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
8287 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
776 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
731 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
30008 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.
Posted by
new york
1153 posts
Ribasedella is on the coast, but it is a charming town, with very good restaurants and easy access to towns in the Asturias Picos. It's home to several beautiful hotels.
If you want to splash out, PUEBLO ASTUR in the hamlet of Cofino is a quick drive to Arriondas and Cangas de Onis, the Picos, and some very pretty port towns along the coast. That area is very rich in good restaurants, from Michelin-starred places to rustic family-run inns.
Would you consider the city of Oviedo?
Not sure if you want to travel so far inland, but in the region of Leon over the border with Asturias is the town of Astorga, which an under-visited Gaudi palace, very unusual local cuisine of the Mariagata people. It's also a very short drive to EL CAPRICHO, always mentioned in any discussion of the best steak restaurants in Spain, in the town of Jimenez de Jamuz. You can savor your steak inside their cave dining room...
https://www.worldbeststeaks.com/restaurant-pages/bodega-el-capricho
The Cangas region in Asturias' SouthWest is an up and coming wine region getting lots of attention from wine enthusiasts. Along with wines, the region is home to several well-respected restaurants..look at the towns of Mieres and Cangas de Narcea. The latter has become famous for banning gluten from all baked goods sold in town, and its touted as a paradise for celiacs.
If you want to really delve into rural Northern Spain, away from the beaches, you might take a look at the remote town of Taramundi in Asturias, with a couple of really interesting rural lodgings in the surrounding area. You'd be getting off the beaten path here...
Posted by
OP
2 posts
Sorry, it's taken me so long to respond to all your replies. We are working with another couple to iron out the itinerary which has changed since I first posted. We are now flying in and out of Madrid and doing the west to east loop. The proposed itinerary is as follows. I would love to hear your opinion on the list. Nothing is as yet set in stone.
Day 1 - Madrid (to get over jetlag)
Day 2 - Leon
Day 3-4 Santiago de Compostela
Day 5-6 Cudillero
Day 7-8 Potes and the Picos
Day 9-10 somewhere near Bilbao (our friends may not be interested in staying in Bilbao)
Day 11-15 Haro for the eclipse
Day 16 Madrid (our friends are leaving the next day)
Day 17-18 Buitrago del Lozoya
Day 19 departing Madrid
Lin C, thank you for the info regarding Fernando Alonso's museum. We are longtime F1 fans and we have definitely put that on our list!
We're also wine lovers, so thank you for the winery recommendations. We will have plenty of time to explore while waiting for the eclipse, so if you have other suggestions, please let me know.
Acraven and eckcrunchy, you're recommendations are also wonderful.
Thank you in advance for all the guidance!
Posted by
la rioja
731 posts
For the Bilbao not Bilbao days, maybe Balmaseda? And near by is the Torre Loizaga museum, which claims the largest collection of Rolls Royces in Europe.