Northern Spain Late May - itinerary help

Hi!
5 nights for Zaragoza, Rioja, Bilbao and San Sebastián implies some choices. I think you need to remove one. I have never been to Zaragoza, so it is difficult for me to tell which one should get the axe!

-Spend 1-2 nights in Zaragoza (other suggestion?) on the way

I'd say 2 nights (or more) in Zaragoza, on the way to Bilbao is a good idea, May should be good weather too. I've been trying to encourage Americans to visit for some time now as I believe is one of those "back doors" RS talks about.

Since you like art and history, Zaragoza should fit the bill, Francisco Goya was born near by and spent much of his early years working in the city, there is an art museum in town dedicated to Goya called simply enough Museo Goya - https://museogoya.ibercaja.es/

As for history, Zaragoza is one of the rare examples of Spain of a town touched by almost all the major civilizations that passed through Spain, much of which can still be seen like the extensive Roman ruins and Aljafería Moorish Palace.

If you have extra time, there are also plenty of good day trips from Zaragoza too, like the Calatayud Wine Region, Loarre Castle, Olite royal palace, and the witches' village of Trasmoz.

Calatayud is a lesser known wine region outside of Spain, but still punch above its weight imo.

balso - I didn't mean to imply that I plan to stay over in all those places. The only one I am set on is Bilbao, since we leave from there. The others could be day trips, or it could be Bilbao plus one other place to stay over. I was just throwing out suggestions mostly.

Carlos - thanks for the info on Zaragoza. Definitely sounds worth considering! I love the Moorish stuff and my husband loves the Roman stuff, so that may be a winner.

Rioja (particularly Rioja Alta and Rioja Alavesa) are best reached from Bilbao, just a bit over one hour drive, while it´s close to two hours from Donostia-San Sebastian. As you will not have a car, while in Bilbao I´d take the metro to Getxo (Areeta station), just a 20´ ride on a modern, clean and safe underground, to see the amazing Puente Bizkaia (aka Hanging Bridge, I live a mile off it) and the beautiful old fishing port of Algorta. And Plentzia. SS is easily reached by bus (plenty per day, very easy to get there from Bilbao) and can be seen in just one day (btw, it has three beaches, although it´s very far from being a beach resort, it´s a working city). And plenty of things to see and do in Bilbao, you can enjoy it´s old quarter, the Guggenheim, Azkuna Zentroa, the 1915 funicular, the Gran Vía...and of course the pintxos and wines that go with them!!

Hi Christina,

FWIW here is something to think about. After Barcelona, come to Logroño.

It is a pretty relaxed place, and very pedestrian friendly. Unless there is a specific winery you want to visit, there are two wineries in the city which you can walk to and give tours in English. Bodegas Franco Espanola and Ijalba. There are several others that are a short taxi ride, like Marques de Murrieta or Ontañon. You can also get to Laguardia and Haro by bus very easily.

On your trip here you could stop in Zaragoza and spend the day. Or even spend the night.

Pamplona and Vitoria are only an hour bus ride from here, and easy to get to. There is also bus service to San Sebastian. And there is regular bus service to Bilbao.

Even without staying in each place, you have about 4 full days on the ground and approx 5-6 days' worth of sights on your list, so some sort of narrowing-down would be helpful.
After thinking about it, I would nix San Sebastián. The beach is beautiful but is really just a "postcard view" type of place, and Bilbao's old town has nothing to envy vs. San Sebastián's.

Thanks everyone! I have a lot to choose from now. I hope to choose one place to stop and maybe one side trip, but the latter can be chosen when we are there, depending on how we feel.