Spain is a country of diverse landscapes, varying cultures, and stunning architecture. Northern Spain is sometimes overlooked but the small coastal towns and mountainous villages are some of the most stunning places I’ve ever seen and driving is the best way to have the freedom to explore it. I hope this 7 day northern Spain road trip itinerary helps you plan your adventurous trip.
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Day 1: Bilbao to Bakio
The modern city of Bilbao is great place to fly into and begin your road trip. Flights from the US to Bilbao are often quite affordable. With a longer itinerary, I’d absolutely suggest heading to San Sebastian as it is often considered one of Spain’s most beautiful cities and the heart of Basque Country. With only 7 days for our northern Spain itinerary, we just didn’t have the time.
We weren’t very interested in spending time in Bilbao so after renting our car at the Bilbao airport, we drove about 30 minutes to the small seaside town of Bakio. We rented a car through Rentalcars.com which is Bookings partner.
In the shoulder season it was extremely quiet, but we stayed just one night to visit the stunning site of Gaztelugatxe, one of the filming spots for Game of Thrones. Bakio is a surf community primarily in the summer, so in the off season, the town is practically empty. In October, we had a difficult time finding open restaurants so the local grocery store was extremely handy. Walk the boardwalk or beach through the little town and stop at an ice cream shop.
This fantastic rocky islet connected with a dramatic bridge and zigagging path to the top with a church is an incredible place to visit (and get some exercise). It is quite a daunting walk from the car park to the bridge and then up to the church, but well worth it.
We visited San Juan de Gaztelugatxe twice. Once for sunset the night we arrived and the following morning for sunrise to get pictures without many people there. When you climb to the top, there is a big church bell you can ring. At the parking area there is a cafe. It is free to visit, but you are supposed to book your time slot online ahead of time HERE especially during holidays and weekends and the summer. Again, the site is currently closed.
Apartamentos Turísticos Rurales Ureta
We stayed at these lovely, affordable apartments just a few minutes from Gaztelugatxe that had a kitchenette if we’d wanted to cook our own meals.
Villa Isabela Bakio Rooms
If you prefer to be right in town in Bakio, consider these apartments. They have great reviews and look very quaint and affordable.
Day 2: Bakio to Picos de Europa
If there is anywhere in northern Spain I wish I’d had more time for, it would be the Picos de Europa. This mountain range and stunning region is one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever been. Beyond that, it feels completely authentic and traditional.
The region is popular for mountaineering and rock climbing and is protected as a national park. There are a number of villages, towns, lakes, peaks, caves, a cable car, and diverse wildlife including the brown bear and wolves.
We rented an adorable apartment in the cute town called Bejes. There was literally like one restaurant and they didn’t seem to be open much. But we bought a loaf of bread and some cheese and snacks and did just fine.
It was about 30 minutes from the bigger town of Potes, but the drive was so beautiful we didn’t mind. It was truly about as rural and non-touristy as one can get.
We came across a town named Sotres that we ultimately fell in love with and would choose to stay in next time. It was like a dream. The locals looked at us inquisitively like they had never seen a tourist. You can explore the mountain roads for miles and see old shepherding huts.
Another that would make a picturesque stay is Mogrovejo.
Click HERE for a list of hotels in Sotres. There are not very many of them! We ate lunch at the restaurant at Hotel Rural Peña Castil and found it adorable and vowed to come back and stay sometime.
Day 3: Explore the Picos de Europa
If we’d had better weather, we could have done more with our one full length day here. We tend to pack a lot into our time though, so 2 nights and 2 days total was plenty to see much of the region. Things you don’t want to miss:
Potes
One of the larger towns is Potes, with a population of 1,350. It’s perfect for a few hours of walking around shopping, eating at cafes, or enjoying dinner. You can indulge in some of the thickest and richest hot chocolate ever. We chose not to stay in Potes because I wanted a more rural, traditional village experience but it would certainly be a great base for a few days in the Picos de Europa. You can find a list of around 25 (5 or so really highly reviewed) POTES HOTELS HERE.
Go Hiking
There are a number of hiking areas in the Picos de Europa, and we barely scratched the surface in what we saw. But I fell in love with the area around Bulnes and Puente La Jaya. There’s this beautiful bridge you can cross over a blue milky river. The scenery in the area is incredible. There is also a funicular terminal in this area that will take you to more hiking spots.
Fuente Dé Cable Car
This cable car ride takes you up 753 meters in 4 minutes. At the top, the views are spectacular (or so I read). You can trek from the top, picnic, or just take in the views. We had rain and fog so naturally didn’t bother going up. But we did drive to the area and it was stunning.
Sourced from Pixabay
Day 4: Picos de Europa to Cudillero
The direct drive to the quaint coastal village of Cudillero is only about 2.5 hours, but you’ll definitely want to make some stops along the way!
Covadonga Lakes
Unfortunately we didn’t detour to the town of Covadonga and the Covadonga Lakes in the Picos de Europa, but we should have. We were so in love with the little town of Sotres, we ended up going there one last time the morning we left and that ate up some of our time on day 4.
Sourced from Pixabay
From Covadonga, you can decide whether you want to backtrack a little to hit more beaches along the coast or go more directly to the coast. Putting Ribadasella into the map will take you directly to the coast. This lovely beach down was a great little stop for lunch or coffee along the way. Playa de Torimbia looks like a beautiful beach worth backtracking a little for.
Lastres is a small, pretty white painted town with Spanish tile roofs perched over the coast. It has a beach and is quite picturesque. There didn’t seem to be much to do, so we just drove through.
Cudillero
The drive to Cudillero is easy on a two-lane highway. You can stop at little towns along the way if you want. But Cudillero is truly the gem of the area, kind of similar to the Cinque Terre villages in Italy.
You can park your rental car in the lot by the harbor in front of town and then walk to your hotel if you decide to stay the night. We stayed two nights and felt like that was plenty of time. That gave us the entire next day to explore nearby beaches.
Where to Stay in Cudillero
We really liked Hotel Casa Prendes right in the heart of Cudillero.
We didn’t stay at La Casona de Pío but it is also perfectly located in a beautiful building and they serve breakfast to guests.
Cudillero is quite small and has limited restaurants, especially during the shoulder season or off season. So plan accordingly!
Day 5: Explore Northern Spain Beaches
We were there in October, so our beach time didn’t involve swimming, but we had beautiful weather to explore the coast.
There are so many beaches, it’s best to explore some on Google first, clicking on different playas and looking at the images, then make a list of a few to visit. Don’t forget to download Google off-line maps ahead of time when you have wifi.
- Playa del Silencio
- Playa de Olieros
- Playa de San Pedro de La Ribera
- Playa Xilloi
- Playa de Las Catedrales
This beach is quite popular and there tends to be a lot of people on the beach. You want to go when the tide is low so you can access the caves and view these overlapping arches from the cave. It’s incredible. But unless you get lucky, it’s pretty difficult to get good photos because there are so many people wandering about.
There are so many neat caves and rock passageways to explore, definitely give yourself a good couple hours there. You actually need to book a reservation time, to prevent overcrowding during high season. It’s totally free, just go to the official website HERE. You should check the tide forecast in Ribideo to plan accordingly. Ribideo is also a cute town nearby to stop and grab lunch at.
Day 6: Cudillero to Santiago de Compostela
It’s about 2.5 hours to the beautiful city of Santiago de Compostela. We dropped off our rental car once we arrived in the city, then took an Uber to our hotel in the old town, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. We spent two nights and two days here exploring and absolutely loved the small city.
The shrine of the apostle St. James in the cathedral of Santiago de Compostela is the final destination of the roughly 35 day pilgrimage of the Camino de Santiago. We saw a number of trekkers with their packs arriving to town, which was pretty neat.
We stayed right in the heart of the old town at the lovely Hotel Praza Quintana. It’s a quick walk to the square, has a 24 hour kitchen with snacks, and a cappuccino maker. That did it for me. We had a room with a sky light that opened and you could see the cathedral out the roof.
If you’re looking for the best of the best, stay at Parador de Santiago – Hostal Reis Catolicos. It’s a 15th century royal hospital building right in the main square. The architecture, decor, and courtyard are stunning! San Francisco Hotel Monumento is another perfectly located and elegant historic hotel in an old monastery.
Day 7: Explore Santiago de Compostela
The small city is easily walkable. Streets are lined with tapas bars and restaurants. There are great coffee shops and dessert shops as well. You must visit the Cathedral and square which is stunning.
Some of our favorite restaurants and cafes were: Café Tertulia, Lusco and Fusco Bakery Café, and A Carrilana.
A Carrilana
Conclusion
I hope this 7 day Northern Spain road trip itinerary has been helpful. Of course you could spend so much more time seeing these parts of Spain, this is not meant to be a totally conclusive listing of all the best places to see. But this trip was one of the best of my life and road trips provide such independence and adventure. I wanted to share each of our destinations because they were each unique and wonderful in their own way.
We continued our trip from Santiago de Compostela for at least another week by taking a 2.5 hour bus ride to Porto, Portugal for a few days. Next, we took a train to Lisbon and Sintra, and finally we flew to Barcelona for a couple days, before heading home.
Well, hello there!
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