Madrid to San Sebastian
 

As part of a 3 week trip in the Spring, we will leave Madrid on a Monday and want to be in San Sebastian on the following Sunday giving us 6 days to explore the N Coast area. We are thinking of driving from Madrid to Santander and then spending 3 days there. Then perhaps drive someplace between Santander and San Seb for another 3 nights. We plan to visit Bilbao but were not thinking of staying there overnight. Does this sound reasonable? Any alternative suggestions as to where to spend the 6 days?
We enjoy museums, hiking, and good food!
Thanks

For hiking visit The Picos de Europa.
Santander is good base especially for the coast

Thanks. any suggestions for another destination on the coast on the way to San Seb?

I suggest that you do not change location every night or you will find you will not see anything.
Once up in the Picos stay a few days move on to SS. Distances are not so great and this plan will leave lots of time to explore the area.
So I do not have another suggestion for the coast. But others will do.

You can stop anywhere along the coast from Bermeo to Zarautz. The area is beautiful all year long, and especially so in the spring. A good base for three days would be the costal village of Getaria, a short drive from San Sebastian-Donostia.

yestravel writes: "... part of a 3 week trip in the Spring..."

I agree with ribeirasacra about the Picos de Europa for hiking, BUT, much will depend on how early in Spring we are talking about. The la Palomera buses from Santander terminate in Potes until 1 May; the Guardias de la Sierra have Snow rescue competitions around the first week of April.

If you're not going to stay in Bilbao overnight, consider Laredo or Limpias (South of Laredo) for an overnight. Last time I was there, a new Parador Naciónal was still under construction in Limpias.

The National park of Picos de Europa offers wonderful routes for hiking as Ribeirasacra already mentioned. The best season starts in April, but the highest peaks are free of snow only in late May or early June. The routes in the Valley of Liebana are very nice starting from late March.
Also the coast of Asturias and Cantabria offers lovely walking routes. There are charming towns like Llanes (Asturias), San Vicente (Cantabria) and Santoña (Cantabria), all with an easy access to walks. The routes on the coast are easier and usually they have wonderful views over the coast and sea.
You will find information on the routes from the Topwalks website http://www.topwalks.net/en/index.htm. The website offers route descriptions in English, maps, road maps, driving instructions, GPS waypoints and a lot of photographs, so you will get a good impression of the landscape. Then it is easier to choose between Picos de Europa and the routes closer to the coast.
Sierra de Cuera in Asturias is one of our favourites (the hikes start from Alevia, Arangas and Asiegu). The routes starting from San Vicente and Santoña (Cantabria) are even closer to the sea and there is no driving involved, if you are staying in those coastal towns.
The seafood is fantastic in this part of the country. Try also Asturian Cider (sidra natural asturiana) and Cantabrian Orujo and cheese varieties.

Lekeitio and Getaria are great small towns to stop or stay in. Also there is a network of farmhouses more like bed and breakfasts throughout the Basque country that sound great and can be in stunning peaceful locations looking out over the ocean. Make sure you leave enough time for San Sebastian. We spent five days there recently and would have loved five more.

Thanks 4 all the great information! We will be there mid May, so hopefully snow won't impede us.

ribeirasacra - Sounds like your suggestion for Picos de Europe for hiking will be great! Thanks! we don't plan to change every night, 2-3 nights and then possibly move on. We don't have a problem moving about, we pack light and it takes maybe 30 minutes to pack up and check out. We find that doing day trips every day is not our preferred style.

Robert2533 - I had checked out Getarai and I think we might want to be a bit further from San Seb. But we certainly will visit it out once in the area.

NEDSIRELAND --thanks for the suggestions 4 the towns. Will need to see where they are and read up on each one.

walksntalks -- Great web site and thanks for your suggestions. Need to look them up. Looking forward to the seafood and cheeses.

Egbert -- I've read your TR and appreciate all the tips u offered. At this point not sure how long we'll stay in San Seb, but we won't short it time. Been looking at Casa Rurales 4 places to stay. R there others u suggest?

In Potes, I stayed at Hostal Picos de Europa; well located and probably called a Hostal because there's no elevator or some such trivial shortcoming. For us, it was quite adequate even though the Owner's son (and Chef) had taken a job as Chef elsewhere, leaving the place without a 'full service' restaurant.

I brought cheeses (goat & others) from Potes to relatives in Madrid and they were very grateful. Orujo de Liebana is another local product that you can't buy anywhere else.

We will be in this area mid May. It's looking like we will stay in Santander for 3-4 days and then move on to Lekeito for 3 more days. I've been trying to find a site with weather/climate, but can't seem to locate one beyond the ones with close in forecasts. What is the weather like -- how cold or hot can we expect on the Coast? Thanks!

weather will be variable. take something of everything.

If you type on google "tiempo en lekeitio" you´ll get quite a number of pages with the local weather. Mid may is usually nice and warm. Lekeitio as a base is beautiful (I spent my youth summers there and it´s an unspoilt fishing village with three beaches) but may not be too convenient, as the curvy roads may be a hard time for you...and lengthy to move to other places. Zarautz is better communicated and at very close distance to beautiful places like Lekeitio, Deba, Zumaia, Oma Painted Forest, Getaria (an incredible walk by the sea), Donostia-SS,...

I only know nekatur.net. This was the source I used when I was looking for rural lodging in the Basque Country. Didn't end up renting one though because car rental was around $200 per day this past August! I have to say that as a lover of great beaches (my favorites are on Martha's Vineyard and Maui) The beaches in the Basque country are spectacular.

mikelg -- thanks, I'll google as u suggested. My queston onthe weatheedr relates mostly to theneed for air conditioning or not. As I've been looking at places to stay many comments are on lack of a/c. These appear to be related more to July, August weather as opposed to May. I'll look into Zarautz a a possible place to base for a couple days.

Egbert - thanks for the link, but it doesnt seem to be working! $299 per day, Yikes! We will rent a car b4 we leave the States and paick it up in MAdrid, so should have more reasonable rates.

A/C is not normally needed over here (Basque area), as temperatures normally don´t go over 25-30ºC (80´s). I know nobody that has it installed at home. That´s why many places don´t offer it. It won´t definitely be needed in May (you may even need some heating at night).

Try www.autoeurope.com, for cheap rates in rental cars.

thanks, Mike -- I figured that might be the case with the a/c. Yes, we use auto Europe or Kemwell all the time for our rentals and will do so this time also.
Still trying to figure out best place to stay along the coast. I looked at Zarautz and I feel like it is too far East and too close to San Seb where we will spend several days staing at a hotel in town. I'm hoping to find somethng a bit further West on the coast. any ideas?

If near the coast (do we consider inland as well?), you may want to stay near Bilbao (100kms to Santander west, 100 kms to San Sebastian east.)A good thing about Zarautz was its proximity to the highway. Further west, you may want to stay near Bilbao (www.palaciourgoiti.com), or check in www.nekatur.net or www.toprural.com for rural (excellent, with all the comforts) accommodation.

Gernika and its vicinity may be a good idea (close to the Urdaibai Biosphere Reserve, with wonderful places to see and stay).

I will repeat:
Llanes (Asturias), San Vicente (Cantabria), Santoña (Cantabria).
Those are to the west from País Basco.

walksntalks -- thank you 4 your suggestions. they all did look lovely. 2 are 2 far West and Santona is too close to Santander where we will be spending 3 nights. I am trying to be halfway between Santander and San Seb if possible. Since I've just begun looking I havent given up on that as a possiblity. I may have to change my mind if I cant find the "perfect" location!

mikelg. Yes the Bilbao vicinity is perfect in terms of distance between the 2 cities. Glad to hear its exacly between the 2! I have not used nekatur, so I need to spend some time on that site. I have found some nice places not on the coast thru toprural and palacio goiti looks reallly nice. So like my comment above, I may have to forego the coast. Time will tell.
I do appreciate everyone's ideas, so pls keep them coming. I think all the beautiful areas are presenting too many choices, but I've got time.

Castro Urdiales, close to the border between the provinces of Cantabria and Basque country, is another possibility. It has nice beaches and a scenic harbor. The Pico Cerredo walk starting from Islares is close by.
Castro Urdiales is not too far from Santoña where you find interesting walks along the cliffs with old light houses and fortresses.
In Basque country I like San Sebastian and Zarautz, but I was disapointed with Bilbao. I prefer villages and small towns. To me Oviedo (Asturias) and Santander (Cantabria) are nicer cities than Bilbao.

After reading about all the wonderful places that have been mentioned I'm rethinking how to spend our time. Bilbao has caught my interest such that I'm thinking of staying a couple days in Bilbao itself instead of doing it as a day trip from the coast. My question now is if we wanted to wander along the coast without reservations stopping where it strikes my fancy -- is this possible in Mid May? Will we be able to find places to stay without any reservations or is the area crowded during Mid May? thanks again!

There´s a wide choice of rural accommodations that, except at weekends, will for sure have a nice and cozy room for you (www.nekatur.net). May is not top season (take into account that the Basque Country, is, luckily, not a very touristy destination. Standard hotels will also probably have vacancies.

That sounds good! thanks again to all for your advice. Now on to planning the next portion of the trip...

Any ideas on places to visit in Bilbao outside of the 2 museums? I believe I read on this forum about a hanging bridge nearby? any other places u might recommend? What about restaurants or pintxo bars? thanks again!

On a short 20´ride on the metro, you´ll reach the Puente Colgante (www.puente-colgante.com, they finally renewed the web page), a World Heritage Monument,the first hanging bridge in the world and a unique thing to see. Climb to the top and enjoy the spectacular views. Used by locals, 365 days a year, 24 hours. 30 cents, one trip. Once there, you may want to see the Getxo beaches and mansions, a very nice promenade from the hanging bridge (that´s where I live, www.getxo.net).

Bilbao is very well linked to anywhere by public transport, in case you don´t have a car.

In Bilbao, take the funicular train to Artxanda to enjoy the best view of the city (it is completely surrounded by green mountains) and the sea, farther away. Left once you get out of the funicular train, to get to the mirador.

The Old Town, pedestrian, the original 7 streets + more that gave birth to Bilbao. Plenty of restaurants, shops and beautiful houses with coat of arms on the facade. I´d start in the Plaza Nueva. VEry lively on weekends.

The Gran Vía, main street, full of beautiful buildings.

Oh cool -- u live there -- no wonder you've had some great info. We will have a car. The bridges looks incredible and Getxo looks oh so charming.

I'm beginning to rethink the days spent where. We had planned on spending 3 days in Madrid where we have been several times b4. But I am now thinking maybe fly into Madrid, stay 2 nights to recover from Jetlag and then take off for the coast. So many decisions with so many interesting places to choose among.

sorry, forgot to mention, I´m a local...This area is quite "untouristy" so I think you´ll feel great visiting this area, so unknown to many.

Well, I did pick up when u mentioned earlier on that u vacationed or spent summers in Lekeitio, but didnt know if you were a local or not. We're really looking forward to visiting the area -- it sounds beautiful. The more I read, the longer I want to stay!

I want to have some places to choose from halfway between Bilbao and San Seb. We're still trying to have ones that will have a seaview.
Anyone familiar with these places? any thoughts on their location or the places themselves? Thanks as always,
1. Villa Itsaso?
http://www.hotelvillaitsaso.com/i/vi...ing_hotel.htm#
2. Itxas-Ertz
http://www.nekatur.net/itxasertz
3. Kurtxia
http://www.nekatur.net/Alojamientos....g=es-ES&Id=262

The three of them are outside Lekeitio but not too far. Parking in Lekeitio is a nightmare in summer, but not in spring. I like the first and the last one, one is on the east near the beach and the other on the west, towards the interior, both uphill (as everything in the Basque Country, but you do have a car, don´t you?).

Another two good options: Hostal de la Emperatriz, a hotel and spa resort at great, really great prices just on top of the beach, and great daily menu; the other is Hotel Palacio Zubieta,www.hotelzubieta.com, just on the limits of Lekeitio but close to town (I used to go for worms for bait on the river that encircles it...)

Thanks, Mike. Yes, we will be there mid week in May and we will have our car. Villa Itasas says it is only a 5 minute walk into Lekeitio. I will check the other two options, Hostal del la Emperatriz & Hotel Palacio Zubieta, that u mention.

Wow you're going to have a great trip. Please remember to post a report. I love Madrid but you'll probably be back there someday so spend two nights there and head straight to the Basque country for an extra night. I love that the Basque country is not crowded with tourists. Save a lot of money for food, etc. the Basque country is expensive!

Egbert--I sure hope its a great trip! I have been overwhelmed by the number of places to visit and the selection of what look like ownderful places to stay. Definitely looking forward to the food and wine.

Thanks everyone for all your suggestions. Right now it looks like after we stay around Santander we will stay in Hotel Miro in Bilbao and then 3 nights at Hotel Villa Itsaso. Then onto San Sebastian.