Recommendations needed for itinerary late May 2025 in Northern Spain

Train and bus service within the region of Galicia seemed quite good to me. I was able to visit A Coruna, Betanzos, Pontevedra, Santiago de Compostela and the small towns/villages of Tui, Cambados and Combarro without a car. I bet a car would be enjoyable for some rural exploration (Galicia has nice scenery), and it will make you more efficient visitors to the smaller places.

If you want to travel east of Galicia, my guess is that you'd go through Lugo or Ourense on the train. I haven't been to either of those cities.

I suggest skipping Vigo in far southern Galicia; it's a comparatively dull city, and there are many attractive options elsewhere in Galicia.

We have a few folks on the forum who are knowledgeable about that part of Spain I think (I'm not one of them). If you have a tentative list of places you might like to go, post it here and see what people think about the transportation options.

We went last April and stayed half the trip in Biarritz and the other half in Bilbao. Both were terrific bases. We had a rental car and used it extensively. The most breathtaking sight we saw (during the trip and perhaps in my lifetime) was the Flysch Route.

The responses might differ depending on how you’re getting to Lisbon and from where. Santiago de Compostela is worth a couple days if you’ve never been to it before.

When we go to Spain we always have a rental car and it works well when visiting small towns, especially those with limited public transportation options. A few places we enjoyed on a recent trip included Baiona, and Castro de Santa Trega, an ancient Celtic site at A Guarda. On others trips we enjoyed Muxia that is on the coast, as well as Lugo with its UNESCO Roman Wall that surrounds the town.

Not certain which Camino you’re walking, but the 1400s era Church of San Salvador in Vilar de Donas is worth a short visit if you’re passing by.

Thank you everyone for your outstanding recommendations and insights for our visit to northern Spain. We have a lot to decide and look forward to next year. God bless all of you.

In 2018 I visited two cities in northern Spain, and I can recommend both: Pontevedra (mentioned in the first response) and Zamora (so far unmentioned). Both had aesthetic historic centers, and both seemed relatively tourist-free (though I must note that my visit was in November).

Late addendum: Both can be reached by train.

I spent a few nights in Cudillero earlier this year and enjoyed it. It’s a small town with no “sites” but it was a good base. Get too much further east than say, Gijón or Oviedo, and you’re looking at a lot of time on the road. There are lots of beautiful beaches and beach town between Cudillero and Galicia, as well as some mountain national (or maybe regional?) parks of nature is your thing.

There are trains and buses but unless you’re going between cities, having a car would be more practical in that area.

I recommend staying in some rural accommodation with Airbnb, the north of Spain is recognized for its beautiful views and so you can spend a more relaxed time enjoying nature for your anniversary. There are also options to eat in rural spots with locals on the website Sazonthefolkcook having some good options.