Northern Spain by Campervan | Complete Guide and Itinerary

Northern Spain in 15 days along the coast? For us it was a beautiful trip, crossing 4 regions (the Basque Country, Cantabria, Asturias and Galicia), breathtaking views and some truly unmissable destinations! We arrived directly from France, and despite a first impression of people being less welcoming than in other Spanish areas, we found a fairly pleasant atmosphere even though it was November, and places that stayed close to our hearts. Want to read what we have to recommend? We promise wonderful destinations!

Itinerary

Below you’ll find our daily diary, but if you want to read the itinerary in short, you’ll find it here, while if you want to know our thoughts and which stops we consider unmissable, you can click here.

Day 1: Our first Spanish destination after leaving France and shopping at Mercadona was Pasaia. Here we strolled through the streets of the village, in a slightly gloomier atmosphere than the French villages, reaching Victor Hugo’s house, the small harbour and a headland offering a view of the coast. Back at the van we couldn’t resist a slice of typical cheesecake, and having satisfied our sweet tooth too, after lunch we moved on to San Sebastián. Walking along the coast we reached the Mirador, an imperial palace with a splendid view over the bay, then into the streets of the centre, to admire the old town, Constitution Square, and try our first pintxos at the sports bar. We discovered a truly lively city, brought to life by numerous street artists. For the night we moved to nearby Orio.

Day 2: We woke up early to take a lovely walk on the headland, while the first surfers went hunting for good waves. Then, with the rain as an excuse, we moved to Zarautz, famous for its beach nestled between headlands, and to Getaria: here too we walked along the headland overlooking the town on one side and the bay on the other, finding an old bunker and an abandoned lighthouse along the way. The last stop of the day was Zumaia with its famous pink rocks, oddly shaped, and clay terrain, reworked by climate and time. We stayed overnight on a road with a sea view near Deba.

Day 3: The bad weather gave us no rest, but we still took a stroll through the small village of Deba, then, since 31 October was the last Monday of the month and coincided with a big market in the town of Guernica, with stalls all along the streets, we decided to head there. We arrived deliberately in the late afternoon so we could walk with Olimpia and Sakè while many people were heading home, and to try a pintxo, the local tapa: a slice of cheese on a piece of baguette (1 euro). After walking around the town we reached the Urdaibai reserve.

Day 4: We dedicated the morning to exploring the nature around the reserve, stopping to admire the little church of Mundaka, then continued along the coast until we reached a handy stopover area with picnic tables near the touristy San Juan de Gaztelugatxe.

Day 5: We woke up early to walk to the staircase leading to the church of San Juan. Access to the site is free, but you need to get a ticket by booking online given the limited number of visitors allowed (you’ll find all the useful information here  ). The walk from where we parked can be a bit demanding, which is why we should mention you can find a car park closer by. We also recommend suitable footwear, especially to avoid slipping on the 241 steps. Other than that, take your time to be amazed by this spectacular place (early in the morning there were very few tourists!). In the afternoon, after making friends with other campervan travellers over sandwiches with an ocean view, we reached the free campervan area near Bilbao airport.

Day 6: We comfortably reached the city centre by train, a 30-minute ride (€1.80 return), leaving the animals aboard the van since it was pouring with rain. Once there, we strolled through the Casco Viejo, reaching La Ribera market (a shame it was closed in the afternoon), buying a delicious Pastel Vasco at Arrese pastry shop  , crossing the Calatrava bridge, all the way to the Guggenheim Museum, which we visited over a couple of hours (you can save €1 on the ticket by booking in advance on the official website  ).

Want to see our adventures up to this point? You’ll find it all in this video!

Day 7: We moved on to Santander and then headed towards the beautiful beaches: Playa de Covachos, Playa de la Arnía, Playa de Valdearenas. In the afternoon we reached the lovely village of Santillana del Mar: a stop on the Camino de Santiago. Don’t miss a slice of quesada (a milk-based cake) served with a glass of fresh milk! We stayed overnight for free in San Vicente de la Barquera.

Day 8: After a stroll along the coast we got back on the road, stopping at the sanctuary of Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de los Dolores, just past the village of Llanes, until we reached the Bufones de Pría: a truly enchanting place! Picture real geysers among the rocks, created by the force of the waves crashing on the coast. If you happen to be here on a not-too-sunny day, the magic should be even greater, according to the local farmers! In the afternoon we reached Oviedo, another stop on the Camino de Santiago, with the beautiful Cathedral of San Salvador and the square it overlooks, before moving on for the night to Gijón.

Day 9: In Gijón we took a stroll along the whole promenade running parallel to the coast, until we got lost in the streets of the fishermen’s quarter. We then got back on the road to reach Cudillero, a small, colourful village literally wedged between the cliffs. A few kilometres past Cudillero, following the coast road, we stopped by chance to admire the wonderful Playa del Silencio: a magical place! We stayed overnight for free at Playa de las Catedrales (near Ribadeo).

Day 10: In this place pay close attention to the tides: early in the morning we were lucky enough to walk among the towering rocks that form genuine caves you can look into when the tide is low. Truly striking! Also, at this same car park, a couple of times in the morning a friendly man arrives with a little cart selling bread and filled empanadas (we tried the one with membrillo he recommended, and it was delicious)! We stayed overnight for free at the free campervan area in Betanzos.

Day 11: Heading to A Coruña. After strolling around the city we discovered Pizzeria Terramia  , and with Luca, the Italian owner, we had a lovely chat! If you love cannoli, you’ll find truly delicious ones here! In the afternoon we walked to the Tower of Hercules, a Roman-built lighthouse. We stayed overnight on the coast.

Day 12-13: We stayed at the car park overlooking the coast until the afternoon, making friends with a young German couple, before moving on to Muxía. Our original plan was to reach Santiago, which we decided to save for a future Camino instead :) We stayed overnight for free at the lighthouse. In Muxía we took beautiful walks, from the lighthouse to the village centre, chatting with some pilgrims and locals. The sunset here is nothing short of spectacular.

Day 14: Leaving Muxía, we headed towards Combarro, stopping in a village along the way to shop, fill up on water, empty the tanks and have lunch with a tuna empanada. The village is a typical Galician fishing village, dotted with hórreos, the traditional granaries. Free overnight stay for campervans.

In Short

Below are just the stops of our adventure. We always stayed overnight for free or in free stopover areas.

Day 1: Pasaia - San Sebastián - Orio

Day 2: Zarautz - Getaria - Zumaia

Day 3: Deba - Guernica - Urdaibai reserve

Day 4: Mundaka - San Juan de Gaztelugatxe

Day 5: San Juan de Gaztelugatxe - Bilbao

Day 6: Bilbao

Day 7: Santander - Santillana del Mar - San Vicente de la Barquera

Day 8: Bufones de Pría - Oviedo - Gijón

Day 9: Gijón - Cudillero - Playa de las Catedrales

Day 10: Playa de las Catedrales - Betanzos

Day 11: A Coruña

Day 12-13: Muxía

Day 14: Combarro

Roads

In all four regions we crossed in Northern Spain, we found the roads in perfect condition. The “autopista” motorway is toll-free, while the “autovía” is also free — tolls apply only on certain toll motorways (“autopista de peaje”).

Services and stops

In Northern Spain it’s easy to find equipped, free service areas for water fill-up and waste disposal. We had no trouble with free overnight stays since we travelled in the low season. If you go in summer you might find it harder to find parking, especially in coastal areas.

Quando ci troviamo in un paese straniero, soprattutto dove non accettano l'euro, ci affidiamo a questa carta gratuita, che ti permette di pagare senza alcun tasso o addebito.

Travelling with your pet

To travel Europe with your pet you need to have:

• passport
• microchip
• valid rabies vaccination

Check whether your pet's breed is allowed in the country you're visiting. We recommend always being careful in crowded places, as people might be scared of your pet which is why we always keep our pets on a leash. In many cases a muzzle is required, so we recommend keeping one handy.

We recommend bringing a bowl (we use one that clips conveniently onto a backpack) and a water bottle if the day is particularly hot.

Reflections and unmissable stops

We didn’t know Northern Spain, and we have to be honest, certain features of it pleasantly surprised us. Even though the weather isn’t the most favourable, you can feel a calm and peaceful atmosphere.

By campervan or car, in our opinion the unmissable destinations are:

• San Sebastián: this town is perhaps the most beautiful in the whole area. Very elegant, it also offers a lively scene for younger travellers.
• San Juan de Gaztelugatxe: this place, famous to most for the Game of Thrones filming, truly stayed close to our hearts.
• Bilbao: the city isn’t renowned for safety, although we always felt safe. Don’t miss visiting the Guggenheim Museum if you love modern art.
• Bufones de Pría: the nature here is truly spectacular, it’ll feel like being in Iceland! A totally unexpected place!
• Oviedo: famous as a stop on the Camino de Santiago, the city is lovely regardless.
• Playa de las Catedrales: it might just be a beach to many, but looking out and walking among the rocks here has its own special appeal!
• Muxía: a magical place, especially for pilgrims, well worth a stop at sunset!

Our vlog

In the video below you can discover, together with us, some of the places that stayed close to our hearts.

Our maps