Has anyone driven the northern coast, specifically from Bilbao to Santander to Gijon to Santiago de Compastela? How is the coastal drive? I am thinking about this route on my way to Porto, Portugal.
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I have many times, travelling between my home base here in Galicia back to family in The Netherlands.
The road is mainly Autovia (highway) although you can take the old national road and take your time. I would think that for a vacation a mixture of the tow is the better proposition.
When you get into Portugal you may come across some roads which have the electronic toll system. But driving from Galician directly to Oporto these can be avoided by taking Autovias that either have manned tolls or the older national roads. I have written a fair bit about the electronic toll system in the past you may have to do a search to find the information.
Is this in a hire car?
I haven't done the whole drive but it's certainly one of the most beautiful coasts I've seen anywhere. The food is pretty good too.
Yes, we've driven this route a few times over the last 5 or 6 years, and as mentioned, it's one of the most beautiful drives. As ribeirasacra says, if you have the time, you can follow the old national highway as it winds it's way along the coast of Cantabria, Asturias and Galicia.
If you're in for an adventure, you can pick up the first leg of the N-634 at Cabezon de la Sal and head to San Vicente de la Barquera. The N-634 parallels the A-8 all the way to Foz, where you can then follow the coastal road along the north coast of Galicia. It's a long drive, but very interesting.