San Juan de Gaztelugatxe on the Basque Coast, source, Flickr Creative Commons
Spain is such a culturally diverse, vibrant and enthralling country. It often feels like a dozen small countries rolled into one.
There is so much to see and do, which is why when people only go to the Big Four (my own invention) – Madrid, Barcelona, Sevilla and Granada – it thoroughly GALLS me! Granted, these are great cities, but are they my favorite cities in Spain? Um, nope. Not even close.
I like to think of myself as a certified Spain expert whereas my friends and probably many of you think I am a Spain know-it-all. What’s the difference really? I have lived in Spain for over 3 years in many different cities, I’ve got a lot to say on the matter. I’ve even written a post with 5 reasons to go to southern Spain, but now it’s time to shine the spotlight on my favorite region: the great green north.
Last year I lived in Logroño, the capital of itty bitty La Rioja wine country in the north, nestled in between Pamplona, Bilbao, Soria and Zaragoza. Two types of tourists come to La Rioja: wine snobs and people hiking the camino de santiago. Spaniards don’t even really know where it is, and I’ve elicited more than a few raised eyebrows when I said not only do I lived in Logroño, I freaking loved it!
In fact, I think northern Spain is really, REALLY under-appreciated and overlooked.
Boom. I’m throwing down the gauntlet (I’m looking at you, Andalucía), northern Spain is the best side of Spain. Northern Spain has the best food, wine, and landscapes on the entire Iberian Peninsula, I’ll just come out and say it. I’ve been everywhere except for Murcia, but I’m guessing that little region isn’t going to blow the entire northern coast out of the water. If you want to come to Spain and try something a little different, head north, not south.
Given its staggering diversity, it was hard to pick just 5 reasons to go to northern Spain, but I’ve narrowed it down to some of my favorite activities, some are well-known, some are not. Either way I hope to inspire a little spark in all of you to want to visit one of these places in the future.
Have you ever been to northern Spain? Would you go to some of these places after reading my tips here?
Cordillera Cantábrica, source
1. Discover San Sebastián and the Basque Coast
San Sebastian is the shining crown of northern Spain. Expensive and luxurious, it demands to be wined-and-dined. Donostia in Basque, the language spoken in this region, San Seb is probably one of the most visually-stimulating, mouth-watering treat of a city. It’s very well-known among Spaniards and Europeans but it’s often overlooked by tourists seeking the more “traditional” Spain, since well, the Basques don’t even consider it to BE Spain.
Only a few kilometers from France and situated on the playa de la concha beach (where I famously lost my bikini top), it’s also famous for it’s cuisine and basque pintxos (tapas). It’s a popular town and for a good reason. If you are going to go to one place in northern Spain, let it be San Sebastián.
Tip: San Sebastian is best visited in summer when you can enjoy the beaches and it’s warm enough to swim, otherwise the rest of the year it’s known for being foggy and rainy on the Basque coast. Best to rent a car and drive around the coast to Bilbao or up into Bayonne in France. So beautiful.
2. Visit a winery in La Rioja
I can’t write a list about northern Spain and leave out my favorite region! La Rioja is wine country, plain and simple. Red wine, full of fruit, body and flavor that costs next to nothing. In this tiny area, there are hundreds and hundreds of wineries to chose from, make a week of it. The best time to come is in the fall when the leaves change on the vineyards and you drive through miles of golden, red and yellow fields. Many wineries are located around Logroño and Haro, easily accesible by train or bus, otherwise you’ll need 4 wheels to get to them. Logroño, the capital of La Rioja was also named the gastronomic capital of Spain last year, which means you’ll eat very, very well.
Tip: The famous Wine Battle (Batalla del vino) takes place in Haro every summer in June and Logroño celebrates the wine harvest with a huge festival in September, San Mateo, both excellent times to visit the region.
3. Go hiking in Navarra
There is so much more to Navarra than 10 days in July for the Running of the Bulls at San Fermín in Pamplona. Overlooked, even by locals, Navarra is one of my favorite regions in Spain for its anonymity, beauty and diversity. This summer I spent teaching in English camps in different villages around Navarra and I wasn’t disappointed. Navarra is at a crossroads between France, the Basque Country and the rest of Spain, so most of my students were trilingual. Talk about impressive.
My favorite discovery was this beautiful park called Urederra. Famous among locals but completely unknown to outsiders, it is a series of pools, creeks and waterfalls in the woods and mountains with the most sparkling cerulean blue water you have ever laid eyes on. Strikingly similar to Lake Plitvice in Croatia, it’s on a smaller scale, more enclosed within the forest and utterly secret. Read more about it here.
Tip: You have to go by car and there aren’t many places to eat nearby so it’s a good idea to bring a picnic. It’s most beautiful in the summer in the sunshine, but it’s also nice in the fall when the leaves change.
4. Make the pilgrimage to St. James’ Cathedral in Galicia
Galicia is perhaps one of the most overlooked regions in Spain, I think because it’s so remote. Nestled in the top left corner of the Iberian Peninsula, it’s green, rainy and very different from the other regions, so different in fact they have their own official language, gallego, and Spaniards tend to harken it to Ireland for it’s Celtic history and diverse landscape. If people have heard of it, mostly likely it’s because of its famous city, Santiago de Compostela, where the apostle St. James is supposedly buried.
Source, Flickr Creative Commons
Since the early middle ages, the Camino de Santiago (St. James’ Way) has been the most trafficked pilgrimages in Europe. To walk the whole way from the French-Spanish border takes at least a month, though it’s very popular to walk bits and pieces, or even cycle it. I haven’t walked the camino yet, but it’s at the top of my to-do list, though I have made a pilgrimage of sorts to Santiago 5 years ago on an 8 hour overnight bus from Salamanca, pure hell. Between the beautiful medieval city, the rugged coastline, and the unique food, Galicia is a worthy destination all on it’s own.
Tip: there are many domestic flights into Santiago, making it a great weekend getaway from Madrid, Barcelona or the rest of Europe. Galicia is also next door to Portugal and beautiful Porto with plenty of buses and trains in between.
Source, Flickr Creative Commons
5. Explore the famous Picos de Europa mountains in Asturias
I have never actually been to these mountains but from I have heard from friends and their photos, they are just incredible. And let’s be honest, when are mountain ranges ever disappointing? Asturias holds a special place in my heart, a place I have been dreaming about in Spain for almost a decade and one I will wait until I have enough time to do it justice. Apart from being home to beautiful cities like Gijón and Oviedo (Vicky, Christina, Barcelona anyone?) Asturias is famous for it’s unique green landscape, delicious cider, beautiful coastline and uh-mazing mountains known as los Picos de Europa (the Peaks of Europe). Renting a chalet in these mountains is at the top of my summer to-do list, who’s with me?
Tip: Asturias can be rainy so it’s best in the summer. Make sure to visit Oviedo and try the famous Asturias cider and cider dishes. Be sure to visit Covadonga, where the first successful battle against the invading Moors began the Reconquest of Spain by the Christians in 722.
Source, Flickr Creative Commons
About the author
For those who have lived or been to Asturias for; is Spanish commonly/mostly spoken or is Asturiano the main language of day to day life? Looks like I may be moving there in September so just curious about language use there.
¡Saludos!
Michael,
I just saw your comment about moving to Spain-Asturias being one consideration. I was born and raised in the US, but spoke Spanish at home and did not learn English until I was 6.
When I went there to visit family in September/October of 2013, it was my first trip to Spain
I posted above a bit about my background in an earlier post on this site..
I had no problem communicating with any of my family there!! They have a little accent in some words that vary from the pure Castillian, but it isn’t anything you can’t understand. They have some different words for things also, but if you ask and they explain (briefly) you will know right away what they mean
As far as where to live….my husband and I definitely plan to move to Asturias in about 4-5 years. I did not get to Rioja, so I can’t answer that portion. I can tell you the food, restaurants, the mountains—EVERYTHING about Asturias was awesome. I stayed in Aviles, but did get to travel to several destinations within 2 hours of there. As far as prices for restaurants, food, items I purchases, I thought they were reasonable. I took my blow dryer and my flat iron, but I had purchased the incorrect adapter here in the States. When my aunt realized this she told me not to worry. She said I would just go to the peluqueria (hair salon-you probably knew the word) with her. I had my hair washed, styled and flat ironed as well as having a french manicure every week. I almost fell over when they asked me for 10.50 Euros!!!! That was dirt cheap! Here I would pay about $39.00 for the wash, style, flat iron and then an additional $$5.00 for the French manicure on top of the regular price for a manicure of $18-22. I know you don’t plan on having this service done, but it was a good comparison I could use re: prices. I found prices in restaurants pretty reasonable as well especially since you have so many courses. You can do the math!
At the airport the food was pricey, but I find that typical in airports anywhere in general. The airport I had a longer wait was in Madrid. They have an airport in Aviles and in Oviedo which is about 20 minutes from Aviles, but did not get food there so I can’t say anything about those locations.
As far as housing, I can’t really tell you. The mountains are fabulous and the seafood was incredible. One tip: You should buy your seafood from Tuesday through Saturday. The reason is because these are the days the fish is straight “off the boats”. If you buy it on Monday you are buying Saturday’s fish and the boats do not go out on Sundays thus the Tuesday start day in the week. I am telling you this because my relatives were adamant about buying the fish this way.
You can walk almost anywhere you wish. I walked downtown almost daily in Aviles and did a lot of walking to places in Oviedo (relatives there as well).
I hope some of this information is helpful to you. Of course, there are other “towns” other than Aviles and Oviedo. I visited many of them as we were driving and they were all nice. Some get more rural such as Arlos. Bottom line is that I liked every place along the way and have no reservations about moving there. I am so ready to go back, but have to wait a bit.
I do not have my Spanish keyboard on this computer so please excuse the accent marks. Before I finish you asked about improving your Spanish–you will sooner than you think. As I said, I had no problems, but I have a couple cousins who only spoke very limited Spanish and they picked it up very quickly when they were there visiting.
Best of luck to you. If you don’t mind I would love to hear what you decide. You might have other questions, but I tried to keep it to what you wanted to know.
Thank you so much for taking the time to reply to me in depth Valerie, very much appreciated.
I actually have decided after reading many other amazing experiences of life in Asturias to make it my first preference for where I’d like to move to. Now it just lies in the hands of the Spanish goverment as to whether that will be come a reality (hoping so!!). But if I don’t get assigned there this year, then I’ll reapply to be assigned there the next. Sounds like a truly magical place.
Will definitely make sure only to have seafood between Tuesday and Saturday also. Thanks for the tip! And also nice to hear that the Spanish there doesn’t differ too much from what they’re speaking in Madrid and that I’ll be able to get by without a problem.
Thanks again Valerie.
Hi! Can you recommend any small family owned vineyard/wineries to visit? I speak spanish and can contact for an appointment if necessary! Thanks! 🙂
Hi Liz – Just happened on your site looking for info on N Spain – really inspirational so ‘thanks for sharing’ as I believe the young people are saying these days.
We’re arriving in Santander from UK on the 02/04/14 with a car and have a week to get to Pau for a choral event.
Obvs we were going to go to Bilbao and San Seb but what else might you suggest in that time – Rioja winery definitely a favourite (can you recommend) but not sure what the weather will be like for walking. Asturias looks beautiful and we’re very in to walking – are maps easy to find?
Also, should I be looking for a Basque phrasebook? – pronunciation looks a nightmare. Would the Basques prefer English to Castillian?
Thanks again and keep it up!
Spanish is my first language, but I live in the USA. I FINALLY went to Northern Spain (Aviles) to visit family in September-October 2013. I was there for 6 weeks. I did get to see other areas in Northern Spain. Loved Oviedo-have family there as well, but I love Aviles, Asturias, Spain! I would love to move there. I did spend some time in Cudalliero-beautiful! I have two cousins who live In Aviles, but each have places in Cudalliero. The pictures above are beautiful! Northern Spain is indeed very green and yes–there are beautiful mountains. I am so ready to go back, but have to save up for my next trip.
Just a note-probably not of much interest to many, but both sets of grandparents were from Spain and my parents both born in US, but Spanish as well. It took me many years to get to Spain mostly because of my profession. Never could get more than 2 weeks off at a time and that was not enough time to meet my family. Only a distant cousin still living in Andalusia so I did not get to Southern Spain.
I would highly recommend seeing Northern Spain if you have a chance!! Sorry for those who do know Spanish–not using the computer with my Spanish keyboard so any “mark”s above letters, etc. are obviously missing).