Suggestions for Northern Spain Itinerary in July

We love the Basque region of Spain. San Sebastián is a favorite. https://www.ricksteves.com/europe/spain/basque-country

Thank you, Christine. I have never been to the Basque region. How much is the Basque language used? Are signs and menus in Spanish? Just curious.

Basque region is wonderful. Green and verdant! They speak Spanish and Basque, so I think your son will be able to use his Spanish, both there and in Barcelona.

If you're into hiking, you could perhaps do a section of the Camino.

Madrid is great. If you're into soccer (football) you might enjoy a tour of the stadium or seeing a game.

Good choice, weather-wise. If you'll have a car for part of the time, you might investigate the Picos de Europa area of Cantabria and Castilla y Leon. The scenery is very dramatic (Basque Country isn't too shabby, either). There are mountains and gorges. I just took a bus tour of the area, but I thought Potes looked like a nice place to spend the night.

In addition to Bilbao and San Sebastian, there are many other interesting places in the Basque Country: Hondarribia, Vitoria-Gasteiz, and a slew of cute coastal villages like Bermeo, Zumaia, Zarautz and Getaria. (Those are just the ones I had time to visit; guide books often mention Lekeitio, which I did not see.)

Basque is prominently used on signage in the area, as is Catalan in its territory. Local residents will not expect visitors to speak either of those languages. (Nor do the Galicians expect to converse with North American tourists in Gallego.)

Thank you!!! I'm going to look up all these places. So helpful!
(Never heard of gallego!)

Keep the suggestions coming!

Places on my "to see" list on an upcoming 18 day trip to northern Spain. We will be landing in Madrid and will have a rental car. While the list is long we already know a number of castles will not be open so those stops will be brief. We've also visited a number of places on the list on previous visits so don't need to spend as much time at some of the stops.

Castillo de Arevalo
Castle of Zamora, Plaza mayor, Cathedral, roman bridge, aceña de olivares (olive presses)
Castillo de Coyanza Valencia de Don Juan
Leon, Cathedral,Historic center, Basilica de San Isidoro de Leon
Astorga - look for shells on the street indicating the Camino de Santiago, Plaza de Espana and town hall, Cathedral
Ponferrada, Castillo de los Templarios, Torre de Reloj
Alto de Cebreiro, The town itself, round Celtic hut, Church of Santa Maria
Alto de San Roque, On the Camino, overlook, statue of San Roque
Vilar de Donas - Church of San Salvador
Alto de Leboreiro - Santa Maria de Leboreiro - on the camino, very small Romanesque church.
Melide - market town, known for bread and pastries, Cruceiro de Melide; oldest wayside cross in Galicia beside the chapel of San Roque.
Monte de Gozo - Pilgrim monument (Monumento ao Peregrino
Santiago de Compostela, cathedral, church of san francisco, plazas around the cathedral, old town.
Muxia - lighthouse, chapel of Nosa Senora de Barca, and view of the ocean.
Near Ribadeo, Praia de Catedrais (Aguas Santas). Cathedral beach
Cangas de Onis, (medieval bridge & cheese fair on certain days) & Pico de Europa park (Santuario de Covadonga).
Santillana del Mar, like walking back in time but, very touristy during the summer.
Zumaia - Hermitage (Ermita) de San Telmo and the beach next to it with unique rock formations.
Hondarribia - old town and relax.
Bayonne, France, Cathedral. Known for its chocolate.
Saint Jean Pied du Port - walk around. Old wall where Camino de Santiago begins in France, Eglise Notre Dame du Bout de Pont
Pamplona, Town hall, monumento al encierro, cathedral, plaza del castillo
Santo Domingo de la Calzada, cathedral, Plaza de la Alameda, Plaza Espana, Free standing tower
Tosantos, Ermita de la Virgen De La Peña
Near Burgos, Cartuja de Miraflores (1400s monastary) Queen Isabela's parents and other family members are interred there.
Burgos, cathedral, Arch of Santa Maria, pilgrim statue, Capilla del Condestable, historic center,
Portillo, Castillo de Portillo.
Segovia - Alcazar, Roman aquaduct (short stop for us because we've been there on multiple occasions)
Cuellar, Castillo Cuellar

Other places we've visited that are nice for a stop, Cabo Ortegal (on the northwest coast above A Coruña), Alba de Tormes (Saint Teresa), and Tordesillas (Treaty of Tordesillas, convent of Santa Clara). If you're interested in Celtic huts, there are a number of sites one can visit in Galicia. Zaragoza. Lourdes, France.

I'm headed to Basque country (Bayonne, San Sebastian, Vitoria-Gasteiz, and Bilbao) on May 11, so I'll be able to give more detail after I return (a bit late for your trip planning).

But I just wanted to say now that I used plenty of Spanish in Barcelona - only they call it castellano rather than español. In Catalunya, the signage is in Catalan first, Castilian second, English third, and French fourth (if there are that many languages on a sign). But when I addressed people in Castilian, they answered in kind, without any hassle. In Barcelona, you'll hear lots of Castilian; in other parts of Catalunya, you will hear much more Catalan, but again, there's no problem using spoken Castilian.

Thank you for all the advice! This is really helpful. Are ability to take this trip came up suddenly, so I have a lot of work to do to pull it together! You've all got me off to a quick start!

EDITED
If you are looking for a road trip over 17 nights ...

Day
01. Arrive Bilbao (2 nts)
02. Bilbao
03. Train/bus to San Sebastián (2 nts)
04. San Sebastián
(Pick up hire car)
05. Drive to Pamplona (1 nt)
06. Drive to Laguardia (1 nt)
07. Drive to Santillana del mar (1 nt)
08. Drive to Picos de Europa (1 nt)
09. Drive to Oviedo (2 nts)
10. Oviedo
11. Drive to Lugo (1 nt)
12. Drive to Santiago de Compostela (2 nts)
(Return hire car)
13. Santiago de Compostela
14. Train to Leon (1 nt)
15. Train to Madrid (3 nts)
16. Madrid
17. Possible day trip to Toledo ??
18. Depart Madrid

Thank you! we are going to have 16 days, not including day of arrival/departure, so a little more time than I originally thought. I have an old Michelin guide to Spain (in French!) and have been looking up the places you have mentioned. I was only in Spain for about 2 weeks, 30+ years ago, so it is like a new country to explore! We'll do the northern half this trip and come back to see the rest another time. Really appreciate all the advice!

Jaimeelsabio, your trip sounds fantastic! Thank you for all this detail.

Christine, never been to San Sebastián. Thanks for the recommendation.

Shawn, green and verdant sounds perfect!

Acraven, thank you for all your "smaller" recommendations! We'll definitely include some of these!

Harold, have a wonderful trip!

And, David, thank you for your itinerary! Using trains is a good idea. Need to think that through. Thanks

Look at open jaw flights - Madrid and Bilbao perhaps.
I've edited the journey above taking account of your time - 16 full days / 17 nights.

Thanks, David!

You're welcome. Spain is a wonderful country. You'll have an amazing time regardless. Enjoy your planning.