Green Spain

Verdant landscapes of northern Spain

Please note that this is a "suggested" private group tour itinerary, which can be changed to suit your interests. The tour price will depend on the number of participants, travel dates, type of hotels, etc.

Sandy beaches, rugged coastline, tiny fishing villages, ancient cultural traditions and refined cuisine... This is only some of what the regions of Euskadi (Basque Country), Asturias, Cantabria, and Galicia have to offer.

These four regions of Northwestern Spain, with their exposure to the gentle rains blowing from the Atlantic Ocean, are a cool, refreshing and natural place of beauty. Unlike the rest of the country where the climate is warmer and dryer, especially in the summer, the area remains lush and verdant year round - hence the name "Green Spain." This is a perfect backdrop for a very special tour that will take you from the most ancient cultural heritage of Santiago de Compostela, to one of the latest creations in modern architecture: the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao.

Santiago de Compostela is an ideal place to start a cultural tour across northern Spain. This ancient city is an absolute treasure of a tourist destination: you can walk everywhere, the people are friendly, the seafood was caught last night, and the local Albariño wine is crisp and refreshing. The most important building is, of course, the cathedral built between the 11th and 13th centuries. The more recent façade, dating back to only 1750, is the highest expression of the baroque style in Spain. Inside, the main altar displays a statue of St. James and is open to pilgrims who wish to follow the age-old tradition of touching or hugging the statue of the saint. But that's not all. The entire city is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. So, the cathedral is surrounded by a host of other buildings with equally great architectural interest. There is a lot more to discover.

Bilbao, at the other end of the tour route, offers both similarities and contrasts. Basque cuisine is world-renowned, of course, and the fish is also fresh there. The wine is first-class too: the Alava and La Rioja wine regions are only an hour's drive south of the city. And there are a number of ancient buildings and narrow medieval streets everywhere.

But Bilbao has some of the most modern and avant-garde architecture in Spain and in the world: the Guggenheim Museum. The interest of this museum lies in it contents, of course, but even more so in the style of the building itself. Designed by Pritzker Prize laureate Frank Gehry, it opened in 1997. The architectural style of the building is difficult to describe. A good analogy might be something like the layers of an onion or the petals of a rose (or wood shavings, perhaps) spread apart and then twisted in various directions. Except that the surface of the building is not onion skin or silky rose petals, but titanium sheets combined with limestone and glass. The overall look is also reminiscent of the hull of a ship floating on the waters of the local Nervion River. Awesome!

There are other interesting places on this tour route: San Sebastián, Oviedo, Lugo (another UNESCO World Heritage Site), La Coruña and more. For a "cool" tour of the Iberian Peninsula, consider Green Spain. The Celtic cultural ancestry and Basque heritage make these regions unique in Spain. And, don't forget the cuisine and the wine of this region. They are absolutely unsurpassed.

There are many possibilities on this tour route. Let us know where and when you want to go. We will create a custom program that fits your interests and requirements.

    

Places on this route we have personally visited: San Sebastián, Bilbao, wine regions of Alava and La Rioja and the region of Galicia: La Coruña, Santiago de Compostela and Vigo. See pictures from our trips:

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