Recommended stops for road trip in Northern Spain?

Welcome to the forum!

If you edit your subject line and make it more specific you’ll probably get more responses.
I assumed you were asking a question about tips as in tipping ;)

Would you be able to fly home from Bilbao or Madrid t save driving all the way back to Barcelona?

We already have a ticket in and out of Barcelona. So driving a full loop is our only option. Some smaller places we may stop while driving: Peniscola, Albarracin, Ribera del Duero, St. Jean de Luz, Pamplona.

Hi Plall,

again, welcome to the form.

The other posters have made two good points, the title of your thread seems more about the dreaded tipping topic that pops up every so often, and if possible fly into one city and out of another.

I'd like to offer a few other "tips" that might help you get more info. Probably the most important thing to include is WHEN are you going. Four nights in San Sebastian in September is not the same as in February. Zaragoza in the summer is hot and sunny, and in the winter it can be bone chilling cold.

Also for 13(?) days that is a lot of driving. Once you have a more clear idea, you can organize better the driving and travel order. For example, send the first night in Barcelona (so as not to drive after a long flight) then start your travels, finish in Zaragoza, leave the car and take the AVE into Barcelona for a few days. Saves rental days and driving time, and easier to organize to get to the airport.

Finally, you wrote "we like to visit small towns and places out of the way", but you've named 4 of the 5 largest cities in Spain. I go a bit extreme on visiting small towns, so for example I love Covarrubias (pop. 545). It is beautiful, and also has some interesting history and places nearby. Another place is Yanguas (pop. 125) in the Tierra Altas area of Soria, which is full of little castles, dinosaur finds, picturesque villages, and spectacular nature.

A few weeks ago there was a post very similar to yours, I've added the links below.

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/spain/itinerary-suggestions-where-to-start

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/spain/itinerary-transportation-suggestions-please

This is a trip report that includes a visit to the Matarraña Region in Aragon, not far from Valencia, you might enjoy reading it

Matarraña Region
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/trip-reports/undiscovered-spain-mediterranean-roadtrip-2023

Hi, I should have mentioned that we are traveling in the second half of June. It is a bit too much driving, but seemed like the best way to see so many places with a group of 4. I am tempted to convince others we should skip Valencia, unless it is a city not to be missed? We have booked places in Barcelona and near Donostia-San Sebastian but everything else is open.

We loved Hondorribia, about an hours drive from San Sebastian. Small walled city.

If you are driving from San Sebastain to Barcelona, you can stop in Olite and take in the castle. Then drive to Zaragoza and pick up the high speed train to Barcelona. The train takes 1.5 hours instead of the 3 hour drive. You can drop your car at the train station.

Valencia is a lovely city but on this trip, it's a big detour and I would recommend skipping it so you an have more time elsewhere, especially in the north.

That is an incredible amount of driving, from Barcelona to Valencia, the to Madrid then to San Sebastian.
Have you mapped out how long it take to drive each leg?
I suggest that you do more in the Basque country, visit Bilbao and other places in that area, do some wine tasting.
Perhaps skip Valencia for this trip.