Hello:
Planning a trip to Northern Spain. The places to visit would be San Sebastian, Pamplona, Santiago de Compostela, Bilbao, Santander.
The question becomes, do I rent a car or just take trains?. Is the scenic route ( I have been told is real nice) true? Appreciate the input. Thanks.
I´m quite insistent on the fact that buses are great, very modern, full equipped, cheap, safest, reliable, cleanest, and it´s a great way to move around in Spain. Many train lines in northern Spain are narrow gauge, as they ride through mountainous areas, and are commuter trains so they stop at every town. Consider using buses extensively if not renting a car. You are covering over 600 miles of territory, green, mountainous and wet, absolutely beautiful. And quite different from the typical idea of Spain, almost in everything. Come prepared for any kind of weather, too.
By the way, plenty of places to visit from Santander (not much to see there, as in Iruña-Pamplona) to Santiago de Compostela, it´ll be a long ride, no stops on the way?
Hello:
Thank you for your prompt response. I guess it makes my decision a little easier. We are coming from Madrid by train. First stop will be San Sebastian. A day trip to Pamplona is also planned unless we decide to stay the night and then continue. Please feel free to point out any places you may think are worthwhile stopping, although please note we are not into hiking or extremely long walks. Very fit though. LOL. Thanks.
Hi,
I'm a guide used to do this multi-day trip.
On this route there are plenty of interesting places to visit, you have two options, to follow the coastal path, to Santiago, where you will pass through the beautiful Santander, where nearby you have exciting places, like Santillana del Mar, the Altamira caves, Comillas with one of the few buildings created by Gaudí. The fabulous Picos de Europa, all the coastal towns of Asturias, (Lastres, Cudillero, Gijón) Cathedrals Beach as you enter Galicia, then you can work your way to Santiago stopping in Lugo famous for its complete Roman walls, and then Santiago.
Option 2: Following the "Camino de Santiago", with many stops, like Logroño and the many places along the way like Burgos, Leon, Astorga,( both of these last ones with buildings by Gaudí), Ponferrada and the world heritage site of Las Medulas, once in Galicia, the Ribeira Sacra, and then Santiago and beyond to Finisterre.
I do recommend renting a car or getting a private driver-guide.
I hope this helps you.
Juanjo
As a side note to Juanjo, Altamira caves are totally closed to public access, what you visit is a (IMO, bad) replica and a Museum of Prehistory. There are many other caves in northern Spain open to the public, with cave art or not, but visits are normally done in Spanish, in limited number of visitors and times.
