Where to Go (and What to Eat) in Northern Spain

northern Spain travel

Today we have a guest host from Jim Johnston. He has written several features for Perceptive Travel’s online magazine in the past and is the author of Mexico City: an Opinionated Guide. Recently back from the north of Spain, here’s his rundown on what’s worth seeing, eating, and doing. Take it away Jim!

Although Spain ranks in the top five most-visited countries of the world, a drive through the mountains of Cantabria and Asturias in northern Spain will have you wondering where they all are (try Barcelona). With sophisticated cities, spectacular landscape, sandy beaches, great food and reasonable prices, it’s hard to imagine why this area is not more popular. One explanation is that the area is known for its abundant rainfall, which explains all that green, but during three weeklong trips this author had sunshine 90% of the time.

Asturias Spain

Spain’s four northern provinces–Galicia, Asturias, Cantabria and Pais Vasco (Basque Country), Cantabria –are best visited in spring and fall, when you will practically have the place to yourself. High season is July and August when the folks from the hot plains of Spain head north to cool off. It snows in winter, so some of the more beautiful mountain roads may not be passable.

Santiago de Compostela Spain

Santiago de Compostela

There are good flight connections from many European cities to Santiago de Compostela and San Sebastian, two fascinating places that are convenient bookend points for a driving tour. Oviedo, the capital of Asturias, is in the center of it all, and also has an international airport, as does Santander. Bilbao, with its stunning Guggenheim museum, and A Coruña, which its charming old town, are two other cities worth visiting in this area. The rest is mountain greenery, beaches, and fishing villages. There is limited bus and train service (www.feve.es) in this area. To see the best of it, you will need to rent a car.

Driving is easy here, with roads in (mostly) excellent condition, well marked, with little traffic and few tolls. Parking, even in the big cities, is rarely a problem. Tourist offices, which you’ll find even in small towns, offer an impressive range of maps and brochures, many in English as well as Spanish.

Scenery and Bargains

Cantabria and Asturias offer the most striking natural beauty, and the area has many national parks. The Picos de Europa, the Parque Natural de Redes, and the Parque Natural de Somiedo are among the most spectacular, with deep valleys, snow-capped mountains, and rolling green hills, where the only sound you’ll hear is the tinkling of cowbells. Small villages, like La Focella (permanent population 5), have stone houses with red tile roofs, and an occasional Romanesque chapel.

Numerous turn-offs from the main (two-lane) road offer endless opportunities for exploring.

Accommodations can be a real bargain in Spain. You can show up in almost any town (off-season) and easily find a very clean, simple pension with private bath for around 40 euros. There are many rural lodges (casas rurales) throughout the area–a google search will quickly show many. The Hostal Peña Santa in the beautifully name Soto de Sajambre is a good example of where you can stay for less than $50US.

If you’re looking for something more upscale, the famous paradors of Spain, many of which are in historical buildings, offer glamorous digs at prices often less than what you’d pay for something similar in France or Italy (www.parador.es).

Lugo

Lugo, Galicia

Some of the alluring sounding towns, like Cangas de Onís, are purely functional places, filled with hotels, restaurants and tourist shops. If you want to avoid the big cities, but don’t want to be stuck alone in the boonies, keep in mind Villa Viciosa, Proaza, Cudillero (all in Asturias), or Castro Urdiales (Cantabria)–they are smaller places with charm, and more than one place to eat.

Food & Culture Stops

Spanish foodThe food in northern Spain is hearty and filling, with an abundance of seafood, embutidos (cured meats and sausages), and excellent cheeses. Vegetarians will have a harder time here, as aside from the standard ensalada verde (N.B. ensalada mixta comes with canned tuna on top), there’s not much green stuff on most menus. Asturias is known for cabrales (blue cheese) and fabada (a meaty bean stew); Galicia’s specialties are pulpo a la gallega (octopus) and tarta de santiago (almond cake). Except for a few small areas of Galicia, this is not well-known wine country. Local white wines tend to outshine reds–try a crisp albariño with your tapas.

Outside of the cities, culture consists of ancient Celtic ruins (Galician culture has Celtic roots–you’ll hear bagpipes) and beautifully austere Romanesque churches. Bilbao boasts Frank Gehry’s striking Guggenheim museum, Oviedo has an important opera house, and Santiago de Compostela’s cathedral has been hosting pilgrims for almost a thousand years. But the ‘sights’ in northern Spain play second fiddle to Mother Nature, who is at her most resplendent here.

If you go, a few useful websites:

www.spain.info

www.europe.enterprise.com/spain

Jim Johnston is a writer and artist who lives in Mexico City. He is author of ‘Mexico City: an Opinionated Guide’ and blogs about travel at www.mexicocitydf.com. His art blog is www.jimjohnstonart.com

 

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3 Comments

  1. Wandering Educators June 26, 2014
  2. Ian June 27, 2014

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