Bilbao and North coast to Barcelona by car

The northern coast has many attractive small towns, but the very interesting inland towns will be less touristy. Try to hit a combination. Expect cool/wet till you hit Navarra.

The northern coast is mostly west of Bilbao, in the opposite direction from Barcelona. My suggestions start in Asturias, but that it is probably too far out of your way.

Asturias
- Gijon: coastal industrial city, possibly a pain to drive into. I liked the historic district and the many though scattered early-20th century buildings in the downtown area.

- Oviedo: large, less industrial inland city. Very nice historic district with some extraordinarily old churches.

Cantabria
- Picos de Europa: stunning mountainous area, very dramatic with roads curving through gorges. Since you like natural surroundings, I give this my highest recommendation. The old stone town of Potes would be a good overnight spot. There are a couple of alpine lakes above Covadonga (religious shrine) that are supposed to be very pretty, but I couldn't get to them because there's only bus service for 5-6 weeks in mid-summer. I don't think you'd have weather issues in May. Best to check, though.
- Comillas: Small coastal town known for a few modernista buildings (one by Gaudi). Definitely worth visiting if that's an interest. Otherwise, skip it.
- Santillana del Mar: Small town not far from the coast; considered one of the most beautiful in Spain. Very historic but not without tourists, of course. Definitely worth seeing. And there are replicas of prehistoric cave art in this area.
- Santander: Large coastal resort city somewhat reminiscent of the modern parts of San Sebastian. Rebuilt following a catastrophic fire in 1941. Not a top stop; skip it.
- Burgos: Major inland city on the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage route. Really lovely and very lively old town. Striking cathedral and two monasterios on the outskirts that are worth visiting. Not terribly far off your driving route. Recommended.

Basque Country:
- Vitoria-Gasteiz: capital of the inland portion of the Basque Country. Large medieval district on top of a hill. A couple of art museums and a playing-card museum. Cathedral is under major renovation but can be visited on a tour. Very nice city a bit off the tourist route. Has a different feel from Bilbao and San Sebastian, and I recommend it highly.
- Laguardia: a small hill town between V-G and Logrono. Extremely picturesque. Wine country. The town is charming.
- Bermeo: small fishing village now with tourist infrastructure. East of Bilbao. Other options probably will be more interesting to you.
- Lekeitio, ditto. This town is mentioned positively in many guidebooks, but I didn't have time to see it.
- Zumaia, Getaria, and Zarautz: Three former fishing villages now drawing tourists. All attractive and worth a wander. Quite close together on the coast west of San Sebastian.
- Hondarribia: Larger coastal town, this time east of San Sebastian and virtually on the border. Especially interesting because it has both a fishermen's district (restaurants) and a hilly medieval district of completely different appearance. Highly recommended.

Navarra (listed towns are north of your route; in this area you may have hot weather)
- Estella: Picturesque town on the pilgrimage route.
- Puente la Reina: Small town, ditto.
- Olite: Historic town that feels sort of forgotten despite its castle. A worthy stop.

Aragon (it gets hot here)
- Zaragoza: Large city with some mudejar architecture.
- Teruel: small city with stunning mudejar towers and art deco buildings. Well south of your route but highly recommended.

Catalunya
- Girona! Lovely old town, great museum, a wall to walk on, two important churches. Great place for a full-day visit.
- Tarragona: Coastal city with Spain's best Roman ruins.
- Besalu: Small picturesque town with fortified bridge, north of Girona.

Lynne, I would suggest heading out of Bilbao for Vitoria. Acraven gives a good description.

If you want more nature, I would recommend going from Vitoria to Estella through Urbasa nature reserve. Or wait until after Pamplona and visit the Irati forest.
From Vitoria (or Estella) you can take a highway almost all the way to Jaca, where there are many small gems to visit.

There is the monastery of San Juan de la Pena, supposed resting place of the Holy Grail for several hundred years.

Near by is the Loarre Castle, where Ridley Scott film part of Kingdom of Heaven.

In the same area is the Casle of Javier, birthplace of St. Francis Xavier, and Sos de los Rey Catholicos, which I like better than the Olite castle which is very Disneylandish.

Further on, skirting the Pyrenees, you could visit the Vall de Boi, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It if full of incredible Romanesque churches, but it is also in a place, where with a little luck with the weather, you can enjoy the Spring in the mountains.

From Boi, you are about four hours from Barcelona.

I also would recommend Girona.

Dave

I should also have mentioned the Cerdanya Valley with views of the Pyrenees. It's off the highway route to Barcelona. Let me know if you think you might want to head that way. I found the Picos de Europa were more dramatic (and at least some guidebooks agree), but there are some nice small towns to visit around Puigcerda, which (along with La Seu de Urgell) has a striking historic district.

From Bourg Madame, right over the French border from Puigcerda, you can take the little Yellow Train to the (very touristy) historic fortified town of Villefranche de Conflent. It makes a nice day's outing during which the train conductor does the driving, and the cost is very reasonable since it's an SNCF train.

Thanks so much for your quick reply. I'll investigate your suggestions. Picos de Europa is tantalizing, though our mountain climbing days are probably over (we're in our mid 70's), but the sights will be very rewarding. I'm assuming we can drive up to some of the lookouts.
Lynne

Even seen from a bus, the scenery was wonderful. With a car you'd have a lot more flexibility. Rick mentions the area fairly briefly (and very positively) in his "Spain" guidebook, and I imagine it's also covered by Rough and Lonely Planet. Sorry that I can't provide more details, but I could only go where the one-day bus tour from Santander took me.

Sat - Pick up car in Bilbao and drive via Vitoria to Laguardia in Rioja wine district for 2 nights.
Sun - A day in the vineyards
Mon - Drive via Calatayud to Zaragoza for 1 night. Return car.
Tue - Late afternoon train to Barcelona for 2 additional nights.
Wed - An extra full day in Barcelona (or head to Girona/Tarragona by train)
Thu - Your tour begins in Barcelona with 2 nights.

I think it's preferable to have 4 nights all up in Barcelona.