Summer road trip in northern spain ?

That looks like a dream trip to me.

But are you saying that you know a place to rent that charges no drop-off fee for leaving the car in a different country?

We've taken two trips to Galicia in the past two years and hope to return soon! The northern coast of Spain is glorious!

Hi!

Next summer, there will be an eclipse on Aug 12 throughout the region - an important factor for accommodation availability!

Otherwise, I'd say that 3.5-4 weeks is a good amount of time for Porto -> Bordeaux, but it might be ambitious to see much of France beyond the French Basque country and Bordeaux in that time frame.

Let's say 2 nights in Porto, 7 nights in Galicia (to split btw. 2 bases), maybe 4 in Asturias excluding Picos de Europa, 3 for the Picos de Europa, 7 to allocate between the Spanish & French sides of the Basque Country, perhaps 3 in the Bordeaux-Arcachon area... and I'm at 26 nights.

Also, your post rung a bell, and I guess that the hints there are still valid: https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/spain/3-weeks-in-northern-spain-from-porto

You will have no problem filling out that rough itinerary with places to see. My guess is you will wish you had more time.

The pace you set is up to you and the places you decide to visit, so it should be very enjoyable if you plan appropriately. On our trips we seldom stay in any one place more than three nights and take day trips from our lodging bases. We try to limit driving to no more than three hours a day and break that time up with a couple stops en route to the next lodging location.

Great area with lots to see and good variety. Push for as much time as you can, because you are going to have to cut some interesting places.

Looks like a blast! While you are in San Sebastian, I cannot recommend Gregory at Basque Bites enough. He gives a phenomenal food tour! I try to go on a food tour in each new city I visit, and I have to say this one was perhaps is quite possibly my favorite.

As others have mentioned, your route is full of great places to stop. But here is a suggestion for a different route to San Sebastian.

After leaving the Douro Valley, head to Ourense in Galicia. Then instead of hitting the coast, head south and follow the Duero east. So Benavente (maybe Zamora) then Valladolid. Keep heading east, visiting Peñafiel and Aranda de Duero. El Burgo de Osma is a real hidden gem. Continue on to Soria and Tarazona. From Tarazona turn north. Visit Olite, a nice place to stay. From there you can continue up to San Sebastian.

There are many things to visit along the way. Of course you are in the heart of the Ribera del Duero wine area. There are a lot of castles to visit along the way. The castle of Peñafiel houses a wine museum. If El Cid is of interest you can visit some places that were important in his story. There are also Roman ruins to visit, and the ruins of Numancia outside of Soria is a great example.

In Soria there are also several natural parks and reserves that make for good light hikes. For example in the Cañon del Rio Lobos, the hike up to the Ermita de San Bartolome is very popular. The Reserva natural de Sabinar de Calatañor has lots of routes to hike.

A personal favorite is Yanguas, between Soria and Rioja. If you are interested in dinosaurs, there are many dig sites in the area. The town is one of the “Pueblos Más Bonitos de España” and there are several hikes that go out from the town. On a sidenote, near by is San Felices and it know for it's lavender fields, and they should be in bloom in July.

Just to finish off, before going to San Sebastian, take a look at the Baztan Valley. It is a very beautiful area in Navarra. It also give easy access to the French Basque country. At the eastern edge there are seveal caves, like Zugarramurdi, which is famous for the witches who used it in the 16th century. Also on this end of the valley is the mountain Gorramendi, 1074m. There are many hiking paths in the area. From there you can see both the coast and the Pyrenees. Today there is a cell tower, but in the 50's and 60's there was a US Army radar station there.

I like the southern entrance into the French Basque Country, going through the Izpegi pass. There are some incredible views of the Pyrenees. It is also popular for hiking. You can take a walk around the area and then eat in one of the restaurants there. From Izpegi, you go down to Baigorri and San Juan Pie de Puerto.

We love all the places that you listed.
In particular the Douro River Valley is wonderful, we took a 7 day cruise. If you don't want to do the cruise, take the train (it's tracks are on the north side of the river). Go to Pinhao and Regua.
Porto is nice, if you can book the InPatio Guesthouse there, it is THE BEST B&B ever.

In Galacia, do visit Santiago de Compostela. The Basque Country is great, don't miss Bilbao and the amazing modern art museum there. in SW France, do visit Bordeaux and at least one vineyard. Also, I recommend spending a day at Carcassonne.

https://francetoday.com/learn/the-history-and-legends-of-carcassonne-europes-largest-medieval-fortified-city/

While I agree that some time at Carcasonne would be worthwhile, rather than spending "a day" there, consider instead spending a night there. Carcassonne is very popular and now gets very crowded, especially during the peak summer holiday months, most crowded during mid-day. Early mornings and late afternoons/evenings the crowds thin out and it's much more enjoyable. Kids will love it, but try to dodge the crowds by arriving late in the day, spending the night, then moving on late morning when the place fills up. A few hours around sunset, and a few more early morning (you'll need to get up early), should get you the best experience there.

What an awesome trip you have in the works! We’ve been to, and loved, all of the locations you are considering over the course of three shorter trips than what you are planning. Would happily to return to them all. However, on our trip to the Basque Country and Barcelona, we made a stop at Carcassonne. It was the worst experience we have had anywhere of worldwide travel: Extremely crowded; Carnival atmosphere; Filthy, including human feces on the street. Enough said.

Wishing your family a fabulous trip!

Thanks a lot for all the answers !

1) About Carcassonne, maybe we would make a stop if it works for us but we wont make a big detour or really try to make it fit in opur itinerarary. We have seen many walled cities in all our trip and that one in particular seem to be very divisive (I dont know if we could say that in english !) ! It lookd mre hellish than fun for us, but we will see !

2) About car rental, if we lease a car instead of classic rental tyes it could be drop in another coutry without any fee.

3) We have read about the eclipse, we usually try to avoid august while travelling Europe, so I guess we will do the same thing this year.

For sure we will have a lot to read bout ! We are not 100% set on that trip, we have two choices for next summer, that one or A trip in England-Scotland. Both seems great...tough decision to make !