Hi,

We want to do a daily visit to As Catedrais beach from Bilbao; I know that it is a long one for a day trip but we do not have any option. I am planning to be there at 11:30am so that we can catch the low tide and spend 2hours there. And will come back to Bilbao at a slower speed. So question is that which cities we should visit? Gijon&Santander or somewhere much smaller. Thanks in advance.

Driving time will be over 4 hours, one direction, so you won't have too much time to visit something else.

Santander is on the way, and you might stroll through town - it is a quite elegant city.

A very picturesque small town a little west of Santander is Santillana del Mar, certainly worth a stop on your long drive. You may leave the motorway at San Vicente de la Barquera and drive the scenic coastal route to Santillana. http://www.santillana-del-mar.com/english/guide.htm

Not exactly what I would consider a day trip from Bilbao, even though the A-8 is a beautiful highway.

One day. Sorry but it is just not going to happen.
Living about an hour and a half south of the north coast of Galicia. This route takes me around 8 hours, with just one stop. I usually stop more often.
That would make your trip at least 6.5 hours each way. You may have to pre-book tickets as the authorises are worried about overcrowding. As of yet they have to announce how this is going to be policed.
Please forget the idea and enjoy the wonderful Basque country. There is a lot to see.

Sorry but that does not make any sense at all. It may take around 8 to 9 hours to get there. The northern coast of Spain is full of beautiful beaches, if you´re in Bilbao why not go to Mundaka, Elantxobe, Lekeitio...?? And San Juan de Gaztelugatxe for an awesome view...

You're talking about a 500 mile round trip along a coast road, not an 8 lane highway, so your average speed will probably be no more than 30/40 mph. Add in comfort stops and driving breaks. I understand the thought of wanting to see the rock formations in the area and if you want this sort of a trip then go for it, but it is a heck of a long drive. Your day might go something like:

You'd have to leave Bilbao no later than 5 or 6am to catch the tide at the beach, then you plan on leaving the beach at around 1:30pm. Do you then wander back via Gijon or Santander, presumably to eat and sightsee there--3hours plus travel time? Or do you head straight back to Bilbao? As long as you're prepared for so much driving and even better, have another driver who could take over and have no rush to be back in Bilbao before bed time, then it's doable. The return trip however, won't give you much time to see anywhere you stop in any depth. Where do you eat dinner?

Quote from above ***You're talking about a 500 mile round trip along a coast road, not an 8 lane highway,***
I wish to correct that:
The AP8/A8,it is not 8 lanes but 99.9% of the route can be covered by the Autovia (highway) which has little or no real traffic on it.
The last section is under construction and due to be finished a a year or so.

Apologies ribeirasacra, I wasn't aware that the whole of the Autovia was now open, apart from the last bit. Last time I was there in early 2013, it was still slow, lots of roadworks and had massively overrun its budget and because it's an autovia you still get slow traffic on it.

How long would you say that it now takes from Bilbao to Ribadeo?

Thank you all for the answers which convince my wife that we should not do this and spend the day in French part of the Basque region

Newspaper report on just how busy the playa de As Catedrais can get.
http://www.lavozdegalicia.es/noticia...8291248346.htm