Dear travelers,
given: 10 days is July (4 -14) and family of four (parents and two teenagers). We plan to rent a car.
My initial plan was to fly to Bilbao and drive from there to A Coruna, while exploring everything on the way along the coast. In the end of the trip we would explore Galicia and fly back from A Coruna or Vigo.
But now I am concerned that the time that we have is not enough for such a trip.
Maybe it would be better to fly to A Coruna, spend the entire time in Galicia and fly back from Vigo.
We are interested in seeing ancient architecture, nature wonders (like Picos de Europa and Ribeira Sacra) and spending some time on the beach.
Please advise !
Thank you in advance,
Tatiana
Posted by
4961 posts
I agree--that initial plan would be too much for ten days, and picking one region would make for a more enjoyable trip. I don't think the specifics matter so much, just giving yourself ample time is what is important.
Posted by
Barcelona + Sweden
4180 posts
With 9 nights, I think you could do either, stay in Galicia for all the time or explore Cantabria and Asturias on a road trip.
If you feel your original plan might be too tight, for 9 nights you could start in Bilbao, stay in Santillana del Mar, then head to the Picos de Europa for a few days, then end in Oviedo and leave from there. That way you save Galicia for another time, which can be easily reached by high speed train from Madrid.
The natural wonders in Galicia are very nice, but I don't think it is as impressive as what you would find in the Picos de Europa area.
Posted by
Paris
7303 posts
I fully agree with Carlos.
Eastern Asturias (e.g. around Llanes) has some great beaches, too, virtually next to the Picos de Europa.
Eastern Cantabria (btw Bilbao & Santander) is not as interesting as further west, so you can skip over that bit IMO (Santillana del Mar is a good first stop, or nearby Comillas).
Posted by
Mid-Atlantic area
7157 posts
It would be easy to spend all your time, then some additional time, in Galicia by itself. I’d fly into a location further west than Bilbao for sure. When figuring out where to stay you need to figure out how often you want to change hotels and which sites you want to visit.
Posted by
OP
2 posts
Thank you all for sharing your insights ! Your input helped me to come to decision. We will spend the entire 10 days in Galicia. Asturias is equally tempting but the timing of the flights to Galicia and back is more convenient for me than those to Bilbao.
Posted by
Australia
1072 posts
We spent three nights in Lugo in March 2023. It's a lovely small city and has an intact city wall that dates back to Roman times. The locals use it for jogging and walking. It's really cool and might appeal to your teenagers.
We also stayed in Ribadeo on the coast. I can highly recommend Hotel Boutique Lorient.
We were travelling by public transportation and after Ribadeo headed east along the coast to Bilbao on the FEVE narrow gauge railway (with overnight stops in Oviedo and Llanes).
Northern Spain was the favourite part of our two month Spanish trip. Enjoy!