absolutely gorgeous cathedral. At Ribadesella you can tour a prehistoric cave and view actual cave paintings (not reproductions as at Altamira) There are a number of historic sites along the way, such as Covadonga and Cangas de Onis, as well as the Picos de Europa National Park. I was just there last May, and just talking about it makes me want to get right back on the plane and go back! Please message me for more suggestions.

I did a pilgrimage along the entire length of the Camino, Roncesvalles (in the Pyrenees) to Santiago. Anyplace along the Camino is astonishing--the history, the stories, the people. There are 5 cathedral cities, all spectacular--had to impress all those pilgrims, you know! The cathedral in Santiago is eye-popping, even to those who suffer from ABC Syndrome (Another Bloody Church). Be sure to enter through the main doors and place your hand in the Tree of Jesse, as have pilgrims for hundreds of years. Food specialties are pimentos de Padron (sweet peppers that grow only nearby) and pulpo (octopus).

The small town I loved the most: Villafranca del Bierzo, with its tiny Romanesque church. This was the only site along the Camino where, if pilgrims reached it, they would receive the same indulgence as if they had reached Santiago. It's just before the last mountain range that leads into Galicia, and many didn't have the strength to continue.

Email if you have Q--buen Camino!

Jan- I am so happy someone is going to Northern Spain, because I want to share a "perfect" place to stay, if there is such a place, this is it. It is way at the top end of what I have ever paid, but it was so worth it. It is called Casa de San Martin, it is just north of Boltana, which is north of Ainsa and south of Ordesa National Park. Look at their website, and then times it by 3. We paid about $180 per night, but it is definitely a 5 star+ in the middle of nowhere. We were there only 2 days, one night at Montserrat, and 2 in Barcelona. We did our trip in reverse of yours, but I believe the town of Jaca (a ski town) which is west of San Martin is on the way to Santiago de Compestala. Perhaps you are not going this far north, but it was remote, quaint, and so unlike anything I thought Spain would be. I thought the rock formations at Montserrat were very interesting, however we spent the night there, and of our 2 weeks in Europe it was our least favorite place.

Continued.....If you are Catholic it may be more important to you. We did ride the funicular up to the top of the rocks and had a nice short hike and views. The rooms were very clean, but no ambience. I believe they were about $90 per night for double. Our trips always consist of big city, and remote areas, to mix it up. In Barcelona we stayed at El Jardi, a RS recommendation. It wasn't fancy, but clean, and well situated. I would stay there again. We loved all the interesting Gaudi sights. I presume you will have a rental car, which we did. RS said there would be lots of policeman, however, we never saw a one, but as I mentioned, we were pretty remote. If you would like more info and this area appeals, please feel free to send me a private e-mail.

La Coruna in the northwest corner is a beautiful city. Be sure to enjoy it

I would recommend you go to Tossa De Mar and Gerona. They are both north of Barcelona. Tossa De Mar is up in the Costa Brava. Beautiful town on the coast. Gerona is more inland but just as pretty. Enjoy your trip to Spain. I love it there. -Kim

We spent a week in Barcelona in April 2001 (loved it) and then rented a car and wandered slowly up toward Andorra. We did stay at Montserrat for a couple of nights -- used it as a base to explore surrounding towns, and also did some hiking up above Montserrat. You can take a tram partway up the side of the mountain and hike the trails from there. We really enjoyed it. There are all sorts of little shrines up there and the weather was very pleasant. I can send you some photos if you're interested; just send me a private message.

Hey!

Like Erika, I also did the Camino de Santiago (from St. Jean Pied-de-Port to Santiago, in July-Aug 2007). Burgos has a beautiful cathedral and is fun to walk around in. Pamplona is also great, especially if you are a Hemingway fan.

Santiago's cathedral is a must-see (although when I was there, they had the hand-printed marble pole fenced off). You may also want to make the trip to Finisterre on the coast - someday I hope to walk there (and up to Muxia), since I've heard great things about it.

You should also learn a bit of Spanish - try "One Day Spanish" by Elisabeth Smith. It's a fun program that centers on European Spanish, and it has lots of handy phrases.

But be careful - you might get bitten by the Camino bug and end up walking it someday. If so - buen Camino!

Erik