Northern Spain
 

Guess we have been to just about all of Spain except for the far Northwest. Last year made it as far as the Picos de Europa/Potes. Want to see the rest of Cantabria and then Asturias and Galacia. Will be traveling by car in September; have about 2 weeks to devote to this part of our journey. Any suggestions will be MOST appreciated. Many thanks.

I'll be following along, also thinking of NW Spain in the fall.

There is a lot to see between Bilbao and Santiago when traveling along the north coast. Starting in Sandander, you could easliy take a week to see everyting around Cangas, Covadonga, Lastres, Villaviciosa (for a visit to Sidra El Gaitero) and Gijón, before ending up with a couple of days in Oviedo.

Oviedo celebrates Americas Day (Latin America) on the 19th (the actual date has yet to be confirmed for 2015), followed by the Fiesta de San Mateo.

There is a festival in Ampuero (Cantabria) that runs from the 5th to the 21st of September you might be interested in.

Try to see Altamira II, Lugo, and when you get to Santiago try to get to the Costa da Morte, despite the name quite beautiful.

I want to see the painted trees on my next trip there:

http://treewhispers.com/2011/03/16/forest-of-oma/

I loved northwestern Spain! Spent 3+ weeks there in August 2013.

Here are my pics from that trip. Each location is marked on the first pic of that location. If played in slide show mode, you can see the descriptions on many of the pics.

https://plus.google.com/u/0/photos/1...93457?sview=26

Hope it helps you decide where to visit!

Suggestions will depend on your interests.You are not giving us any clue as to what they are.
These 2 weeks how much time does that mean you have for the trip. I mean minus allowance to get over jet lag and time spent at port of entry and exiting Spain?

Hi Joann -

I have run through your slideshow. Will do so again making notes. Please do not withdraw. You have done an excellent job and given us many good ideas. Your picture content is very good and your captions add the proverbial "frosting" to the cake. Have a great Memorial Day weekend. Kind regards,
Richard and Mary Shaw/Chicago.

To those who have taken the time to reply/comment, thank you VERY much - notations have been made. And,of course, all of you have a GREAT holiday. Stay safe and be well!

Hi Richard and Mary,

Sorry that the pictures somehow became 'private'. I have made them public again. Must have been something that Google did at some point.

Thank you very much for your compliments! I hope the pictures can help you decide where you would like to go.

I enjoyed northwestern Spain very much! It is beautiful... great sites, great food and great people.

Happy planning.

I hope you too have a wonderful Memorial Day weekend.

If you go to Santiago, a wonderful place to stay is their Parador. We were there last month.

I have a very soft spot for Llanes, great scenery and excellent food (as in all of Northern Spain): http://en.llanes.com/

In Llanes you should have the typical and hearty fabada bean stew, and be sure to dig in on percebes (goose barnacles) or any other goodies directly from the sea at Casa del Mar: http://www.tripadvisor.es/Restaurant..._Asturias.html

And in Llanes, you are not far from the Cangas de Onis parador: http://www.booking.com/hotel/es/para...nis.en-gb.html
http://www.parador.es/es/paradores/p...cangas-de-onis

I agree with Kimhe's suggestion to try barnacles for a meal. The waiter can show you how to twist them so you can get the meat out and not get "squirted". I thought they tasted like shrimp and our US friends were so surprised that we tried them.

The Cangas de Onis Parador is a good suggestion, too. It was originally founded as a monastery in 700 AD and is now a beautiful hotel. We love staying in paradors when we go to spain and the best rates are found at www.parador.es rather than going through a third party. Great rates for seniors, too, and specials if you stay in paradors for 5 nights (it can be a combination of paradors). Enjoy your trip to Northern Spain. It's one of our favorite places to visit.