next may my wife and i taking a month to wander around southern spain and portugal. after we leave the Douro valley i had planned on spending 4 days in galacia and then 4 days in the basque region. now considering taking 2 days to travel to the basque region skipping galacia. still very much in the planning stages and need some excellent advise from fodor people. we tend to stay small villages, wander the countrside and take day trips into larger cities like bilbao and san sebastion.

thank you in advance for your help.

Don't skip Galicia. As long as you're in northern Portugal, at least go have a look at Santiago. The roads are now excellent, and in no time at all you'll be in the Basque region !

They both have extensive charms.

As Bedar noted if you are Portugal, Galicia is nearby. Among my favorite places in Galica are Rias Baixas y Altas, Isles Cies, Santiago de Compostela, and Costa da Morte, and Lugo.

As you know, much more to the Basque Country than San Sebastian and Bilbao: http://tourism.euskadi.eus/en/
http://www.euskoguide.com/
http://tourism.euskadi.eus/en/top10/...aa30-12376/en/

Asturias with wonderful small coastal towns such as Llanes, great landscapes (the Picos de Europa etc etc), and of course Gijon: http://www.turismoasturias.es/en/home-en
http://www.independent.co.uk/travel/...s-1627694.html
http://en.turismo.gijon.es/

Hope to go to Galicia soon:
http://www.lonelyplanet.com/spain/tr...articles/77390
http://www.turgalicia.es/portada?langId=en_US
http://www.galicia.es/en/turismo
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/de...ers-guide.html

thank you so much for your enthusiastic responses. just what i needed.

if you are driving a Spanish plated car in Portugal you need to ensure you know how to pay the so called electronic tolls on the roads. Before you drive them.
http://www.portugaltolls.com/en/web/...portagens/home
Everywhere in Spain has it charm, well except urban suburbs maybe ;-)

<small villages, wander the countrside and take day trips into larger cities>

Take a look at small Getaria, just west of San Sebastian: http://www.euskoguide.com/places-bas...taria-tourism/

And Lekeitio, Bermeo or Mundaka, all close to Bilbao: http://www.euskoguide.com/places-bas...ermeo-tourism/
http://www.euskoguide.com/places-bas...ndaka-tourism/

And Guernica - the historical capital, the 1937 bombings and Picassos's painting - is also just outside Bilbao:
http://www.euskoguide.com/places-bas...rnica-tourism/

thank you SO MUCH for the info about driving in portugal. will study up on that.