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Itinerary Input/Asturias, to Include Lakes of Covadonga, & Basque Country, to Include San Sebastian

Next May we are traveling to Portugal and Northern Spain. We have everything in order for Portugal, but are trying to finalize our itinerary the Northern Spain portion of our trip, which is three weeks in entirety. We have three nights in Oviedo ~ we know it is not necessarily the largest city, but our first night we will be arriving later in the afternoon (we're stopping at Santiago de Compestela while en route from Galicia), and we will also day trip (at least half a day) to Aviles, where my family emigrated to the U.S. from many (many) years ago. Eventually our tour of Norther Spain will end in San Sebastian.

So ~ after Oviedo, we have currently allocated 2 nights in Cangas de Onis, where we will base to visit the Lakes of Covadonga in the Picos de Europa. We then have two nights in Bilbao, where we will primarily visit the Guggenheim, and we will then head to San Sebastian for three nights.

We are now thinking we may like a fourth night in San Sebastian, in general, and since it is (basically) the end of our three week trip. The only way we think we can make that happen is to only do one night in Cangas de Onis rather than two nights. The drive from Oviedo to the Lakes of Convadonga (which is past Cangas de Onis) is approximately 1hr. 45mins. Conceivably then, if we leave by 9am, we would be arriving at the Lakes of Covadonga around 11am. We're not sure if that gives us enough time to view the two lakes, as well as visit the Basilica and the cave all in that same day, or if we should plan on doing the Basilica and cave on that first day, and the next morning (after overnighting in Cangas de Onis) then head back out (because they're in the same direction, so will be backtracking from Cangas de Onis) to see the lakes, and then from there, continue to Bilbao.

Any/all feedback, to include if we should just stick to our initial itinerary with two nights in Cangas de Onis and three nights in San Sebastian, is appreciated.

Thanks!

Posted by
7303 posts

Oviedo to Covadonga is a fairly short drive; it is conceivable to visit the area on the day you arrive from Oviedo and just sleep in Cangas de Onís. I would personally prefer a bit more time to explore the rest of Picos de Europa, but Covadonga has the advantage of easy access.
This being said, there are few 'sights' in Donostia / San Sebastián. 2 full days are probably enough to enjoy the city vibe and what it has to offer. A 3rd day would only be needed for day trips, such as Hondarribia or Saint Jean de Luz.

My grandfather was from Avilés, by the way. I visited this summer, only for the second time ever, and despite the iffy weather and dreary industrial surroundings, the city center was much nicer than I remembered. Since you have family ties there, why not stay there? It is very central to the area, and Oviedo would be a good day trip. You could also check out Cudillero for a half-day.

Posted by
54 posts

Thanks, Balso! Appreciate your perspective on it. We're starting to lean towards only the one night in Cangas de Onis, and adding it to San Sebastian ~ even if we just use that extra time to relax, as it will be at the end of a very active trip, or to do a day trip as you suggested.

Noted about having a bit more time to explore the Picos too. This is why we have initially been planning on two nights there ~ but in looking at what else to do there, we just didn't know what to really consider that is close enough (under two hours) to our base in Cangas de Onis. Seems like the most we could consider doing is checking out the countryside, etc., by driving to Bulnes or Sotres.

And nice to have the Aviles connection! My great, great grandparents are the ones who came over, when my great grandparents were both small children ~ there were evidently several families who came, settled in the same area in the U.S., etc., so as they were older then, my great grandparents married.

Anyway, as of now, the one thing we're planning to do on our day trip to Aviles is visit Casa Lin, a sidreria-restaurante. We learned about it from an episode of Anthony Bourdain's Parts Unknown.

Posted by
28082 posts

The old stone town of Potes (Picos de Europa) is charming, though not undiscovered.

Posted by
7303 posts

Anyway, as of now, the one thing we're planning to do on our day trip to Aviles is visit Casa Lin, a sidreria-restaurante. We learned about it from an episode of Anthony Bourdain's Parts Unknown.

The pictures of the food there make my mouth water!! The restaurant is in a cute neighborhood (check out Plaza Carbayo nearby), but make sure to also visit the city center proper around Plaza de España, 10 minutes away on foot. Some really pretty and lively streets and squares around there!

You don't have to bother with the Niemeyer center, though, unless you are a fan of his architecture (which I am). The place is a bit of a white elephant alas, and the low budget means limited hours and variable quality of exhibitions.

Posted by
470 posts

You can't drive to Bulnes, there is no road. You have to walk or take the underground funicular railway
I have stopped in Sotres, its an interesting small village in scenic surroundings, with view of the Naranjo de Bulnes
Cain would be a good place to stop, its the end of a narrow descending steep road surrounded by mountains and at the start of the Ruta del Cares. The best part of the walk is not far from the village.
There is a wolf trap by the side of the road on the way to Cain

Posted by
54 posts

Thanks, everyone, to include the suggestions on Potes and Sotres.

Posted by
743 posts

4 nights in Donostia-San Sebastian is a bit too much, it´s a city you can see in half a day and there´s not much to do or to see there. I would spend at least one or two nights in Bilbao, which has more things to see and offers an easy access to many of the attractions in the area. If you spend 4 nights in Donostia, you may want to travel to the French Basque Country and Hondarribia on one of the days.

Posted by
54 posts

Hi Mikel,

Just came back to this post I did last September, and saw I hadn't replied to your comment, which I appreciate. I've seen several of your posts as I've been doing research on this trip (now just two months away) and they've all been very helpful, to include the one you just recently provided regarding restaurant recommendations in Oviedo.

Anyway, we did end up deciding on a fourth night in San Sebastian ~ we felt that even if we did nothing but have a day (or two) of just chilling out after our three week trip, that it would be a nice place to do it. Plus, one of those days we are also day-tripping to Getaria; and just prior to our time in San Sebastian, we will be spending a couple of nights in Bilbao.

Thanks again for all your input in the forum! Very much appreciated!

Jeff

Posted by
743 posts

Hi Jeff...thanks to you! Just in case, come prepared for all kind of weather. Northern Spain is a rainy area and we can enjoy the four seasons in just one day. If you´re thinking of Donostia-San Sebastian as a place to relax...it may be when sunny, but it´s the second rainiest city in Spain, so try to have a plan b and a plan c in case it rains...and when it rains here it lasts...

Getaria is just a half hour drive from Donostia-San Sebastian. Other nearby places may be Loyola (yes, St Ignatius was Basque), Arantzazu, Oñati, Tolosa, Pasai Donibane...plenty of beautiful places in the smallest province in Spain!

Posted by
54 posts

Hi Mikel,

Thanks for the tip about the weather. Good suggestion...we'll have to hope for the best, but plan on the potential for that not to be the case.

And yes, looking forward to enjoying the beauty of Basque Country, in general, and since both my husband and I have heritage from there. We knew we each had Spanish ancestry (my family came over from Aviles in Asturias in the 1890s), but when we did our Ancestry DNA last summer, found out that we had Basque as well ~ not surprising given the proximity, etc.

Thanks again for the information about the weather! Looking forward to a beautiful spring in Norther Spain! :)

Jeff