Hi,

My husband an I are hoping to travel around Spain for a week or two this summer. We've both been to Madrid, Barcelona and Seville. We're hoping to rent a car and visit some smaller gems, spending some time on the beach and discovering parts of the country we haven't yet seen. We both speak Spanish.
Does anyone have recommendations for a route--where to fly into and what spots to hit? I think part of the fun will be planning as we go but I'd like to start thinking about flights and what area we'll be in.

Thanks!!

You might want to consider the area from San Sebastian to Santiago de Compostela.

Agree with Michael. Discover the northern coast.
http://www.greenspain.org/

Any idea what would be the most convenient (and least expensive) airport to fly into? Thanks!

The above recommendations are good. But you do not need a car in San Sebastian or in Santiago. In fact in most Spanish cities a car is an inconvenience.

Check these airports: Bilbao (BIO) or Santiago de Compostela (SCQ)

I would stay in smaller county inns, www.toprural.com or smaller towns where you can find hotels outside the main drag, and go into the larger cities as day trips.

Northern Spain is also where I would suggest during that time frame. You will not be disappointed. Also check out the paradors with ample time. become an amigo de los paradores and get free parking at their places.

Another vote for the Basque Country. Lots of excellent little villages along the coast between San Sebastián and Bilbao. Also lots of nice places to explore both inland and further west towards Cantabria, Asturias and Galicia. Fabulous Green Spain! http://www.greenspain.org/

I've been to San Sebastián almost every year since the late 1980's, and to me it's no wonder that the city has been a favourite for Spanish visitors since the 19th century. Excellent food, great beaches, beautiful landscape and a living culture that people take great pride in.
http://marshlands.blogstream.com/

Read native Mikel's blog about the region. Lots of excellent info and suggestions.
http://mugalari.wordpress.com/2010/0...e-basque-area/
Some Bilbao tips: http://mugalari.wordpress.com/2010/0...ably-never-go/

And you should strongly consider visiting small Lekeitio on the coast: http://mugalari.wordpress.com/2009/11/23/lekeitio/

Fly into Bilbao.
http://www.aena.es/csee/Satellite?Si...Language=EN_GB

... and perhaps go to medieval and beautiful Oñati, inland between Bilbao and San Sebastián.
http://www.oinati.eu/turismo/turismo?set_language=es

And you'll get the best steak in the world in Casa Julián in Tolosa some 25 km inland from San Sebastián.
http://www.casajuliandetolosa.com/PAGINAS/entrada.html
http://11870.com/pro/casa-julian-tolosa

About Tolosa: http://www.tolosakoudala.net/es/html/index.shtml

Absloutely fantastic fish and seafood in the harbour area of the small fishing village Getaria, close to San Sebastián. Several great restaurants, and Elkano is the most famous and most expensive: http://thepauperedchef.com/2007/12/elkano-in-getar.html

Go for the world famous pintxos in San Sebastián. Affordable and fun way to eat fantastic food. Info and suggested routes at http://www.todopintxos.com/home/home.php

Mich, to answer your question about which airport is convenient (and least expensive) is going to be hard to give an answer too.
This is because we don’t know where you are flying from or the exact time of year Summer covers a few months. The main airports which have connections to the US is either Barcelona or Madrid. However you could also consider connections via other European cities like London or Paris etc. if you did that then you can fly to lot of more local Spanish airports.
Skyscanner is said to be a good website for finding bargains.
If you are only planning a week (7 days) it would be best to stick to the port of entry plus a shore time to part of Green Spain. If you choose Galicia I can help more with the planning as I live and work here. Others are far more qualified to post advice about The Basque country then me.

PS a lot of suggestions are only talking about begin city based, please do not forget to visit the countryside too!

Thanks so much for all the info.
Aduchamp mentioned not needing a car in San Sebastian or Santiago--is it possible/recommended to travel the region by train/bus instead of car? I just assumed it would be easier to reach less traveled areas with a car but I'm sure it will be pricey to rent.

Excellent public transportation in the area, but a car would of course give you much more freedom to explore less traveled areas. I think I would have preferred a car if for example Bilbao, Oñati, Tolosa, San Sebastián, Getaria and Lekeitio was on the menu for a two weeks roundtrip (and that would be some tour!). But perfectly doable by bus.

... and if you go to Getaria, you might stay in one of these places (never stayed myself, but they all look fabulous):

Hotel Saiaz: http://www.saiazgetaria.com/

Hotel Itxas Gain:
http://www.booking.com/hotel/es/itxa...d508b3755eb2f7

or a bit inland,
Hotel Ituregi: http://www.hoteliturregi.com/

for inexpensive car rentals lately we have found goldcar.com to come up with some amazing deals.

I, personally, love the freedom of a car. Sure, you will have to pay for parking in the big cities, but it will be a Joy to take you, as you have mentioned, to more out of the way places at your leisure.

You could fly or take a train to one of the larger cities, Santiago/San Sebastian, and from there when you finish pick up a car.

Visiting Spain and using public transport may be not to everyone’s taste.
You will loose a great deal of flexibility and the ability to get to see some of the hidden nooks and crannies. You may also have to leave a location you wish you had more time for if you take public transport.
Public transport buses between cities in Spain usually take the highways, thus you do not always see the prettiest side of Spain.
A disadvantage of a car is you should allow time to travel in between locations do not plan say a 5 hour drive and not allow time for breaks. You will end up rushing around
Yes a car maybe more expensive but is it? If you look around the web and find a small enough car you will be surprised at costs. What about carting all of your luggage around. You should choose a hotel near bus or train stations for convenience. If not add possible taxi fares into your monetary equations then see if P.T. is cheaper.
Buses usually run between major cities trains do too but the amount of tracks laid is not so much as one would think.
The Northern coast has a narrow gauge train service running it’s entire length. However this service is not very frequent. So check the FEVE website for details before choosing to use this one.

You don't need a car, they are very expensive in the summer and the euskotren, and bus sytems are great. Everybody thinks they have time to explore quaint out of the way places but the truth is a week or two on the North coast will fly by before you have time. I can spend a week in San Sebastian before I even want to leave town. If you want to go all the way to Santiago I might spend 5 nights in San Sebastian a night in Lekeitio, a couple in Santander before traveling to Santiago for 2 or 3 nights. This might leave you a night or two in the Picos de Europa, Burgos or Leon.

I have visited the Basque country several times - both with a car and other trips relying on public transportation. If possible I'd rent a car as it is much easier to explore. We had lunch at a restaurant in the hills above Durango recommended to me by my Basque friend who lives in Bilbao. It would have been nearly impossible and extremely time consuming to get there by bus - 3 buses with long wait time between which would take up the majority of an entire day. Visiting the painted forest of Oma would have been another challenge with a bus versus car. However, if you starting your trip in a larger city I'd hold off on the rental until I was leaving.

Alot also really depends on your itinerary. If you are sticking with just the larger cities and villages public transportation could work - you just need to be flexible on your time to coincide with the bus schedules.

Yes to drive to smaller inland places and to explore wineries in La Rioja you do need a car.

A few years ago, we flew to Santiago, spent two nights there, and then rented a car and drove across the northern coast as far as Santander. We included a two nights at Canga del Onis, at the parador, a night in Vivero, a night in Cudillero and a night in Santillana. With a car we were able to be spontaneous.

The scenery on that trip was some of the most beautiful I've seen in Europe. The food was spectacular. The beaches that we saw in Asturias were superb--wide crescents of white sand, clam water, not overbuilt...I would love to return in summer and rent a little house near there!

This is all to say that this would be an unforgettable trip. We did not get as far as San Sebastian on that trip, but have visited on other vacations. Its reputation is well deserved, in my opinion. With a week, our time was very limited and we barely scratched the surface...

Look:


http://www.spain.info/export/sites/s..._t2700328a.jpg


http://www.google.com/images?hl=en&q...w=1189&bih=751


http://sobrecantabria.com/2009/10/22...por-cantabria/