Independent Spain vacation, Basque Country to Santiago

(Burgos-Rioja-Bilbao-San Sebastian-Santander-Asturias-Galicia to Santiago)

Leave Madrid, direction north, towards Burgos, the hometown of El Cid. After a visit to the city´s ancient sector and its cathedral and the Monasterio de las Huelgas, we follow the millenium-old Way to Santiago to the province of La Rioja, renowned for its red wines. We can spend the night in one of the ancient hospices or monasteries, common overnight stopovers for the pilgrims, before visiting some of the region´s famous wine cellars in Haro and Laguardia. We continue on, northward, until we reach Bilbao, capital of the Basque territory. There is time to visit the city´s new museum, the Guggenheim, before moving on to San Sebastian, one of the most beautiful cities in Spain, famous for its culinary art. We skirt the Cantabrian Sea on the way to Santander, the capital of Cantabria, whose ancestral inhabitants ferociously opposed the Roman invaders. From Cantabria, it is a short hop to Asturias, another region whose inhabitants have historically fought all would-be intruders with great fierceness. Here, centuries ago was forged the dream of a Spain, united and free from arabic occupation. Witness to this era are its pre-romanesque churches. We continue along the Cantabrian coast into the province of Galicia to "Finis Terrae", the end of the world in ancient times. At Coruña, the capital and one of the most beautiful of Galicia´s cities, we can walk through its ancient district and sample some of the best seafood to be found in Europe. A short trip takes us into some of Galicia´s most picturesque fishing villages. Fittingly, our route ends in Santiago de Compostela, which through the centuries and up until today is one of the most important pilgrimage centers in the. Christian world. It is a city of magic and mysticism dominated by its impressive romanesque cathedral. All in all, a perfect place to end a trip that is sure to be full of emotion and discovery.

If you have some extra days, a good option is to drive back following the Way of Santiago to Astorga and Leon, then on to the ancient university city of Salamanca and finally on to Madrid via Avila and Segovia

Route sample

Day 1: Madrid. Transfer to hotel. City Walk Old Town
Day 2: Madrid Prado and sightseeing ( Private service )
Day 3: Madrid. Pick up rental car and drive towards Burgos-La Rioja
Day 4: La Rioja
Day 5: La Rioja-Bilbao-private visit to the Guggenheim-San Sebastian area
Day 6: San Sebastian area
Day 7: San Sebastian area-Santander-Santillana del Mar
Day 8: Santillana del Mar-Asturias
Day 9: Asturias-Lugo-Santiago
Day 10-11: Santiago and Galician Coast
Day 12: Santiago-Way of Santiago-Lugo-Ponferrada-Astorga-León
Day 13: León-Salamanca
Day 14: Salamanca-Avila-Segovia-Madrid
Day 15: Madrid. To airport, drop off car

Important:

We offer competitive prices that include hotels and car rental, all included, as well as the guides necessary in the major cities where we offer splendid private tours of the major monuments.

If you decide to travel with your own car, we can offer you only hotel reservations, with minimum services.

These programs are designed for maximum enjoyment with short travel trajectories. We know however that often this is not acceptable as many travelers have a limited number of vacation days available. For this reason we can organize the same route with fewer days without any problem.

Once you have accepted our offer based on the days available and we have received the deposit, you will receive more detailed information on places to visit and points of interest during each trajectory.