Mainland Spain
Discussion
I'm just trying to put together a (motoring) holiday to Spain, probably early-mid May. In the past, I've done a trip to the Catalunya motoGP on the bike which started at Santander and went to Calella via Jaca and Andorra, but Mrs. Rooster has never been to the mainland.
I'm thinking Plymouth - Santander, then possibly two nights each at Panes (to see the Picos), Palencia and Pamplona. I seem to have chosen all the 'P's! Not sure whether to finish with San Sebastian or Biarritz, never been to any of these places, so I'm open-minded.
Anyone have any experience/recommendations for these (or alternative) places to stay please? I was aiming at older/smaller towns/cities with things to see rather than large cities.
The remainder of the trip will be a meander through France, but we have lots of favourite places to revisit for this leg, it's just the Spanish bit I'm needing your help with.
I'm thinking Plymouth - Santander, then possibly two nights each at Panes (to see the Picos), Palencia and Pamplona. I seem to have chosen all the 'P's! Not sure whether to finish with San Sebastian or Biarritz, never been to any of these places, so I'm open-minded.
Anyone have any experience/recommendations for these (or alternative) places to stay please? I was aiming at older/smaller towns/cities with things to see rather than large cities.
The remainder of the trip will be a meander through France, but we have lots of favourite places to revisit for this leg, it's just the Spanish bit I'm needing your help with.
Another vote for San Sebastian - it's my favourite place on the planet. Logrono is also a great place to visit. It's very much a party town, but it's very definitely a Spanish party town. It's the capital (I think) of Rioja, so wine tours are possible, although I've never done one.
We did a 6 week Spanish road trip in May / June this year. We started and finished in San Sebastian. We only did the one visit to Logrono though - I wish we'd done that on the way back too.
Both Santander and Bilbao are worth visiting
Biarritz is a cool place, but it's so close to San Sebastian that I've only been the once.
Try and book a cabin with a balcony on the Plymouth crossing. It's well worth the extra money and is a great place for dolphin watching. £15 for priority disembarkation is the best £15 I've ever spent.
We did a 6 week Spanish road trip in May / June this year. We started and finished in San Sebastian. We only did the one visit to Logrono though - I wish we'd done that on the way back too.
Both Santander and Bilbao are worth visiting
Biarritz is a cool place, but it's so close to San Sebastian that I've only been the once.
Try and book a cabin with a balcony on the Plymouth crossing. It's well worth the extra money and is a great place for dolphin watching. £15 for priority disembarkation is the best £15 I've ever spent.
Shooter McGavin said:
We did a motorcycle trip along the whole north west coast, he Asturias region. It was really nice, the city of Gijon was a great stop off point.
Wonderful food in that part of the world, it's very Spanish - you need to make an effort with the language, which is (mostly) fun.
Asturias has a great cider culture, worth visiting a cider bar.Wonderful food in that part of the world, it's very Spanish - you need to make an effort with the language, which is (mostly) fun.
https://youtu.be/m6CCLB7dOJU?si=DJLXh6iw5Gae9u3d
Definitely stop by the Picos, beautiful mountains. Can head to Fuente De to catch the cable car up if you're shorter on time and don't want to big hiking. Roads around this area are pretty awesome also.
+1 for san sebastian for the food, also worth searching around deeper into the basque area, some real hidden gems of restaurants if you do some research before heading.
+1 for san sebastian for the food, also worth searching around deeper into the basque area, some real hidden gems of restaurants if you do some research before heading.
Silken amara plaza is easy to find at the top end of town 5 mins off the motorway and has underground parking .
We’ve stayed there for years mainly for easiness , it’s a very pleasant 20 min stroll through town to the beach and old town and port , there’s also a lot of cafe bars on the way down .
Don’t go mad on the tapas in any one bar , they’re all great .
We’ve stayed there for years mainly for easiness , it’s a very pleasant 20 min stroll through town to the beach and old town and port , there’s also a lot of cafe bars on the way down .
Don’t go mad on the tapas in any one bar , they’re all great .
paulwirral said:
Silken amara plaza is easy to find at the top end of town 5 mins off the motorway and has underground parking .
We’ve stayed there for years mainly for easiness , it’s a very pleasant 20 min stroll through town to the beach and old town and port , there’s also a lot of cafe bars on the way down .
Don’t go mad on the tapas in any one bar , they’re all great .
In the hotel FAQs, it says parking is 21Euros per day - is that your experience? It adds quite a chunk to the bill for a few day's stay...We’ve stayed there for years mainly for easiness , it’s a very pleasant 20 min stroll through town to the beach and old town and port , there’s also a lot of cafe bars on the way down .
Don’t go mad on the tapas in any one bar , they’re all great .
Yes , parking is charged , but it is anywhere there in a private car park . You could park on the street as it’s a safe place in my opinion but the problem may be finding a space , it’s a proper working city as well as a tourist destination , I’ve always used the car park .
We used to holiday there and Biarritz when we lived in France so we’ve been quite a few times
We used to holiday there and Biarritz when we lived in France so we’ve been quite a few times
We parked for free at Donostia Arena for the 4 days we stayed there. It's a big car park, out of town but well served by courtesy buses (however, this was summer and the opening hours may vary)
We had reservations about leaving our car there, but after speaking with several locals (including a tour guide) they all said it would be perfectly safe (and it was). Helps that a lot of motorhomes also use it as a base, so there is always someone around.
We'll be doing the same when we re-visit in July
We had reservations about leaving our car there, but after speaking with several locals (including a tour guide) they all said it would be perfectly safe (and it was). Helps that a lot of motorhomes also use it as a base, so there is always someone around.
We'll be doing the same when we re-visit in July
We've done three proper road trips from the UK that have taken in Northern Spain and we love it! It's driving nirvana with glorious empty roads and the food and wine are our favourites in the world.
If you want to see the best roads in the region, I think the Pyrenees has more to offer than the Picos. Jaca is a great base to hit some of the best roads. My favourite is this route up the pass to France:
https://maps.app.goo.gl/ArvgJ76Qu7HxmdaW7
Between the coast and Logrono (you should stay in Logrono or the Rioja more generally!), there's a mesa thing with a couple of delicious roads (NA-718 & NA7130):
https://maps.app.goo.gl/q5BnH2dPJ3d6EgTR8
I've done up trip reports with maps if you're interested:
Latest in the Aston:
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
Cayman was Picos down to Portugal:
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
R8 a few years ago:
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
<unpopular opinion>
I think there are better places in the Basque region than San Sebastian. Parking / accom is expensive, it's not that pretty (if you don't care about beaches) and the pintxos scene is crazy busy. I've been a few times and always enjoyed, so it's not bad by any stretch.
I think Logrono has more going for it in terms of food and wine, but no beach.
Hondaribbia has a really nice old town, fishing quarter and fantastic pintxos.
</unpopular opinion>
If you want to see the best roads in the region, I think the Pyrenees has more to offer than the Picos. Jaca is a great base to hit some of the best roads. My favourite is this route up the pass to France:
https://maps.app.goo.gl/ArvgJ76Qu7HxmdaW7
Between the coast and Logrono (you should stay in Logrono or the Rioja more generally!), there's a mesa thing with a couple of delicious roads (NA-718 & NA7130):
https://maps.app.goo.gl/q5BnH2dPJ3d6EgTR8
I've done up trip reports with maps if you're interested:
Latest in the Aston:
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
Cayman was Picos down to Portugal:
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
R8 a few years ago:
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
<unpopular opinion>
I think there are better places in the Basque region than San Sebastian. Parking / accom is expensive, it's not that pretty (if you don't care about beaches) and the pintxos scene is crazy busy. I've been a few times and always enjoyed, so it's not bad by any stretch.
I think Logrono has more going for it in terms of food and wine, but no beach.
Hondaribbia has a really nice old town, fishing quarter and fantastic pintxos.
</unpopular opinion>
Logrono and Honda ribs are easily on par with San seb for food , if not better , and you can take a boat trip to France from the latter just for the novelty value .
Marques de murrietti vine yard and cellar tour are interesting but the paired wines with tapas are great after a tour .
San seb tapas is very good though , I’ve just made everyone hungry !
Marques de murrietti vine yard and cellar tour are interesting but the paired wines with tapas are great after a tour .
San seb tapas is very good though , I’ve just made everyone hungry !
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