Northern Spain self drive holiday
12 nights at premium hotels, daily breakfast, carrental, entrance to Guggenheim.
Digital travel guide with recommendations for restaurants, sightseeing, driving directions and much more. Optional: Extended stays.
Description of Northern Spain self drive holiday
This Northern Spain self drive holiday is an exceptional journey through some of Europe’s most spectacular landscapes.
Over the course of two weeks you’ll travel through the mountain scenery of the Picos de Europa National Park in Cantabria to the gorgeous beaches close to Santander, the famed wine region of Rioja with its rolling hills a tapestry of fragrant grapevines, and the modern metropolises of Bilbao and San Sebastian, whose gastronomy and art are respected worldwide.
The beauty of a self drive holiday, of course, is that you have complete freedom to pull over whenever you want to take in the views, or to take a detour as you please. Rustic country hotel, often locally owned, await you every evening and offer comfortable lodgings as well as a charming introduction to this region’s distinctive cultural identity.
Another major attraction of taking a northern Spain self drive holiday is the fuel – not for the car, but for you. The cuisine of this region is renowned, especially the pinxtos of Bilbao and San Sebastian. Meals in Cantabria and the Basque Country can be a wonderfully languid affair as you experiment with different dishes and pair them with local wines.
Two weeks is the ideal duration for touring northern Spain by car, as it allows you to really immerse yourself in the region, its landscapes, culture and cuisine. Coastal communities await with their hidden beaches and whitewashed houses, as do the world-famous artworks of the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, and the peaks of the Picos de Europa, a revered hiking destination. How you choose to spend your days is entirely up to you. But recommendations you can trust are never far away.
And don’t forget that this is a tailor made itinerary – you can adjust the itinerary according to your own schedule and interests. Want to spend a few more days in San Sebastian? Who could blame you? Or have a little more time for wine-tasting in Rioja perhaps. Just say.
Price information
12 nights at premium hotels, daily breakfast, carrental, entrance to Guggenheim.
Digital travel guide with recommendations for restaurants, sightseeing, driving directions and much more. Optional: Extended stays.
Departure information
Travel guides
Reviews
3 Reviews of Northern Spain self drive holiday
Reviewed on 05 Oct 2022 by David Lomita
Burgos was a revelation. Very pretty small town that had much to do and was great to walk through. Read full reviewReviewed on 09 Oct 2018 by Matthew Lee
We enjoyed many elements of the holiday. The city highlight was probably the Guggenheim area in Bilbao... Enjoyable & relaxing. We had good weather which, as always, is a great help. Read full reviewReviewed on 21 Sep 2015 by Fay Cruz
It was great and will recommend to my family and friends. There are so many things to discover and the only way to see them is via driving....so if more people will opt to do a self-drive tour...more tourist will go to the area. Read full reviewResponsible Travel
Planet
All of our travels are individual, tailor-made vacations, which basically give our guest the chance to discover Northern Spain their way.In many aspects Northern Spain is less developed, tourism wise, than southern Spain. This is, however, a considerable competitive parameter, as the experiences get unique. We spend a lot of time finding the most interesting, most knowledgeable and most service-minded partners in the area, to help us to give our guests truly exceptional holiday in Northern Spain.
This roundtrip is (initially) made in a smaller environmental friendly car. Some of the areas you visit are home to endangered animals, like birds and bears, and its important to be aware of each person's responsibility towards maintaining this unique environmental status of each area. Before your departure, you will receive a guidebook which includes guidance and requirements on how to get the most out of the experience and, at the same time, respect the animals and the nature.
Furthermore, its not only an interesting and authentic way to see Northern Spain, but at the same time you have the chance to support the local communities and their small-scale productions.
Using this approach, we are able to offer whale-, brown bear-, bird- watching, fishing from a fishing boat, collecting and preparing local food and gastronomy with ecological products, sustainable wine-tourism etc. Each local person assisting us, is truly enthusiastic about his/her field and by working with these people, we support the activity, the animals, the park or the local community, as most of the guides as well are archaeologists, ornithologists, geologists, restaurant owners, local farmers etc.
We are proud to be able to develop and support small societies and not least enthusiastic people that make a difference, and that support and commit to our environmental values.
People
Our guests typically look for a different experience and an alternative to large-resort-commercial-travels. The peacefulness, the small villages, the local food, “secret” beaches and amazing mountain hikes and not least 100% customised pilgrimage are keywords in our philosophy and daily work visiting and discovering new places for our guests.All of our guest receive, prior to departure, a comprehensive guidebook describing norms and hints, how to get the most out of their holiday.
In this guidebook we describe our recommendation on where to find local craftwork, where to find smaller interesting museums as well as tips for the larger ones.
We describe as well how to experience things, which are impossible to find for foreigners, like how and where to witness the local wildlife in a respectful manner.
Local gastronomy is an important part of the local culture, and across Northern Spain, the variety is great and very exciting. We intent always to be up-to-date on the best local restaurants, and we guide you through local dishes, wines etc.
Our office is located in the heart of Northern Spain, in the old historic town of León. Our prime focus is to show our guests the most authentic, most beautiful and loveliest parts of Northern Spain.
We always share our guest’s experiences with the hotel and other collaborations partners we work with, to help develop local tourism into a sustainable and healthy destination, that is differentiated from similar areas in Spain, Italy and France.
Its important for Us to give our guests an experience that is not reachable in other parts of Europe, though showing the real local life and hidden places. We cant wait to welcome you to Northern Spain.
Popular similar holidays
Spain tailor made holiday, Green Coast
From €950 - €1050 8 days excluding flights
Tapas, mountains, authentic charm, lovely towns and hotels
Altiplano de Granada activity holiday, Spain
From €457 - €665 8 days excluding flights
Multi-activity family holiday in the Spanish Lake District
Spanish course & walking holiday, Picos de Europa, Spain
From €830 - €965 5 days excluding flights
Walk and talk on this small group language holiday in Picos de Europa National Park
