need help with northern spain itinerary mid-July!

I traveled through that area in 2016. Santiago de Compostela is an interesting place; I'd want two nights there. Oviedo has some very historic churches but is much quieter than Santiago de Compostela is likely to be. You might get by with one night in Oviedo.

What plans do you have for Santander? The beaches are very pretty, but you're never guaranteed good beach weather along that coast. I found the city itself not one of Spain's most interesting; there was a huge fire in the 1940s that wiped out a great deal of the historic architecture.

You'll probably want to travel between Santander and San Sebastian by bus. The trip by train would be a long slog, though I know the Bilbao-SS segment is scenic. I've experienced a sold-out bus in Bilbao so will warn you not to wait until the last minute to buy bus tickets.

I only see two trains a day from San Sebastian to Pamplona. The 7:10 AM train takes 1 hr. 50 min.; the 2:04 PM train is much slower, taking 3 hr. 24 min. I don't know whether there are extra trains running during the San Fermin festival. In theory, a bus might be faster. I think ALSA runs that route.

Be sure you have a solid plan to get away from Pamplona to whatever town you plan to stay in that night. I think everything close by will probably be solidly booked.

thanks for your reply acraven, much appreciated! Santander just looks like a cool place on the coast with some interesting looking landmarks. i’m looking for a place to break up the ride to San Sebastian for one night

Hi edub,

here is the program for the last day. The closing act is the "¡Pobre de mí!", which is at Midnight. If your are serious about going you should check the ALSA and get a ticket as soon as possible.

If you like outdoors, food, local things, smaller and off the beaten path, you might want to go to a place like Elizondo for a night or two, and skip the Sanfermines.

I´m quite surprised you´re avoiding Bilbao, with a beautiful old town, great food and pintxos, magnificent arquitecture and (yes, of course), the amazing Guggenheim museum, worth is just from outside. Santander does not offer much and weather in northern Spain tends to be rainy, so would not spend much time there. The same goes for Donostia-San Sebastian...maybe three nights is too much (all depending on the weather, which is rather unreliable). Also a bit surprised that you´ll be using the train...buses (clean, cheap, efficient) are a much better option if you want to move fast from one place to another (for some reason, travelers from the US have a big attraction for trains!). The closing "Pobre de mí" ceremony of San Fermin can be a bit disappointing...try to look for festivals in the area, there will be plenty and as much fun as San Fermín...with much less people!!

thanks for your reply Mike; I forgot about Bilbao (forgive me!). I think I will go there instead, as it seems right i my alley, despite it being a big city. How many nights would you do in Bilbao & SS? I think 3 would be good for SS because 1 day I’m hoping to devote to Pamplona and San Fermin (hope it’ll be worth it!). Also, thoughts on Oviedo? Thank you again!

Well, not such a "big" city, it´s onlyh 340,000h, compared to Santander (175,000h), Oviedo (220,000h) or Donostia-San Sebastian (almost 190.000h) it´s not that big...and it´s a much more compact city. A minimum of one night, two would be perfect if you want to explore around. Sorry I can´t be of help with Oviedo, been there quite a few times and I believe one night is good. The four of them are capital cities, by the way.

Again, Mike, thanks for you help! And worries on Oviedo, I’m sure no matter where I end up it’ll be a fantastic time!