Galicia, Asturias or Basque Country
 

We are hesitating between the three regions for our next summer holiday. How do they compare?

We are a young couple with wide range of interests. We are planning to spend 7 to 10 days. We would like to spend a few days relaxing on nice beaches and then explore to see nice landscapes and historical places.

I suggest you have a look at the Picos.

For the beach go to Santander.

The Basque country has more to do and a broader variety of cuisine to choose from. Asturias or Cantabria are more suited for getting away from it all, either in the mountains or along the coast. They are quite historic, but completely different from the Basque country.

Galicia would be worth your time if you are interested in good wine, seafood and a beautiful, rugged, coastline.

We really enjoy the small fishing villages in Asturias. We've stayed 3 or 4 times in Ribadesella at the Villa Rosario, one of my all time favorite hotels, right on a lovely beach. Nearby Llanes is also a fun town as is san Vicente de la Barquera and Comillas. I think you could split your time between one base in Asturias (say, Ribadesella) and another in the Basque area. We enjoyed Castro Urdiales, Lekeitio and Mundaka there and there's always Bilbao or you could go even further East to San Sebastian or Hondarribia, Must warn you that some of the smaller towns can be pretty quiet, so if you're wanting some excitement and nightlife, you may want to go with the larger ones.

One of the most fun places we stayed in Basque country was St. Jean de Luz, France. It's a mid-size town with a lovely beach from which you could go to biarritz, Bayonne, Hondarribia and San Sebastian. We love the whole north coast of Spain and the French Basque area.

Cantabria?

Donostia-San Sebastian in the Basque Country has got some of the finest city beaches on the continent, it's the culinary capital of Spain if not all of Europe, and in 2016 San Sebastian is also European capital of culture: http://www.euskoguide.com/places-bas...stian-tourism/

Much more to the region 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

All three are great.
All three have what you are looking for.
All have something said to be the better over the other. Not an easy choice.
So pick one ask questions about that ONE.
Just plan to take it easy slow down and see more.

I visited northwestern Spain two years ago. Here is a link to my pictures. May help you decide where to go. The first pic in each city/town has the name written on it. If you play it in slideshow mode, you can see the text I have added on many of them.

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...n-pictures.cfm

Have fun planning!

Each has it's own charms. Galicia has beaches only gallegos go to. The nicest one being Islas Cíes.
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attractio...e_Galicia.html


Santander and Donostia are much better known and much more crowded. They attract visitors from other areas of Spain and outside of Spain.

I loved my trip to Galicia for food, wine and architecture (and I actually never made it to the most famous one), plus stunning coastal scenery and great inland historic towns. I also loved my trip the Basque coast, although I must say it was scenery and food rather than cultural attractions that most impressed me, but I only saw the fab coast.

I don't know where you are from but your question is like asking: Should I pick Wales, Scotland or Ireland? Or if you are more familiar with the US, rather like asking: Should I go to Florida, New Orleans or San Antonio?


Fortunately you have a few months to do some reading and make up your mind. Some places are better in June than July or July than in August or September, so which precise dates you are going in summer may tip the balance, depending on your specific likes and dislikes.

Thanks for all the answers.
You are right I think all three tick our boxes.
I think we will go with the gut feelings and Galicia.
Islas cies, Santiago and the natural parks real hits the spot.
Now is the exciting part of planning.

***Galicia has beaches only gallegos go to.***
That is unfortunately not true.

Galicia has beaches only gallegos go to.***
That is unfortunately not true.

Malpica
Bares
Lumeboo

If not all gallegos over 90%.

The Playa de Rodas in Islas Cies is very, very nice but there are plenty of others that fit the awesome category too. The Costa da Morte beaches like Rostro, Nemiña etc can be fairly deserted, even in summer. The immense Carnota and Louro beaches are fabulous. Also near Louro there's Corrubedo with its immense dune. North of Ferrol up to Cabo Ortegal you have the humungous Playa de Valdoviño, the dunes of Frouxeira and the cute Playa de Pantín. This last one is on the International World Surfing Championship circuit. Not all of them are apt for bathing due to undertow and dangerous currents but if it's wild, rugged beauty you're looking for you'll have found it. The Rias Baixas beaches like La Lanzada, San Vicente tend to get very crowded in summer but the Morrazo Peninsula on the south shore of the Ría de Pontevedra has some stunners too, like Barra, Melide, Menduiña etc. All these beaches I've mentioned are some the finest in the WHOLE country, a quick glance at the Galician coastline on Google Earth will confirm this. Add to this the best seafood in the world (according to Ferrán Adriá) and the magnificent Rias Baixas Albariño, Ribeiro, Ribeira Sacra, Monterrei and Valdeorras wines, who'd not want to come here? Amen.

IMDonehere. You're absolutely right. I challenge you to find a foreigner/madrileño on the Playa de Esteiro (Bares) even in the height of summer. You might get the odd 'despistado' caravanner, but it's 99,9% local. Bares was where Phoenician ships loaded up before their long voyage to the British Isles. They brought back tin. German U-boats also refuelled there during WWII (what neutrality?) and Hollywood flame Leslie Howard's plane crashed into the cliffs at San Andrés de Teixido, continental Europe's highest sea cliff at 2025ft. Need any more reasons?

Islas Cies voted as the best beach in the world, still not replaced by the chart composed by the English newspaper.
http://www.theguardian.com/travel/20...16/beach.top10
Esteiro is mainly known as a surfing beach too. Except a fair few non Spanish surfer dudes to partake in the good surf.
http://www.surf-forecast.com/breaks/Playade-Esteiro
Punta de Estaca de BaresBares near to the Bares (beach) playa is know to be one of the wettest locations in Europe
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Punta_de_Estaca_de_Bares


I did not Howard's plane crashed into cliffs. I thought the plane he was in was shot down over the Bay of Biscay, by German fighters.

Mactheknife60: that's a lot of suggestions thank you very much!

Here is some of what is available regarding Leslie Howard's death:

"June 1, 1943, British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC)/KLM Flight 777-A containing Leslie Howard, Chenhalls, and 11 other passengers took off from Portela Airport in Lisbon for Whitchurch Airport near Bristol, England. At 10:54 a.m., the airliner’s radio operator sent the message, “I am followed by unidentified aircraft … I am attacked by enemy aircraft.”

The plane was shot down over the Bay of Biscay (longitude 09.37 West, latitude 46.54 North) by Luftwaffe Junkers flying out of a German base near Lorient, France.