We are traveling to Northern Spain next August for the eclipse. We will be flying into Bilbao and staying there for 3 nights and then heading down to Haro for the eclipse. After that we want to do a 8 day trip west, staying mostly near the coast and returning to Bilbao for the flight home. Looking at the days and distances, we don't want to go further than A Coruna. We are not beach people, we just can't handle the heat! We have been to San Sebastian on previous trips so we have no need to go there. We are interested in food, wine, and nature. A night scene is not at the top of the list. Veering off the coast, we definitely want to go to the Picos. We would be very interested in any suggestions! Thanks!
Posted by
Mid-Atlantic area
8180 posts
There are realistically only two routes; along the northern coast or inland a bit. Head west via one route and back east via the other. Along the inland route we’ve enjoyed Burgos, León, Lugo, Ponferrada, and Santiago de Compostela. Closer to the coast we stayed at Ribadeo and visited Cathedral Beach that is nearby.
In Picos de Europa we enjoyed Cangas de Onis (but didn’t overnight there) and Covadonga. After Covadonga we continued on to Santillana del Mar. It receives plenty of tourists, but is very quiet after the day trippers leave.
One could easily spend all 8 days in the Haro/Logroño area, so best of luck deciding where to visit.
I’ve assumed you will have a rental car.
Posted by
Surrey, UK
734 posts
If interested in Motorsport, Fernando Alonso comes from Oviedo and head a museum there, with every F1 car he has driven.
Posted by
la rioja
727 posts
Hi Kim,
a few suggestions. Near Haro, Bodegas Ruiz Alfaya might be of interest. They have tours in English, and more than the bodega, they take you through the vineyards and a visit to the romanesque church in the village, Castilseco.
Generally speaking going east to west in not very easy as most of the good roads/highways go north to south. One stretch that you might enjoy is Valderredible. It is a narrow valley the Ebro goes through and there are several places to visit, like the church of San Martin de Elines, and the cave churches.
Jaime mentioned Burgos, and it is always worth visiting. It is easy to get to from Haro, and from there you have options to head north to the coast.
It sounds like you have a reservation for Haro, with is good. While it seems like August is still far off, things have been reserved for a while now. The Burgos tourism page has a large countdown clock on it's site.
Posted by
Washington DC
29908 posts
There are a couple places I enjoyed for a few hours near places you've mentioned. One is the hilly city of Betanzos (near A Coruna), where I encountered no other tourists back in 2016. The other is the small, old stone village of Potes in the Picos de Europa area. Potes is touristy, but I liked it anyway.