12 days - Northern Spain by Car

Sounds like a fun trip! Having a car should give you quite a bit more flexibility to stop as you go and hop out to explore for time to time, Northern Spain is great for that.

Regarding the Picos de Europa, we spent 3 nights at the Parador de Fuente Dé, back in mid-September of 2016, it was so convenient to stay right in the Picos de Europa National Park, the views were incredible. I really enjoyed the hiking in the area, just take the adjacent cable car up to the top, and there are a number of alpine trails.

It was light jacket weather when I was there. The restaurant at the Parador was fairly good as well, but the best dining experience was at nearby Meson del Oso, a rustic tavern/inn which serves the hearty local food of the mountain area. You don't need a room there to eat at their fantastic restaurant, but if they have rooms available this is also a good home base for the Picos de Europa.

We arrived late the first night driving direct from Santillana del Mar (also worth a stop). The next day we went up top of the mountains with the teleférico de Fuente Dé (an experience onto itself) and hiked all day. There is a restaurant at the top that you can have a quick lunch at. The next day we drove to nearby Potes to explore the medieval town and the immediate environs, we gave plenty of time for us to stop and explore an alpine stream or take photos of a beautiful meadow or two.

The last day we drove early to the stunning pilgrimage site of Covadonga aka the "Cradle of Spain", where the Reconquista was birthed after a fateful battle. The holy cave under the waterfall holds the tombs of the 8th century Visigothic Kings Pelagius and Alfonso I. There are good alpine hiking trails here too, up to some famous lakes in the high mountains.

This is just a slice of what one can do :)

We are outdoorsy types who seek off the beaten path experiences while still covering the major things (just for perspective on the following). We spent 3 weeks in N. Spain and loved it, but Ill just talk about the portion you mention.
We started in San Sebastian with two days there. We saw the sights, ate the Pintxos, and swam at Zurriola beach (we stayed in the Gros neighborhood in an Airbnb. Loved that area and walked everywhere easily).
Then we headed to Bilbao. We stayed in the old town (Casco Viejo). En route between Bilbao and SS we stopped at the Oma Forest. That was so cool. Its an easy hike to an art ... installation? in the forest. Completely unique. We also spent one for our days in Bilbao driving to San Juan de Gaztelugatxe and hiked to that. Very fun.
Then we headed to a town on the coast for a night before heading into the Picos de Europe. We chose Llanes, with a stop at Santillana del Mar. The latter was very quaint and very crowded. It would be a nice place to stay but if I were doing that Id get there toward the afternoon so more of the tourists are gone. After Llanes we drove to Fuente de and spent the day going up the gondola and hiking in Fuente de (after a stop for lunch in Potes). But that night we actually slept in Covadonga, because we wanted to hike around Lake Covadonga the next day. The drove from Fuente de to Covadonga (with a stop for dinner en route) was fine, but we were definitely tired by the end and went to our rooms and to bed upon arrival in Covadonga. Went to the Basilica and hiked the around the lake next day (Basilica is so beautiful), ate dinner in Canges de Onis that night, and slept again in Covadonga.
Next day we headed to Oviedo. Walked around all day. Beautiful town with the Monuments of Oviedo. After our day there we drove to a B&B on the coast. I thought we'd stay in Cudillero, but decided to drive further west that day and chose a random B&B near Cadavedo that turned out great, and was near a small beach where we spent the later part of the day. Next day drove to Santiago de Compostela with a stop en route at Cathedral beach. Loved Santiago de Compostela. Stayed 3 nights. A favorite. So 2, 2, 1, 2, 1, 3 was our pace :o

There is SO much to do in Northern Spain and so many choices and its all so wonderful. I had to eliminate so much that I wanted to see, and we covered a lot. There are cave paintings near Bilbao that we opted not to visit. There are many towns on the coast to choose from (I spent a lot of time looking at the satellite view of each on Google maps. Llanes was ok, but I would make a different choice next time). There is a big hike in the Picos that I really wanted to do called the Ruta del Cares, starting from the hostel near Las Arenas. You can hike one way and catch a bus in Caín de Valdeón, but that was too tight for our schedule ( and the kids couldn't be coerced ;). There is also a swimming hole in the area with a short hike to get to it. Google "wild swimming near Covadonga" and you can find it. I liked Conga de Onis a lot and we would have stayed there but our days were so tightly scheduled that it made more sense to sleep in Covadonga but otherwise Id stay there.

I gave you probably too much detail (and I didnt even talk about Léon or Burgos!). The Cathedral in Léon is the best we've ever seen anywhere. But I think that's off you're main route ;)

I'll add Oviedo (quiet place of some size, with historic churches) and Betanzos (near A Coruna; very few non-Spanish tourists) to your list.

We would love to travel in northern Spain again. Santiago de Compostela was a big highlight for us, watching the pilgrims enter the plaza.
The only disappointment for us was Santillana del Mar, very touristy.
We spent a week in Hondarribia which was a wonderful base for exploring both the Spanish and French Basque regions.

As a side comment to Jessica, Oma Forest is closed for visits due to an illness of the pine trees, it´s being "relocated" somewhere else and this one will disappear.

If you're up for a somewhat long (but easy) hike in spectacular scenery, consider the Ruta del Cares. Also, and not as long, the Lagos de Covadonga. If you use Cangas de Onis or Arenas de Cabrales as a base, you will also be able to make day trips to some of the Asturias coast towns. On the drive to A Coruna, consider a stop at Praia das Catedrais (reservations might be needed).

I’ll add Lugo as a possible places to stay. It’s a small town and easy to walk around. Its Roman Wall surrounding to town is a UNESCO world heritage site. For the Camino, visit the Pilgrim site. From the main menu, select routes/caminos, then with the Northern or Primative. The resulting page will give you the starting and ending points for the different stages along the route, including distances and difficulty. There’s also a page showing elevations. From places people have suggested, the Camino passes through Oviedo, Lugo, and Santillana Del Mar. I’m not recommending the travel agency, only to use its site for planning.

While walking into the plaza in Santiago de Compostela was nice, the last day’s hike from O Pedrouzo wasn’t all that pretty and filled with those who only wanted to walk a few miles of the Camino. Most of the last day was walking around the airport and through the city, although the pilgrims statue at Monte de Gozo is nice. Probably too far south from where you’ll be, but would make a nice day walk would be from O Cebreiro to Sarria.

Hello from Wisconsin,

We drove the whole enchilada, Donastia San Sebastian to Gjion and Oviedo before turning to Santiago de Compostela. Beautiful. Drives up into the mountains!!!! This is what Ireland would be if it grew up. I joke, but I kept thinking, "this is Ireland on steroids".

Do your best to search for good restaurants by reputation not necessarily price. The food was great. The flat cider with tapas was entertaining.

I don't know why more people don't do this coast.

Oviedo and Gjion were nice places to stop. But one of the high lights for us was a small cave, El Pindal. It is in what we in the states would call a County Park. The setting was amazing. This is when I learned that there are more prehistoric caves with paintings than just Altamira and ...the French one, Lascaux. If the timing is good for you, take a picnic lunch. The gate is locked except when the guide arrives and takes tours. That way you can have a lunch with a view if you have to wait.

wayne iNWI

We stayed in Ribadesella and Ribadeo. Both were very nice as were all the coastal towns we visited ,Llanes and Comillas come to mind. At Ribadesella the Tito Bustilla(sp?) cave system is amazing, the real thing not a replica. We spent 3 nites in Potes hiking in the Picos. Loved N. Spain. Brad

In addition to other suggestions i would recommend taking the underground Funicular up to Bulnes. This is a very small mountain village with no road access. There are fine views of the Naranjo de Bulnes. Be sure to have the local Fabada bean stew washed down with cider. The railway is very near to the start of the Cares walk. A steep mountain road also leads from here to another mountain village, Sotres with accommodation choices
At the other end of the Cares gorge is Cain surrounded by mountains which makes a great place to stop overnight. The road down to Cain is narrow and steep passing view points and a wolf trap
You can check it all out on Google Street View

BIG THANK YOU to all who responded. Your suggestions and detailed descriptions of each place and personal experiences are priceless! Keep them coming! Every recommendation is welcomed!
Our trip is starting to take shape… still unsure if best to make Bilbao a base for 3 nights and visit San Sebastian and other coastal towns from there, or spend a night is SS. Thoughts?
Thanks again!

Bilbao makes a perfect place for day tours to Donostia-San Sebastián and to Rioja and the coastal towns (San Juan de Gaztelugatxe, Mundaka, Bermeo, Gernika...).

I agree, there's not that much to see in San Sebastián besides the great scenery and cityscape, so a day trip is good! And A Coruña is far away so you need to move relatively quickly.

I feel Bilbao is the more grounded dynamic brother to San Sebastián. With its contrasting old and new architecture and nice riverside area, I actually liked staying in Bilbao better than San Sebastián, which is a bit too posh for my taste, like a heavy sauce with too much butter and cream lol!

It bugged me that San Sebastian's entire (rather small) historic area seemed to be full of foreign tourists and pintxo bars. (That may be a slight exaggeration, but that's what it felt like at the time.) Outside the Guggenheim, in Bilbao I felt like the only foreign visitor in town.