Northern Spain from Braga

Not sure where you’re picking up the rental car or why you selected Potes, but you could save some driving time by not driving to it and drive to places like León and Zamora instead. Personally, rather than dropping the vehicle a day before Madrid, drop it off at the airport on your way into Madrid since the drive is slightly over 2.25 hours and the airport is on the northeast side of the city.

Once deciding on a route look at some of the smaller towns en route for short stops. Lugo would be good for a couple hours. If you enjoy castles, there are a number in León and Valladolid towards Madrid area.

I was assuming Ginger was planning some hiking or other outdoor activities in the Picos de Europa area. Otherwise, 3 nights in Potes would seem a lot, cute little place though it is.

Yes, we are just looking for some downtime and hiking. We live in a flat state so any chance we get to hike abroad on vacation, we make it happen for a few days.

Is the drive from A Coruna to Potes a difficult drive? Winding roads?

Easier to go to Cangas de Onis and plan hikes from there..or even Arriondas.

By taking the northern coastal route the drive will mostly be highway, the A-8 (some toll portions). Once you turn south onto the N-621 the road will be two lanes and twist and turn through the mountains.

The inland route would take longer, but you could make stops in either Lugo, Ponferrada, Astorga, or Leön for some sightseeing. Again, most of the way would be highway, A-6, AP-71, A-60, with the section by León (AP-71) being toll. The short toll portion can be bypassed by taking the N-120. Just east of León you’d go north on the two lane N-625 to N-621 to go to Potes. Again, twists and turns going through the mountains.

The speed limit on the N roads will mostly be 70-80kph (42-56mph); slower in the mountains. There are plenty of speed cameras in Spain so ensure you stay at or below the limit.

Cangas de Onis, as mentioned by ekscrunchy, is a pretty town and very near the national park. From it, it’s easy access to the park.

I’d agree Cangas de Onis would be better than Potes, and would also suggest Las Arenas. It’s very close to and has bus service to Poncebos with hiking on the Ruta del Cares and also to Bulnes.

After a lot of thought on an upcoming itinerary I decided to stay in Cangas de Onís instead of Potes. I’ve read on this forum that Potes is packed with tourists and buses and additionally parking can be very difficult.

Cangas de Onís seemed to have similar access to hiking, outdoor activities and the national park. There is the Fuente Dé cable car in the vicinity of Potes but that is highly weather dependent and potentially difficult to get on. Cangas de Onís also has a Parador hotel that is walking distance to the town. There is a Parador hotel at the cable car mentioned above however the hotel while seemingly in an incredible setting is quite isolated.

I’m interested in hearing about A Coruña, and what it’s like there. Is there any particular reason you decided to stay there instead of a smaller town along the coast or elsewhere in Galicia ?

Joe, I read many blogs that raved about the area, and it’s not far from Santiago, so I figured we could spend a few days and maybe take a day trip to some smaller towns nearby.

However, your recommendations made me rethink Pote, and thankfully, I was able to cancel my booking there. I did not realize there would be lots of tourists in mid May!

Good morning all.

I’ve been reading this forum, RS’s Spain book, and a gazillion blogs, but now I’m even more confused.

The main part I am definitely sure of is Santiago de Compostela.

We definitely want to get into the national park, and I’m heeding the advice about Cangas, so tossing out Potes for Cangas.

I can rule out A Coruna, and perhaps, maybe go from SDC to Gijon instead? Stay 2-3 nights? Or do you have a better suggestion, under 4 hours driving, between SDC and Cangas?

Looking at maps and trying to figure out distances. We don’t mind seeing some of the coast but not keen to spend all the time on the coast. Appreciate all the input from everyone thus far.

Taking the highway, it will take about 4.25 hours from SDC to Cangas and that’s without stops, wrong turns, construction, etc.. That is without a doubt the shortest route. Taking the inland route SDC - Lugo - León - Cangas de Onis would add a couple hours of driving, but both Lugo and León are worth stopping at.

Once you have a set itinerary, look at some of the small towns en route where you could take a short break. If you could get there at low tide, Playa de Las Catedrales would make a nice stop.

Thank you. Jaime.

We decided to keep the car until Madrid and drive it to the airport to return. We rented from Hertz. Is it pretty easy to return to the airport? We had quite a worry last year in Porto. They told us car return to the airport but it was actually not in the terminal. We eventually sorted it out. First time driving in Spain!

Appreciate all the tips and suggestions.

The rental car returns are directly across the road at the terminals. The one I’ve returned vehicles to most often is at T1. The signage is much better and larger than it used to be. From the return you’ll be inside the terminal in a couple minutes.

Just got back from Europe and battling with jet lag, but wanted to just share a little of how our trip went. Ideally, I’d love to have vacation approval months ahead, but alas, hospital work is a whole different world! Planned a rather hasty trip, and I’m pleased with how it turned out.

We ended up spending 10 days in Spain and 11 in Portugal.

Took a bus from Braga to Santiago de Compostela.

Santiago DC - 2 nights.
Oviedo - 3 nights
Cangas de Onis - 3 nights
Burgos - 1 night
Madrid - 1 night.

I would have loved to spend longer in each place.

We did make it to the coast several times due to rain in the mountains, but we loved the beaches, so it wasn’t a disappointment.

I was curious about Potes so we visited after the Covadonga lakes and so glad we didn’t stay in Potes. Very cute but too many buses!

I don’t remember who told me how to drive to Madrid airport, but I think of you! It was easier than expected.

Thanks to everyone who chimed in and helped. We had a fabulous time and our only complaint was that the time was TOO SHORT!

Glad you had a nice trip.

What did you think about Oviedo and where did you stay? It’s on our upcoming itinerary and I’m looking forward to going there. Also, the food pictured from various restaurants there look amazing.

Joe, we loved Oviedo and you’re right, the food is pretty amazing. We stayed in an apt I found on AirBnB.