Galicia

I thoroughly enjoyed Galicia when I traveled there this summer. Everyone goes to Santiago de Compostela, of course, but I also recommend A Coruña and Pontevedra, both of which tend to be somewhat sunnier and drier than Santiago. All three cities have nice old towns, and they are accessible by train or bus. Time permitting, you might enjoy a trip to one of the small coastal towns. I took a side-trip to the small town of Tuy on the Portuguese border and liked it, too.

The Galician countryside is green and pretty. I'd say it's a bit less dramatic than the Basque Country, but still hilly and interesting to observe from a bus or train.

I was not particularly entranced by Vigo, which I used as a base to visit the Islas Cíes. The islands are very popular (sandy beaches, limited visitor count each day, pleasant walks with nice views), but I think coming from your area you would not be especially impressed and might prefer to spend your time elsewhere.

Thanks for all the information Acraven and Wonderful. Great tips - timely and appropriate to our situation.

Fires! Wouldn't have thought to check on that. Wow!

We had two weeks in Portugal that included a Douro River cruise that was great. We did a day trip with Viator to Santiago de Compostela that was excellent. I highly recommend the tour.