Hi all,
My husband and I are planning a trip to Spain in early October. We'll be there for 11 or 12 days and plan to fly into Barcelona and out of Bilbao. After spending a few days in Barcelona, we'd like to rent a car and head east/north.

We've begun our research (not much time left!) and are looking at visiting Costa Brava, Girona, Besalu, perhaps Pamplona (worth it?), San Sebastian, and then Bilbao (just for one day). Has anyone else driven this route? What stops would you recommend? We're more interested in quality of experience over quantity of places visited, and we especially like medieval architecture, beaches, and natural scenery (wish we had more time to explore the Pyrenees!). We're also interested in staying at one or two of the turismo rurales; I've been browsing that website. If it helps at all, we're 30 and 31, and this is our fifth trip to Europe.

If anyone can recommed an overnight stop along the Costa Brava, too, that would be great.

thanks much!

You can do a search for "Bilbao". Someone recently else posted the same question.

"Barcelona to Bilbao by car--Rte. suggestions and special not to miss places"

You can also check out Maribel's Guides to Barcelona and the Basque Country for a little more information (http://maribelsguides.com).

I have been in Besalu and Girona, and in that general area. Most of all, I loved the town of Vic with its INCREDIBLE museum. There is a marvelous looking parador near Vic that was booked up when I tried to stay there.

On the Costa Brava, I think Callela de Palafrugell is unsurpassed for charm. I was very taken with the Roman ruins at Empurias.

I very much liked the historic quarter of Girona, although around the cathedral area it is quite packed with coach tours of mainly Spanish tourists.

Besalu is nice, with two very good restaurants -- one by the bridge and the other in the main square with the historic abbey. But Besalu didn't blow me away.

I highly recommend that you get the Rough Guide to Costa Brava because it has excellent descriptions of many of these smaller medieval towns to help you plot your journey. (I'm blanking on their names. Pals is one.) You can get it immediately from Amazon. It's really helpful, as it includes much of the foothills of Cataluyna. I tried to do an itinerary over the internet, and reading the Rough Guide solved all my problems.

Be sure you alot enough time for San Sebastian. I found Bilbao, including the Guggenheim, not very interesting.

When I combined the Basque country with Catalunya I traveled through France and the French Pyrenees, not Spain. So I never got much above the Val di Nuria in the Spanish Pyrenees. Many of these high mountain passes are spectacularly beautiful, but they are very time consuming.

have a great trip!

strass,
I'm afraid I haven't included any info in those guides regarding the drive from Barcelona to Pamplona (yes, it does deserve a stop!) or about the Costa Brava itself, but lots of folks have posted great info here.

For me, the prettiest, most interesting and least spoiled stretch of the Costa Brava is btwn the market town of Palafrugell and the hill town of Begur-the little, pine covered, somewhat isolated coves (calas) of Sa Riera, Sa Tuna, Aiguafreda, Aiguablava and the 3 charming fishing villages in a row: Calella de Palafrugell, Llafranc and Tamariu.

Don't know your budget, but if you're looking at turismo rural properties, I'll just assume it's under 100€ (if not, I'll adjust my recommendations accordingly).

If something cozy, romanic and relaxing with great food appeals, consider the small Hotel Sa Rascassa in the scuba cove of Aiguafreda.
www.hotelsarascassa.com

Or one of the family run hotels in Llafranc
Hotel Llevant
www.h-llevant.com

Hotel Llafranch
www.hllafranch.com

Hotel Casamar
www.hotelcasamar.com

But in October the 4 star Hotel/Restaurant Sa Punta on the large, flat beach of Platja de Pals (this area is a favorite of German tourists) has rooms for 100€, a bargain.

From this stretch of the coast you can visit the charming medieval towns of Pals, Peratallada (my favorite), Monells and the Iberian settlement at Ullstret.

Most of the turismo rural properties up here, called a "casa de pagés", are inland-either in tiny villages or in isolated areas with gorgeous mountain visitas.
www.toprural.com is a great resource

If you're interested in an inland spot, consider the "Can Felicià" in tiny Beuda, in the lovely, lush extinct volcancic region of La Garrotxa, btw. Figueres and Olot.
www.canfelicia.com

From here you can visit the medieval villages of Besalú, Santa Pau and Rupit, my favorite, just stunning! And only 35 km. from Girona.
Or in Besalú itself, there's the "Els Jardins de la Martana".
www.lamartana.com

It's also represented by Inns of Spain, which has several hotels of charm in the Girona province. www.innsofspain.com

On your route from Barcelona to Bilbao there are hundreds of fascinating places to visit, depending on the route you choose and the number of days you have to spend. I just took the drive from Huesca to Bilbao, visiting castles, medieval monasteries, gorges, dramatic mountain valleys, medieval bastide towns and have travelled the eastern portion as well doing the same. If you can identify the spots that most appeal to you, there's lots of info here from fans of that route through western Catalunya, Aragón, Navarra.

You can do the drive in one day, spend a couple of days in one particularly scenic spot, take a week, a month, or I could take a lifetime!
There's spectacular scenery most everywhere you look!

Could you give us your approximate lodging budget, your route and the # of days you have to spend on that section so as to help you better?

For travel guides, the Cadogan Northern Spain, Cadogan Bilbao & the Basque Lands, Footprint Northern Spain and the Rough Guide Pyrenees are good resources to take along.

Hi ness,
Our posts just crossed. I have to get to the museum in Vic some day...I love Romansque.

strass,
I second nessundorma's rec. of the Rough Guide Costa Brava and will add another, the Thomas Cook "Drive Around Catalonia and the Spanish Pyrenees", which has terrific touring routes. I'm a big fan of these T. Cook "Drive Around....." guides for touring by car.

I'll also second the peaceful and beautiful setting of the Val de Nuria for a day trip from the Garrotxa, as will others here. It's a spectacular trip up on the cogwheel train, "tren cremallera" from Ribes de Freser. www.valldenura.com

There's a fantastic restaurant in Besalú, Els Fogons de Can Llaudes, I think the one ness is refering to-both it and the Els Jardins are recommended in my very reliable Campsa guide.

And in addition to Vic, I would certainly visit the Monastery of Santa María in Ripoll-one of the great treasures of catalán Romanesque art.
And I loved the Greco-Roman ruins of Empuriès, which is a day trip
from your perch on the Costa Brava (arrive when it opens at 10)

Thanks for kindly writing such informative replies! We've taken out a few guidebooks from the library (including Rough Guides Pyrenees and Footprint Northern Spain, actually) and have been reading lots of posts on Fodor's and TripAdvisor, but it's great to receive these kinds of recommendations from people who know the area.

Thanks, Maribel, for the link to Inns of Spain. The Hostal Blau in Peratallada looks especially appealing... it looks like a good base for exploring both beaches and medieval towns! I'd also been looking at Can Massa (via toprural.com) in La Pera: http://en.toprural.com/ficha/es.cfm/idp/17/ids/1090.htm. But the Hostal Blau might be a better location. We're looking to keep lodging under 100 Euro/night, if possible.

Our tentative plan is to spend two or three days in Barcelona, then pick up a car and head to the Costa Brava/Girona area, spending a few days there exploring. Of course, after that we'll only have about four or five days left... so we'll head up to San Sebastian, making one or two stops along the way. Our plan was to arrive in Bilbao the night before our flight home.

I suppose one question I have at this point is: what would be a good stop between the Girona region and San Sebastian? Perhaps an overnight in Pamplona?

My great-grandmother is from Canga de Onis and my great-grandfather is from Santander, and I'd love to see those, too, but there just isn't enough time... darn American vacations.

Thanks again!

Hi maribel

I have a similar request. Lodging mostly in hostals. Going from Barcelona north to Cabo de Creus and then towards San sebastian and back. We will rent a vehicle. My major concern during the trip will be photographing lighthouses, landscapes, mountains and villages.
bob swanson

OOOOOOPs!! I will have 2 weeks.
BS

I'm just popping in to say that Peratallada is the well-preserved medieval town I was trying to think of (and filled with restaurants, so plan for a meal there). While it is something of a haul to get there, Rupit is unique.

hi strass,
Your relatives are from wonderful parts of Northern Spain! Someday you'll have another time to visit Santander and Cangas de Onís in the heart of the Picos de Europa too.

I think Hostal Blaus is a better location, only because I find Peratallada so genuine, so charming. La Pera is close for touring too, but Peratallada is the real deal.

In Peratallada I only know Hostal La Riera (the 1st to open) and Hotel El Pati on the plaza, but any lodging in Peratallada has to be nice, particularly if it's a property represented by Inns of Spain.

Between Girona and San Sebastián, you can stop in Pamplona for your last night
(low rates at "our" hotel, the very comforable AC Ciudad de Pamplona, where we spend 10 days every yr., or at the Maisonnave in the Old Quarter, but there you'll need to pay for garage prk.)

With only 4-5 days for your trip:

Before Pamplona, I'd urge you to stop mid- way in the Aragonese Pyrenees, in the province of Huesca, in one of two places where we've just been.

Either in the atmospheric medieval village of Aínsa, at the Hotel de los Siete Reyes right on the square (a Rusticae property that Inns of Spain represents)...

Or venture further up into the Pyrenees to the spectacular Tena Valley-mountains and reservoirs and unforgettable vistas-to the tiny town of Lanuza to another Rusticae inn, La Casueña, right at the edge of the reservoir. Inns of Spain can also book this for you because it's a member of Rusticae.
It has a nice review on Trip Advisor as well and has been reviewed in the travel section of El País.
www.lacasuena.com

The big folk festival of the Pyrenees was just held in Lanuza in July. What a stunning venue. We wished we could have stayed to hear the folks from the Buena Vista Social Club.

To make a stop in the Huesca province of Aragón, I'd take the following route from Girona:

To Lanuza:
A7 to Matorell, then A2 through Lleida to N240 to Huesca then up N330 to Lanuza.

To Aínsa:
A7 to A2 to N240 to Barbastro, then N123 to A 138 to Ainsa.

Hope this gives you some ideas.
We recently spent 3 days in the Tena Valley, daytripping to Aínsa and the National Park of Ordesa (at Torla) and were captivated, once again, by the gorgeous scenery.

Hi Bob,
For the Costa Brava, look at the places strass has identified on www.toprural.com
There are plenty of choices there for under 50€

Please purchase the invaluable Michelin regional maps #573 and #574 before you leave. They're priceless.

For the drive to San Sebastían through the Girona, Lleida, Huesca, Navarra provinces, think about stops in the following either going to or returning:

Barcelona province, right on border of Girona province, actually:

Rupit (just up the C 153 from Vic-not that hard a drive-I've done it twice)
at the Hostal Estrella
www.hostalestrella.com

I was so enamored of this medieval village that I bought the video at the hostal.

In Huesca province:

Aínsa, at any place in or around the square, plenty for under 50, check toprural for which gets the best client feedback.
www.villadeainsa.com


Or in Ansó at Posada Magoría
www.specialplacestostay.com

In Navarra:
Ochogavía at the Auñamendi, or any casa rural in the village-there are several

or Isaba at the Hostal Lola (ditto re casas rurales) or the Casa Garatxandi

On the route from Pamplona to San Sebastián take the N121 instead of the autoroute.
Stop in the Baztán valley in the village of Almandoz (exit marked on N121)
at the Posada Palacio Beola.
We take groups up here every July for a fantastic, gargantuan feast of authentic Navarran cuisine-a meal you'll remember forever- and it has very well kept rooms.
www.beola.com

Hi strass,
In Peratallada, there are several terrific restaurants, but the one that gets the "best" reviews (but the priciest) is Candelària.
www.candelaria.com

But there's also La Riera and the classic Can Bonay (their signature dish is goose with turnips-"oca amb naps" in catal&aacute

Thank you once again! I'm waiting to hear back from the Hostal Blau. And I will look into Ainsa and Lanuza, too.

In terms of buying a driving map/atlas, it sounds like Michelin is the best, right? Should we simply get their Spain/Portugal atlas? I see you recommended two regional maps for Bob.

I was lucky enough to see the Buena Vista Social Club here in Chicago a few years ago... they are absolutely amazing.

Hi strass,
I have both the Spain-Portugal Michelin atlas and all the regional maps.
I prefer not to take along the atlas, which I use mostly for pre-trip planning. just because I find the regional maps easier to use.

And I use www.viamichelin.com for driving directions, route planning.
And I do compare it with the others, such as www.mappy.com to check estimated driving times.
And www.guiacampsa.com (only for Spain and Portugal)

Bob..here's the lighthouse at Cabo de Creus...at Port Ligat near Cadaques,the Dali House only takes in 8 visitors at a time..so if you plan to visit, have your hostal call at least the day before.

http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cabo_de_Creus

Stu T.

Thanks again, maribel and tower.
BS

Hi Bob,
You might find this page useful for the Costa Brava portion of your trip.
www.costabravaguide.com