Travel advice for Spain
From travel safety to visa requirements, discover the best tips for traveling to Spain
Book your individual trip, stress-free with local travel experts
written by Ros Walford
updated 27.11.2018
After a foodie pilgrimage along the northern Spanish coast, Ros Walford shares some of her edible highlights of the Camino del Norte.
There’s something magical about entering a city on foot. First, you see a rash of buildings in the distance; some hours later, you finally reach the centre, where, stomach rumbling, you follow your nose to a smoky grill and the promise of slowly barbecuing fish. For hikers, the reward of good food at the end of a long day’s walk is surely one of life’s greatest pleasures. Spain’s Basque Country has both, with a national pilgrimage route running along its coast and some of the best food in the world. Now that’s just greedy…
Since the ninth century, penitents have made the pilgrimage along the Camino del Norte – the oldest of several caminos that cross Spain – to pay homage to Saint James, but today, fortunately, this is one of the quieter routes. It runs the length of Spain’s northern coast, east to west from Irún, close to the French border, to Santiago de Compostela in Galicia.
The stage between San Sebastián and Bilbao is a moderate eight-day trek and one of the most interesting sections – not only for the food but also the beautiful landscape, geology, history and Basque traditions.
Image by Ros Walford
9 days / from2468 USD
Andalucía Explored
Discover the best of Andalucía's breathtaking palaces, churches, museums, vineyards, and more, as you travel through spectacular scenery dotted with pueblos blancos and bordered by rugged mountains and coast en route to Granada, Seville, Ronda and Jerez de la Frontera.
customize ⤍4 days / from643 USD
A culinary experience in Seville
Explore the cuisine and surroundings of Seville in Andalucia. From Iberian ham over sherry wines to the production and secrets of olive oil, this tour is an ideal weekend getaway. Decide yourself if you prefer a rental car or a chauffeur-driven car to explore the beauty of Andalucia.
customize ⤍10 days / from3791 USD
Spanish Honeymoon
Discover Andalusia, starting with the cultural city of Seville, then on to Córdoba and Granada, home of the stunning Alhambra Palace. Next you'll visit Granada and the Albayzin Arab quarter, then enjoy a stunning hot-air balloon ride, before ending your trip with a luxury boat trip from Marbella!
customize ⤍5 days / from1480 USD
Made for Madrid
Take to the Spanish capital for art, culture and a taste of life in the city, Madrileño-style. Explore age-old churches and pretty plazas, stroll through the lovely Buen Retiro Park and visit captivating Toledo. Then, come sundown, discover the city's vibrant barrios and lively nightlife.
customize ⤍4 days / from1399 USD
A Madrid getaway
Spend four days discovering the wonders of Spain's capital Madrid: from fascinating museums like El Prado and Reina Sofia over exploring unknown corners with your private guide to a day trip to the surroundings, this itinerary packs the best of Madrid.
customize ⤍18 days / from4590 USD
Hidden Spain - From Barcelona to Basque Country
Do you want to explore highlights in Spain while staying in nature at the same time? Look no further. Start your Spanish adventure in Barcelona before heading off to the mountains - drive your rental car to Andorra and further on to Basque Country. Decide between driving yourself or guided tours.
customize ⤍8 days / from2360 USD
Andalucía by Car
Enjoy this road trip through Spain’s exuberant Andalucía, which will take you through the charming cities of Malaga, Seville, Granada and various 'white villages', including Ronda, with its vertiginous views across the sweeping Andalucían countryside.
customize ⤍5 days / from1717 USD
The Lands of Wine from Madrid
Spain is well known for its amazing wines and this itinerary allows you to explore two famous regions: Ribera del Duero and La Rioja. Four different wineries, from traditional to modern, and many restaurants on the way await your visit.
customize ⤍9 days / from1490 USD
The Cities, Mountains and Beaches of Northern Spain
Southern Spain has been a busy tourist destination for many years. This self-drive trip avoids the touristy area along the southern Spanish coast, instead opting to take in the culture of the north and its natural beauty and the rugged beaches and coast.
customize ⤍4 days / from902 USD
Simply Seville
Make the most of a city break in one of Spain's most atmospheric cities. The home of flamenco, Seville is a veritable feast for all the senses. Come here for the tantalising cuisine and fragrant orange trees, awe-inspiring Gothic cathedral, pretty plazas and many excellent museums and galleries.
customize ⤍13 days / from6572 USD
Cultural Cities of Spain
From Barcelona down to Granada in the deep South, see the best of Spain on this multi-city tour that takes in Madrid, Córdoba and Seville, too. Get to grips with Gaudí, see historic Toledo, wander through the Prado, see the Alhambra, and more on this cultural extravaganza of Spain's finest cities.
customize ⤍7 days / from2155 USD
The tale of two cities: Madrid and Barcelona
Explore the capital of Spain Madrid with a unique city tour before heading about an hour outside of the city, to visit Europe's longest zip-line in historic Toledo. Afterwards, board a train to explore the second-largest city of Spain, Barcelona.
customize ⤍4 days / from1539 USD
A weekend getaway to Malaga
Malaga is a coastal city in Andalusia, right on the famous 'Costa del Sol'. This weekend getaway allows you to explore the city, as well as the well-known surrounding cities of Ronda and Marbella. Yellow sand beaches, fascinating museums and a delicious cuisine await to be discovered.
customize ⤍4 days / from1582 USD
City break Valencia
Spain's third largest city offers a beautiful old city quarter, plentiful history and a vibrant culture to be discovered. Palaces, museums and a rich cuisine make Valencia an attractive weekend getaway destination, as does the nearby wine region of Requena.
customize ⤍12 days / from4012 USD
Iconic Cities of Spain: Madrid, Seville, Valencia and Barcelona
Spend a wonderful 12 days exploring the best that Spain has to offer on a trip including city tours of historical Madrid, Granada, Seville, Valencia, and Barcelona. Enjoy palatial-style boutique accommodation throughout the holiday, and savour delicious cuisine and regional wine. Be inspired!
customize ⤍29 days / from9245 USD
From the South to the North - a Spanish Immersion
The ultimate trip for Spain lovers - explore the country at a leisurely pace from the South to the North. Start in Seville and make your way to Madrid via Granada and Cordoba. From Madrid, continue to the North - the Camino de Santiago, Basque Country and mountains await.
customize ⤍16 days / from2538 USD
Gems in Southern Spain
Discover the gems of Southern Spain at a leisurely pace. Start and end is in Seville. From there, you will venture out to visit Cordoba, Granada, Ronda, Nerja, Malaga and the Costa del Sol, and much more on the way. Transportation and accommodation options are diverse and yours to choose.
customize ⤍10 days / from4590 USD
Spanish Discovery - Barcelona, Seville & Madrid
This unique trip is ideal for everyone wanting to get a real taste of Spain. Private guides or small group tours await to show you Barcelona, Figueres, Seville, Cordoba, Toledo, and Madrid. Stay in luxurious Boutique Hotels conveniently located so you can explore the cities on your own as well.
customize ⤍7 days / from3062 USD
Iberian Blend - Porto and Galicia
Neighbour countries - Portugal and Spain, different and similar at the same time, will surprise you with hospitality and loveliness. This itinerary includes the route of the Northwest part of Iberian Peninsula and offers you to meet beautiful Porto and stunning Vigo in Galicia/Spain.
customize ⤍15 days / from5913 USD
Camino de Santiago & Portugal Deluxe
Hike the 'Way of Saint James', more precisely - the Portuguese Route, a World Heritage Site. After 5 days of beautiful hikes, it's time to say goodbye to Spain and hop on a plane to Portugal. Lisbon and Porto await before exploring the wineries of Douro Valley. A truly exceptional trip.
customize ⤍4 days / from2538 USD
A Luxury Journey through the Vineyards of La Rioja
Visit La Rioja, Spain's most renowned wine-producing region, and discover the secrets of Spanish wine making. By the time this unique trip is over, you'll have sampled a wide range of fine Spanish wines, and you're sure to be going home as an expert.
customize ⤍18 days / from5962 USD
Self Drive in Northern Spain
This tour is perfect for the independent traveller, with a sense of adventure and a love for food. Start in Santiago and discover among others Galicia and Asturia, all the way to Basque Country. On the way, Michelin starred restaurants and beautiful vineyards await. Finish your trip in Barcelona.
customize ⤍8 days / from2479 USD
Castilian Castles: A Luxury Spanish Road Trip
Welcome to the driving trip of a lifetime through the Castile region, a picturesque land full of regenerated medieval castles and farmed plains. Explore places like Rioja Alavesa, a privileged microclimate for vine cultivation, and the majestic locations of Albarracin and Alarcón, at your own pace.
customize ⤍9 days / from5935 USD
Unique Spain - Cultural Getaway
A trip filled with history, amazing landscapes and cultural attractions. Starting with walking tours around the cities hearts, to exploring the gastronomy, the arts and the folklore. Your trip begins in Barcelona before proceeding to Madrid and finishing in Seville - Andalusia's capital.
customize ⤍Like the best tapas recipes, this great Basque port is made of simple ingredients: one part English-influenced seaside town, one part cultural hotspot and a large part foodie destination. With so many interesting things to see, do and taste here, it’s tempting to linger longer than planned.
You can ride the 1912 funicular to the top of Monte Igeldo and boat along the quirky “rio misterioso” at its old-fashioned amusement park; stroll along one of three soft-sand beaches, admire modern art and Belle Époque architecture; get carried away in upmarket boutiques; or take in one of the numerous music, film and arts festivals (this is European Capital of Culture for 2016, no less).
And when you’re done with all that, pop into one of the hundreds of tapas bars and restaurants that populate the Old Town and Gros districts. Not only is this the birthplace of pintxos (an elaborate form of tapas), San Sebastián has the second-highest number of Michelin-starred restaurants per square metre than anywhere in the world.
In San Sebastián, go it alone or take a guided tour of the pintxos bars – worth doing for the fact your guide will pick out the best from a bewildering number of bars and order the best dishes. Either way, be sure to try a Gilda, the bar snack – named after the Rita Hayworth film – that started the pintxo tradition in the 1940s.
Hidden downstairs in the fish market, Bar Azkena (Mercado de la Bretxa, 36 – only open during market hours) is a welcome surprise serving gluten-free marvels. Ingredients are sourced from the market to create fantastic trampantojo (culinary trompe l’oeil) – food that is not what it seems. For example, breaking open what looks like a delicate “oyster” reveals meaty morcilla (blood pudding) inside.
Image by Ros Walford
One of the most experimental bars is award-winning Zureto (Pescadería 10), a busy, white-walled food lab with remarkable pintxos piled high on the counter. Try the hoguera de bacalao: a tiny cod kebab smoked over a ceramic dish at your table; eat the fish, then down a test tube full of green dressing.
Both Borda-Berri (Fermín Calabeton, 12) and Cuchara de San Telmo (31 Agosto, 28) serve exquisite carrilleras de ternera (veal cheeks in red wine) – rich slow-cooked meat that falls apart at the lightest touch of a fork. Meanwhile, the famous cheesecake at La Viña (31 Agosto, 31) is nicely washed down with a large glass of treacly Pedro Ximenez sherry.
After all that, you’ll need to get walking to burn a few calories.
From San Sebastián, it’s a tough climb up to Monte Igeldo where there are glorious views over the Baia de la Concha. Follow the conch shells (or yellow and blue markers) past the busy surf beach at Zarautz to the pretty fishing village of Getaria, where you can feast on anchovies and local txakoli wine at the superb seafood restaurants overlooking the harbour. On the way, you pass fields filled with wildflowers, sleepy ermitas (monk’s hermitages), and vineyards that rest beside the Mar Cantábrico.
Image by Ros Walford
Just beyond Zumaia, spectacular striated cliff formations form a dramatic backdrop for 13 kilometres, while further on in Deba is a UNESCO World Heritage Site – the preserved cave paintings at Ekain. If you’re lucky, your trek will coincide a festival at any one of the villages and towns en route, celebrating local culture, from a fisherman’s fiesta to wood-chopping competitions, but at any time of year you can watch the popular Basque sport pelota in medieval Markina-Xemein.
After Gernika – made famous by Picasso’s iconic painting of the destruction of the town during the Spanish Civil War – the camino climbs up over forested Monte Avril where you can enjoy a bird’s-eye view of Bilbao, before descending into the clean suburbs and straight to a restaurant in the Old Town for a hearty meal to end the trek.
In Bilbao, 60 miles west of San Sebastian, traditional and modern collide, most visibly in the architecture but also in the local food. Flashy masterpieces – like Frank Gehry’s shiny Guggenheim Museum, which kick-started the city’s rejuvenation in 1997 from the industrial doldrums to a world-class cultural destination – rub shoulders with grand nineteenth-century boulevards and the medieval-style streets of the Old Town.
Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain © Tara LB/Shutterstock
It’s the same with the food. There are historic institutions like La Viña de Ensanche, where they’ve been specializing in jamón for more than sixty years but there are now also modern options. Bilbao has its fair share of Michelin restaurants – eight and counting – and trendy pintxos bars abound, particularly around the Old Town’s lively grid of streets.
Try slick Berton (Calle Jardines, 11), famed for its octopus and prawn kebabs, or Zorginzulo (Plaza Nueva). Finish off at the “witches house”, a hole-in-the-wall place that looks like a mini nightclub yet serves award-winning traditional pintxos: the foie-stuffed squid is exceptional.
Macs Adventure organise hotels and bag transfers for your self-guided walking holiday along the camino. Apite is an excellent association of professional tour guides who operate in both San Sebastian and Bilbao, and San Sebastian Food runs cookery classes and tours.
Explore more of Spain with the Rough Guide to Spain. Compare flights, book hostels and hotels for your trip, and don’t forget to purchase travel insurance before you go.
written by Ros Walford
updated 27.11.2018
Use Rough Guides' trusted partners for great rates
From travel safety to visa requirements, discover the best tips for traveling to Spain
Plan your tailor-made trip with a local expert
Book securely with money-back guarantee
Travel stress-free with local assistance and 24/7 support