A Northern Spain Road Trip Itinerary on the Camino de Santiago

Taking a Northern Spain road trip seems to be having a bit of a moment. I can’t count on both my hands how many people I know of who have been in the past few months.

I wasn’t aware of this when we booked flights to Santander to celebrate my husband’s birthday. We booked the flights as they were cheap and the beaches looked nice and it was only when I started doing research into where we could go that I realised what beauty and adventure lay in store.

I eagerly put together a one-week northern Spain road trip itinerary and afterwards realised it follows a lot of the Camino de Santiago.

The Camino de Santiago is a long walking trail that was historically done by pilgrims but is now done by anyone looking for a good hike.

If you’re not so keen on walking the trail but want to loosely follow the route across Northern Spain then take a look at this road trip itinerary on the north coast of Spain.

We’ve done so many road trips over the year, including our longest (3 months in America), and my road trip packing list my come in handy for this Northern Spain itinerary.

Perhaps I’d been put off considering another trip to visit Spain as a holiday destination from my first experience of it back in 1998.

I was only seven so I don’t remember much apart from getting really, really bad food poisoning which wasn’t a great way to end one of my first holidays abroad! Thankfully that didn’t happen the second time.

If you’re wondering where to go in Spain then be sure to check out this North Spain road trip and use this as your Spain travel guide.

Want a Southern Spain road trip itinerary?

What is the Camino de Santiago?

The Camino de Santiago (The Way of St James) in Northern Spain is one of the world’s oldest pilgrimage routes. It’s an unforgettable hiking experience and nowadays is popular with both hikers looking for a special and long walk in Northern Spain.

However, we took the lazy option and our Northern Spain holidays accidentally followed much of the Camino de Santiago.

The Camino de Santiago begins in France and traverses 500 miles across northern Spain to Santiago de Compostela where St James was buried.

The trail is marked by blue signs with a shell on them. You’re sure to see plenty of them on this Northern Spain road trip.

Getting to Northern Spain from London

Flying from London to Spain

Our flights to northern Spain went in and out of Santander (this northern Spain road trip itinerary can be done in either direction).

Flying from the UK to Santander takes around 2 hours. You can also fly to Bilbao in Northern Spain.

Return flights are super cheap since these airports are both serviced by budget airlines like EasyJet.

Skyscanner is what I use to find cheap flights.

Ferry to Spain

You could also take your own car across on the ferry from Portsmouth. This might be the best option if there are more than two of you, but for us flying and hiring a car was cheaper than the ferry.

Brittany Ferries sail from Portsmouth to Santander and Bilbao and Plymouth to Santander too.

This option takes a long time but it’s great if you’re travelling with kids or a pet since you can book your own cabin which makes it super comfortable.

Renting a car in Spain

Renting a car in Spain is easy to do but do check whether you need an International Drivers Permit before your trip. You can’t get these online and if you hold a non-EU or UK license then you may need one.

I use comparison sites like DiscoverCars and RentalCars to book my car rentals as it’s easy to check prices and compare the best deals!

I like to get full to full when it comes to hiring a car as this way you’re less likely to get stung with overpriced petrol when they fill it up at the end.

An itinerary for a Northern Spain road trip

You know I love a road trip and I think Northern Spain is one of the best places to road trip.

We opted out of joining the hundreds of thousands of backpackers currently walking across Spain for many reasons.

The weather isn’t kind to walkers in July. It’s likely to be pouring with rain, or blisteringly hot (great for the beach, not so much for trekking). Part way through the week I ended up pushing my husband around Bilbao’s Guggenheim in a wheelchair and also, it’s such a long way; far too long for 1 week!

Whether walking, cycling or driving, rest assured that the scenery and towns along the way are incredibly beautiful.

Wetter than southern Spain, the north looks less like a desert and it’s not so arid for the most part, meaning flowers and green decorate the landscape.

How long for a northern Spain road trip?

Although we only spent one week in Spain, I’d recommend 2 weeks in Spain for this road trip.

This gives you more time to explore the various towns and countryside than we allowed for.

We kind of ended up rushing through places and it would have been nice to spend more time doing some hikes, or chilling out at some of the cute towns and great restaurants we came across.

Map of Northern Spain road trip itinerary

Here’s a map of the regions of Northern Spain that our road trip itinerary took us through. The pink is the map of the Northern Spain coast we explored.

I honestly thing the cities and scenery around here make it one of the best places to holiday in Spain!

Arriving in Santander from the UK

Arriving in Santander, leave the airport and hit the coast headed towards Isla.

Surfers dominate the sea along the coastal route from Santander to Noja. The ever-present waves are small enough for beginners but large enough for those more practised to demonstrate their skills.

Surfing lessons are best taken in Somo.

Here there are plenty of surfing schools and some of the best beaches in Northern Spain.

You’re spoilt for choice when it comes to Northern Spain beaches. Although busy, there’s plenty of room. Things aren’t like they are in Bournemouth here.

The beach at Noja, just a short drive from Isla, is particularly worth a mention. Long stretches of sandy beaches, sand dunes to climb for even better vistas, and small rock pools to explore when the tide is out.

This makes Noja the perfect beach for a chilled-out day to get you in the holiday mood.

Best places for Pintxos near Noja

When the hunger pangs strike, head to Castro Urdiales just 50km east of Noja. Here you’ll come across some of the best Pintxos in northern Spain (and we ate a lot!) for the best prices.

Pintxos are small, tapas-like dishes. They’re served all over the Basque region of Spain and in many towns in Cantabria. For this reason, I consider this region one of the best places to visit in Spain. The name comes from the cocktail stick which holds the tapas ingredients together.

It’s the perfect food for evenings with friends (a vast improvement on pub crawls). They’re also great for those of us who want to try a bit of everything!

Where to stay in Isla

We stayed at Los Anjanas de Isla which was a super cute B&B close to the beaches. Some other great options are:

• Posada La Mies
• Hotel Olimpo

Isla to Bilbao, Bilbao to San Sebastian to Pamplona (260km)

Best things to do in Bilbao

Bilbao is widely considered to be one of the top cities in Northern Spain. It’s also one of the biggest and is full of fun things to do including museums and great food.

If you mention Bilbao to someone chances are they’ll think of the Guggenheim Museum for which the city is best known and the giant dog curated out of fresh flowers, ‘Puppy’, by Jeff Koons, which stands guard at the museum’s entrance.

Jeff Koons was the main exhibition at the Guggenheim. His work is, unlike most modern art, accessible due to the use of instantly recognisable objects in his artworks. He’s known for taking the everyday and turning it on his head.

Whatever you personally make of his work, the current exhibition at the Guggenheim is well worth a browse.

TOP TIP: Book tickets to the Guggenheim in advance and avoid having to queue in the rain!

Things to do in San Sebastian

From Bilbao, your northern Spain road trip itinerary continues along the coast to San Sebastian.

Just 20km from the French border, San Sebastian is a city which loves to indulge in food and frequently tops the list of the world’s best places to eat.

Perhaps it’s because of this that the food, whilst cheap compared to London, was some of the more expensive we had all week.

Porte Vieja, the old town, lies in the shadows of Monte Urgull, the bay’s eastern headland. It’s here where the most popular Pintxos bars with the locals are to be found.

Where to eat in San Sebastian

Knowing where’s best to eat in San Sebastian can be tricky; I’d recommend a quick scout of the main streets and opting for whichever bar counter topped with food cries out to you the loudest.

Alternatively, you could take a food tour with a local guide. That way you can be sure you’ll be getting some of the best food in San Sebastian.

Where to stay in Pamplona

We left San Sebastian after dinner and drove to Pamplona for the night. Here are a few options of places to stay in Pamplona and a couple for San Sebastian should you wish to extend your stay there.

• Pamplona Plaza (where we stayed)
• Pamplona Catedral Hotel
• Pensión Régil, San Sebastian
• Pensión La Perla

Pamplona to Burgos

Between 6th and 14th of July, this capital of the Navarre region is overrun with visitors who come to watch the running of the bulls in Pamplona.

This event happens during the festival of San Fermin. Hemingway wrote about it in his 1926 novel The Sun Also Rises. 

The running of the bulls in Pamplona usually involves a group of people running through the historic streets of the city’s old town trying to stay clear of six bulls.

Outside of this week, the old town is a charming cobweb of narrow, cobbled streets filled with beautiful buildings.

Unfortunately, we didn’t get to see much of Pamplona during our flight visit as the morning was spent in Pamplona’s hospital! We did learn how to get medical attention if you’ve lost your EHIC though!

The journey from Pamplona to Burgos takes you through stunning scenery Spanish scenery that remains relatively unknown.

The cool blues of the pools in the National Park of Nacedero del Urederra are a well-kept secret.

The park’s woodland is interspersed with waterfalls and pools of an extremely bright blue; a colour that seems out of this world.

Where to eat in Logrono

Stop for dinner in Logrono, for more fantastic tapas on Calle del Laurel. 

On sunny summer evenings, this street is buzzing and makes for a great place to hang out with locals and fellow travellers.

Where to stay in Burgos

We stopped over in Burgos for the night and loved our hostel which was just outside of the city. I’ve picked out a couple of other top hotels in Burgos too.

• Albergue La Fabrica – HIGHLY recommended
• Hotel Puerta de Burgos
• Landa, luxurious!

Burgos to Santiago de Compostela

This day involved a lot of driving but we broke it up by stopping off at a few places which I’ve included below.

Burgos

A main stopping point on the Camino de Santiago is Burgos. Burgos is a picturesque town in the middle of the Spanish countryside. I reckon it must be up there with one of the most beautiful towns in Northern Spain.

Its cathedral was declared a world heritage site in 1984 and a large number of churches remain in the town.

A river skirts the centre of the town which is still housed in ancient walls and you can enjoy a short walk along it to stretch your legs during your road trip in Northern Spain.

Léon

Leave Burgos and head for Léon, the capital of the province of Castille y Léon. You’re likely to see an increasing number of backpackers making their pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela from here on in.

It was super warm when we visited Léon, but surprisingly this is one of the cities in Spain that gets snow!

Las Médulas

There’s still a long way to go from Léon but fortunately, there are many beautiful sights to break up the journey.

One of these is Las Médulas, a historical site near the town of Ponferrada where you can see a sort of moon-like scenery of reddish rocks jutting up from the mountains. This is one of the best places to visit in Northern Spain simply because they’re so unusual!

Listed by UNESCO as a world heritage site, Las Médulas was created by a mining technique used back in 77AD which involved undermining a mountain with large quantities of water.

A small information centre and museum provide more information on this fascinating site.

Santiago de Compostella

Every Friday evening during summer at 7:30 pm a mass takes place in Santiago de Compostella’s cathedral. There’s always a huge audience of people.

This mass is different from many of the others. People usually attend to see the unique tradition of the Botafumerio. Botafumerio means “smoke expeller” in Galician.

It’s a famous device in which incense is lit before being hoisted towards the ceiling and swung to great heights whilst lines are sung in Spanish.

The Botafumerio in Santiago de Compostella is one of the largest of its kind in the world and weighs around 80kg. At the top of its swing, it reaches 21 meters high.

Delicious, spicy incense smells and clouds of smoke fill the cathedral as everyone crowds together to watch.

Queues are extremely long during the summer period and we heard rumours of people queuing from midday to be in with a chance of attending the 7:30 pm mass.

Top Tip: We waited half an hour before deciding to give up and find some dinner. We popped into the gift shop on our way past the Cathedral and were let in through the adjoining door with a few others to watch the mass and catch sight of the Botafumerio.

Best hotels in Santiago de Compostella

• Hotel Exe Arena, where we stayed
• Hotel Atalaia B&B
• Gastronómico San Miguel

Santiago de Compostella to Covadonga

Northern Spain is blessed with varying landscapes. From the beautiful Northern coast of Spain to the rolling hills in the countryside and even mountains just 20km from the coast!

The Picos Mountains

The Picos mountains, Los Picos d’Europa (the peaks of Europe), are a hiker and adventurer’s dream. The highest peak reaches 2,650 metres with many others around the 2,500-metre mark.

Covadonga Lakes

Covadonga is part of the Cangas de Onis municipality and is in the Picos National Park. It’s a great base to stay for adventures in the Picos mountains.

The Covadonga lakes are known as one of the most beautiful parts of these Northern Spain mountains. However, word of this has spread and the only way to reach them, at least in summer, is to take a tour bus up there as police close the road to cars.

For this reason, imaging a packed lakeside, we gave the Covadonga lakes a miss and headed over to Fuenté De to take the cable car.

Roads in the Picos are windy and extremely narrow and even the smallest sounding of journeys will take a long time. Allow for this in your plans and enjoy the scenery stopping off for breaks every now and again as you travel through this stunning area of Spain.

Cable Car at Fuenté De

The Cable Car at Fuenté De costs 15.50 Euros for a return ticket. At the top, there are walking trails and also a hotel. The views over the mountains are spectacular on a sunny day, but remember to pack a lightweight fleece and waterproofs just in case!

You can also take a day trip to the Picos from Santander

Covadonga best place to stay

• Arcea Gran Hotel, where we stayed
• Casa Asprón

Covadonga to Santander

This Spain 1-week itinerary finishes up in Santander where you can enjoy a nice dinner while reminiscing on your north west Spain road trip.

Santander has a huge port which sees arrivals from Portsmouth on the 24-hour ferry but is also home to a stretch of sandy beach.

Before heading back home I’d recommend taking half a day to explore Santander’s castle and buzzing bar scene.

Where to stay in Santander

• Santander Studios
• Suite Home Sardinero

FAQs about this Northern Spain road trip itinerary

Final thoughts on this Santander-Bilbao to Santiago de Compostela road trip

If you’re looking to road trip San Sebastian to Santiago de Compostela, this Spanish road trip itinerary should help you check out where to stay along the way.

After many years of road trips and adventures, this still remains one of our favourites. The beaches, the food and the culture and history made it super special.

Though we rented a car, this would make an awesome Northern Spain campervan trip too.

I’ll be expanding my North Spain guides soon, so make sure to check back!

Last Updated on November 25, 2023 by Hannah