This is what northern Spain feels like

Individual tours
Northern Spain 2024 & 2025

Svenja Wezel
Get to know the culture of northern Spain

“Spain’s north offers more than just a spiritual journey along the Way of St James. Lush green, alpine panoramas with wild gorges in the Picos de Europa and many picturesque fishing villages make the region along the wild and stormy Atlantic coast so distinctive. The ocean here shows exactly the face that I love so much: rugged cliffs alternating with fine sandy beaches.

If you travel inland from this rugged landscape, you will find yourself in the gentle hills of La Rioja with its sun-drenched vineyards. To me, this landscape always seems a little like a postcard come to life. On a trip by rental car or in your own car, you too can get to know these impressive contrasts in a very personal way.”

Of course, your round trip of northern Spain can also begin right on your doorstep. If you are travelling in your own car, we will plan and organise the route and accommodation for your individual trip through the transit countries according to your wishes.

Svenja Wezel
Travel expert

How to start your

What kind of traveller are you? Just a few steps to your individual round trip
With our vacation planner, you can easily customize your own trip.
Individual planning
We accompany you to your personalized dream holiday.

Our recommendation for you

Northern Spain combines a rich cultural heritage with centuries-old religious traditions and breathtaking landscapes. You can get to know the most beautiful spots on this 14-day round trip from Bilbao to Santiago de Compostela. In Santander, you will stroll through historic streets to the Cantabrian Sea. Santillana del Mar takes you back to the region's medieval past. Near the Cantabrian city of Gijón, the Campa Torres Nature and Archaeology Park takes you even further back in time. And of course, you can't miss the long-awaited destination of pilgrims since the 9th century: Santiago de Compostela.
  • 14 days - 7 places
  • Bilbao (2 nights)
  • Santillana del Mar (2 nights)
  • Cangas de Onis (2 nights)
  • Oviedo (1 night)
  • Ribadeo (1 night)
  • Santiago de Compostela (2 nights)
  • Cambados (3 nights)
  • Further highlights
  • Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao
  • Picos de Europa
  • Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela
No price tag? As always with Geotoura, all options are open to you. Design your own personal trip, on your own terms.

Further ideas for your tour of Northern Spain

The flavours of Spain
Nordspanien: 11 Tage für Genießer
Bilbao – Baztan – Pamplona – Santo Domingo de la Calzada – Santillana del Mar
The north of Spain has an exquisite cuisine. On this trip through northern Spain, you will get to know it in excellent restaurants in the multifaceted settings of beautiful cities. This trip is a real insider tip for connoisseurs.
Discover now
The soul of wine
Northern Spain: 9 days Basque Country and La Rioja
Bilbao – San Sebastián - Pamplona - Laguardia
Do you love Spanish wines and the unspoilt beauty of northern Spain? Then set off through the Basque Country and the La Rioja wine region. Here you can savour the fine wines and enjoy a long history and exciting culture.
Discover now
Just take a deep breath
Northern Spain 14 days: From Bilbao to Cabo Fisterra
Bilbao – Santillana del Mar – Cangas de Onis – Oviedo – Ribadeo – Santiago de Compostela – Cambados
Start your journey through time 14,000 years ago and end at the futuristic sculptures on the River Nervión in Bilbao. Embedded in magnificent landscapes, you will get to know a world-famous, but also a quiet and traditional Spain.
Discover now
Beautiful panoramic views
With your own car: 15 days in northern Spain
Beaune – Barcelona – Lleida – Olite – Logroño – Bilbao – San Sebastián – Tours
Decide for yourself which stops you want to add to your trip to northern Spain. You are flexible and can simply enjoy the beauties that particularly fascinate you on this personalised trip a little longer.
Discover now
The Iberian dream
With your own car: 21 days in Spain and Portugal
Mit dem eigenen PKW: Paris – Bilbao – León – Porto – Lissabon – Cáceres – Madrid – Valencia – Barcelona – Lyon
See everything once: the most beautiful corners of the Iberian Peninsula and, on top of that, real highlights for Francophiles - all at your leisure. This flexible trip through Spain and Portugal by car or hire car is the perfect idea.
Discover now

Discover Northern Spain

Northern Spain's cultural diversity

Northern Spain has many surprises in store for its visitors, as it does not at all fulfil the familiar ideas and clichés of Spain. As a cradle of Spanish culture, prehistoric cave paintings and sacred buildings from various eras can be found here alongside the most modern architecture.

However, there are also celebrations in the north. Celebrations and festivals are held in towns and villages all year round, in which traditions, good food and excellent wines play a major role.

Explore historic cities such as La Coruña and the pilgrimage magnet Santiago de Compostela, lively university towns such as Oviedo or Santander and not forgetting Bilbao with its Guggenheim Museum on our round trips through northern Spain. Picturesque coastal towns and authentic mountain villages, where time seems to have stood still, form a good contrast and allow you to discover all the diversity of the north.

Tour of Northern Spain: Discover natural beauty

The north of Spain is rich in contrast and diversity. Lush green forests, lovely hills in the wine-growing regions, alpine landscapes with massive rock faces and deep valleys, rocky bays, dunes and fine sandy beaches, bizarre rock formations and huge granite boulders are home to fascinating flora and fauna.

The fantastic views of the rugged Atlantic Ocean, which you can enjoy time and again during your tour of northern Spain, are unique and unforgettable, as is a walk – at low tide – through the exposed rock formations on Praia das Catedrais, the beach of the cathedrals. If the “mountain is calling”, you should venture into the Picos de Europa National Park. The hiking trails lead past small mountain villages with traditional architecture and restaurants where you can sample regional specialities. So you can not only experience nature, but also spoil your palate.

Northern Spain - a culinary delight

The Atlantic offers an immense variety of sea creatures, so that the cuisine in the coastal regions of northern Spain is dominated by dishes based on fish and seafood. The rain-rich region provides lush green dairy pastures, so that northern Spain is also known as the home of the finest cheeses. These include the creamy Queso de Nata or the Queso de Cabrales from Asturias, a blue cheese made from goat’s or sheep’s milk. The delicately smoked Queso San Simón from Galicia, on the other hand, offers a completely different flavour experience.

Fresh vegetables, hearty stews, as well as lamb and game dishes, which you will find on the menu, especially in the interior of the country, will also make your Road trip through northern Spain a culinary experience. Savour the Sidra, poured in a thin stream from a great height into a glass. Wine connoisseurs are sure to enjoy the refreshing white wines, such as Txakolí or Montesierra, the Galician Albariño. The red wines from La Rioja are also wonderful accompaniments to a good meal.

This is ensured by several star chefs who have chosen San Sebastián as their culinary stronghold to demonstrate their culinary skills. Legend has it that a queimada – a Galician drink made from high-proof schnapps, sugar, coffee beans and lemon slices heated in a clay pot – is even said to keep witches away. Then nothing can really go wrong. By the way: the tapas of the north – the pintxos – are ideal for a snack in between meals.

Northern Spain Authentic and up close

The nature of northern Spain is breathtaking – especially the Cave of Altamira. An impressive reconstruction with 930 fascinating copies of Stone Age drawings from the period between 33,600 and 11,000 BC can be seen in the local museum. You can also literally go to the “end of the world” here.

The “Cabo de Finisterre” is located around 60 kilometres from Santiago de Compostela on a peninsula and is considered the actual end of the pilgrimage on the Way of St. James. Here you can experience the deeply satisfying feeling of the pilgrims, what it is like to finally arrive.

You are travelling individually but in the best company

There are many good reasons for travelling with Geotoura. The most important is probably that everything is customised for you. But other aspects of travelling are also important to our customers - here is a brief overview:
Safety
Safety
Our travel promise for a carefree holiday: up-to-date, accommodating, flexible and customer-oriented.
Insider tips
Insider tips
Authentic experiences thanks to geotoura's own tips, collected and selected for our guests.
Quality
Quality
A long-term and fair cooperation with partners that creates trust and ensures quality.
Experiences
Experiences
Cultural, culinary and local “delicacies” that allow a look behind the scenes.
Sustainability
Sustainability
Regular TourCert certification to preserve the cultural and natural treasures of all destinations.
Authenticity
Authenticity
Getting to know and love the country and its inhabitants through original route ideas.
 
The special moment ...
... when we realised the size and beauty of the Picos de Europa.
Andreas A. from Heilbronn

Experiences
of our customers

June 2024
Tobias L.
Germany
When we plan a trip with Geotoura, we can count on relaxed and empathetic people who listen to us and then put together a dream route. Thank you Geotoura for our wonderful trip through northern Spain along the Camino France.
July 2024
Thomas und Barbara P.
Switzerland
Our trip to northern Spain offered a real carefree package for basic needs. There is enough leeway for your own creativity and wishes. Highly recommended.
June 2024
Sonja H.
Austria
A great round trip starting from Madrid to the north coast of Spain to Santiago de Compostella and back to Madrid - the weather was just perfect during the last two weeks of June - sunny but not hot, no beach holiday just sightseeing, hiking and culinary delights - Madrid would certainly be worth an extra trip - that was our conclusion and we were already a bit tired of sightseeing! We can only recommend this trip through northern Spain!
June 2024
Natascha W.
Germany
A dream insight into the regions of Austuria and Galicia. Relaxation, nature and culture in a great holiday in northern Spain.
May 2024
Werner K.
Germany
As with our trip to Portugal with Geotoura last year, the organisation of our tour through northern Spain and the selection of accommodation were once again excellent.
May 2024
Jürgen B.
Germany
Northern Spain is very diverse, with lots of nature and culture. The hotels were consistently pleasant and we enjoyed staying in the cities and having short distances to walk.
September 2022
Bernd H.
Germany
A very interesting trip through Spain from the Basque Country to Galicia, via Cantabria and Asturias. Spain is still green here in September! A good mix of culture, nature, city, mountains and beach. Highly recommended!
August 2021
Rotraut B.
Germany
It was a great, very varied trip! We had not previously considered northern Spain as a holiday destination and were totally surprised by the diversity of the area. There is something for everyone here, from culture in the cities, bathing fun at the sea, hiking in green valleys... We will certainly not have been there for the last time!
July 2021
Alexander S.
Germany
We had a relaxed and interesting route through northern Spain and its major cities. The detour to a winery in Rioja is also highly recommended for wine lovers. The great hotels rounded off the experience and met our taste. Everything was well organised and changes (entry requirements and hotels) were communicated quickly, so we could concentrate fully on our holiday. This won't be our last trip with Geotoura. Thank you.
September 2019
Günther Q.
Germany
Thanks to the documents we received in advance, we were able to prepare very well for our trip through Northern Spain, and the number of overnight stays proved to be very sensible.
Digital message in a bottle
You are allowed to dream about the holidays all the year round.
Sign up for our Newsletter