10 Day North Spain Road Trip Itinerary for Campervans (plus map!)

Day 3 – Riaño to Rioseco Abbey

Drive time: 2 hours 30 minutes

Spend the night: Rioseco Abbey area

Morning: Wander around Riaño

Start the day with a slow wander around Riaño before heading out on today’s hike at lunchtime.

The modern village sits on the edge of the reservoir, but its history runs much deeper. The original town of Riaño, along with several surrounding villages, was flooded in the 1980s to create the reservoir you see today. The villagers were forced to evacuate, and a new Riaño was rebuilt higher up, and you’ll still find reminders of what was lost throughout the village.

One of the most powerful places to visit is the memorial viewpoint, where stone markers list the names of the villages that were submerged. It’s a simple space, but it puts the landscape into perspective in a way the views alone don’t quite explain.

From there, spend a little time walking through the village itself. The main square is small but pleasant with a small museum which helps explain the history of the valley, and the creation of the reservoir if you want a bit more context before heading into the mountains.

Lunchtime: Walk to Mirador de Las Biescas

Today’s main activity is the walk up to Mirador de Las Biescas, one of the best viewpoints over the Riaño valley.

We originally planned to complete the full loop, but were met with torrential rain and only managed part of it. Like I said, we really did see all of the seasons in just the space of two days. Even in poor conditions, the lower section of the trail still gives you fantastic views across the reservoir.

The path climbs steadily from the village towards the mirador, taking around an hour one way, not including photo stops (and there are plenty of those). The higher you go, the more the valley opens up beneath you.

From the mirador, you can continue the full loop back down into the valley, or extend the hike with a detour up towards the nearby summit if you want a more challenging scramble. That extra section is completely optional and much steeper, so it’s very much a “if you want to” addition rather than part of the main walk.

Seasonal tip: In summer, we’d actually recommend doing this in the morning when it’s cooler, then exploring the village afterwards.

Early Evening: Drive to Rioseco Abbey

Continue the drive west and aim to arrive at Monasterio de Santa María de Rioseco in the early evening.

The drive itself is only around 2.5 hours, but here are a few good places to stop along the way. We stopped at Mirador Embalse del Ebro for lunch, which made the perfect halfway break.

There are several viewpoints around the reservoir, so even if you don’t stop at this exact one, it’s worth keeping an eye out for places to pull over and enjoy the views.

If you prefer staying in designated campervan stops, La Población is also a great option. It’s free, has views over the reservoir and includes a dump station, making it a practical place to pause or even spend the night if you’d rather split up the journey. 

However, while Rioseco Abbey is open 24/7, this is another stop that really benefits from being seen early in the morning, before any day visitors arrive, which is why we recommend getting there in the evening – there’s a few of these on this itinerary!

The car park is just around the corner from the Abbey and ok for a respectful overnight stop. If you arrive later in the day, it’s usually quieter and easier to find a space, making it the perfect time to stop, have dinner and get ready for an early-ish start tomorrow.

Optional detour: Orbaneja del Castillo

If you find you have time (or want to extend the drive slightly), it’s worth detouring to Orbaneja del Castillo before reaching Rioseco Abbey.

The village is built into a dramatic limestone canyon, with a natural spring-fed stream running right through its centre before dropping down the cliffs in a series of small waterfalls. The landscape is the main attraction here with the houses almost feel built around the rock rather than on it. It’s almost like a Spanish version of Monsanto in Portugal!

You can wander through the lower part of the village where the water flows between buildings and under small stone bridges, then follow paths upwards for wider views across the gorge and surrounding cliffs. There are also a few viewpoints above the village where you can really see how it’s carved into the landscape.

It’s a popular stop on road trips through northern Spain, so it can get busy during peak hours.

Accommodation Near Rioseco Abbey

If you’re driving through Northern Spain in a car and need a hotel nearby there are a few options. Zoom on the map below or click this link to view the map full screen.

Day 4 – Rioseco Abbey to Bardenas Reales Via Haro

Drive time: 3 hours

Spend the night: Arguedas or Fustinana

Morning: Exploring Rioseco Abbey

Before continuing south towards Navarra, start the day by exploring one of the most underrated stops on this route: Monasterio de Santa María de Rioseco.

We actually spent a couple of days here because we wanted to photograph it in different lights, but you definitely don’t need that long. A couple of hours is more than enough to explore the ruins, especially if you arrive early before any other visitors.

The monastery has a surprisingly long history for somewhere that now feels so quiet.

Santa María de Rioseco was founded in the 12th century and was home to Cistercian monks for hundreds of years. The location wasn’t accidental either, the valley provided everything they needed, from water to fertile land, which helped the monastery become an important religious and agricultural centre in the area.

Over time, the monastery declined, particularly after the confiscations of church lands in the 19th century, and it was eventually abandoned. Today, what remains is a mixture of impressive stone ruins, open skies and the surrounding countryside slowly reclaiming the site.

One thing worth knowing before you arrive: the abbey is a little easier to miss than you might expect.

Because we were there so long, we noticed quite a few people arriving at the car park, looking around, and then leaving without realising where the abbey entrance actually was.

There are two ways to reach it. The easiest (and the one most people seem to miss) is to follow the dirt track that heads up the grassy bank behind the car park. It looks like it leads nowhere, but keep going all the way to the top, then turn left and you’ll find the abbey.

Alternatively, turn right when leaving the car park and follow the road. Take the right at the junction (it’s signposted from this direction) and follow the driveway up to the entrance.

The combination of the ruined stone walls, the surrounding countryside and the lack of crowds is what makes Rioseco so special so don’t rush it.

Lunchtime: Explore Haro

If you want to break the drive to Bardenas Reales, Haro works well as a relaxed stop in La Rioja.

We didn’t do a full stop here ourselves, but driving through it gave the impression of a small, easy-going wine town rather than somewhere built for sightseeing. It’s compact, simple to navigate, and doesn’t feel like it needs much planning.

This is where you can easily squeeze in a winery visit. Haro is basically Rioja wine capital, and there are several wineries on the edge of town that run tours and tastings. It’s worth pre-booking if you want to do one properly, but even a short tasting stop is realistic.

In the town itself, it’s more about slowing down than ticking off sights. You’ll find a central square, a few churches, and plenty of places to sit for lunch or a coffee. It’s not a long list of “things to do”, but that’s kind of the point. It’s a place to reset between drives rather than an attraction-heavy stop.

It works well if you want to stretch the day a bit, or if you’re interested in breaking up the journey with something more local than just a service station stop. If not, it’s an easy one to skip and head straight for Bardenas.

Evening: Arrive at Bardenas Reales

Staying on the E804, you’ll notice the landscape starting to change as you head from Haro to Bardenas Reales. It gradually flattens and dries out until you’re suddenly in something that feels completely different to the rest of the Northern Spain route.

We’re not going to pack a visit into the National Park today. Instead, head straight to a park up. There are two main camper options depending on what you need from the stop.

Fustiñana is the quieter option. It has a free motorhome area with electricity (also free!), and it’s usually very quiet.

There’s not much around it, and the flies are pretty bad from the nearby pig farm but it did the job for us when we first arrived and provided a nice quiet spot for the night. The main trade-off is distance, you’re about 30 minutes from the main Bardenas access roads from here.

Arguedas is the more practical base, and much busier because of this. There’s both a free area and a paid option (around €10) with showers, water and a dump station, which makes it easier if you need facilities or a secure place to park. It’s also much closer to the main entrances into Bardenas Reales, so you can be in the park within about 10 minutes.

It does get busy, but for most people doing a short itinerary, the convenience wins out.

Área de Autocaravanas de Arguedas is also close to the popular Cuevas de Arguedas, so if you park here you can combine a walk around the abandoned caves. It’s not the prettiest cave village in Spain but if you haven’t seen cave houses before, you’ll find it really interesting!

Accommodation Near Bardenas Reales

Arguedas would be the best option if you’d like to stay in a hotel or BnB before exploring the national park. Below is a map of what’s nearby, or click this link to view them full screen.

Day 5 – Full day in Bardenas Reales

Today is all about exploring Bardenas Reales properly.

This is one of the most unusual landscapes in Northern Spain and absolutely deserves a full day.

The park officially opens to public traffic at 8am and we’d strongly recommend arriving as close to that as you can so you get to enjoy much more of the route before the tour buses arrive.

When you enter the park, you’ll pass the visitor centre. If you want a paper map, this is the place to grab one, but otherwise you don’t need to linger. We found it pretty basic during our visit due to ongoing renovations, so it’s better to get straight into the park while it’s quiet.

Morning: Drive the Bardenas loop

Once you reach the main fork in the road, turn right.

Most people seem to head left towards Castildetierra first, so we’d recommend doing the opposite. Castildetierra is busy for most of the day anyway, so you may as well save it for later and spend the first part of the morning enjoying the quieter sections of the park.

The road through Bardenas Reales is gravel, but you do not need a 4×4 to drive it. We managed it just fine in our 7m campervan and saw plenty of motorhomes coping as well.

Take it slowly, keep your speed sensible and try not to kick up more dust than necessary. Even driving carefully, we were still finding dust in the van days later, so consider yourself warned.

The loop itself takes you through some of the most dramatic parts of the park, with wide open plains, strange rock formations and huge eroded cliffs that feel more like the American Southwest than Northern Spain.

It’s one of those drives where you’ll constantly want to stop, whether that’s to take photos, admire the view or just stare at the landscape for a bit because it doesn’t look remotely real.

There are a couple of larger parking areas dotted around the route, but for the most part you’ll also find places where you can pause briefly at the side of the road for a photo, provided you’re not blocking the track or driving onto the protected terrain.

Just be sensible with it and avoid pulling onto vegetation.

Midday: Stop off at Castildetierra 

By the time you loop round towards Castildetierra, Bardenas Reales’ most iconic rock formation, you’ll probably understand why we suggest turning right at the fork and saving this area until later.

Most people seem to head straight here first, which means it’s one of the busiest spots in the park for most of the day anyway. By doing the quieter side of the loop first, you’ll get to enjoy a good chunk of Bardenas before the crowds build, rather than spending your first hour taking photos of the fairy chimney then following the crowds along the entire route.

That said, Castildetierra is still absolutely worth stopping for. It’s the classic Bardenas photo stop for a reason, and even if you’ve seen it all over Instagram, it still looks impressive in person.

This is also where we stopped for lunch because it has one of the larger parking areas in the park so we didn’t feel like we were awkwardly parked up at the side of the road or getting in anyone’s way while making sandwiches.

If you’re wondering how it ended up looking like that, Castildetierra is what’s known as a hoodoo or fairy chimney.

The harder cap of rock at the top protects the softer clay beneath it from eroding as quickly, which is why it’s been left standing while the surrounding landscape has gradually worn away.

It won’t stand forever though, erosion is still happening, and it’s thought the top could eventually collapse in the not-too-distant future.

Seasonal tip: If you’re an avid photographer and dream of getting sunrise/sunset light in your photos, you’ll need to visit in winter when the opening times coincide with sunrise. The park always closes an hour before sunset so winter sunrise is your only opportunity.

Afternoon: Cabezo de las Cortinillas, Game of Thrones landscapes

After stopping at Castildetierra, continue around the loop towards Cabezo de las Cortinillas.

If El Rallón is open during your visit, it’s worth factoring in extra time there as this is one of the main hiking areas in Bardenas.

Unfortunately, it was closed when we visited due to bird nesting season. The closure is there for good reason and we’re glad the area is protected, but it did catch us out as it hadn’t come up in any of our research beforehand, so we only realised once we were already driving the loop.

It’s one of the more dramatic parts of the park and you can already see from the road why it would be worth exploring on foot.

If that happens to you too, Cabezo de las Cortinillas is the best alternative for views over the whole area. The short walk up the steps here gives you a much better sense of the scale of Bardenas than you get from the road alone, with wide views back across the badlands and towards the surrounding rock formations.

This is also the part of the route where you pass through landscapes used in Game of Thrones, including the area used for the Dothraki camp scenes.

It’s not the kind of filming location with signs and crowds around it, but if you know the scenes, you’ll probably recognise it.

One thing worth mentioning if you’ve seen Bardenas all over Instagram: the famous blue door that used to pop up in loads of photos is no longer there, so don’t waste time trying to find it.

A few practical things to know before you go

Bardenas Reales is a semi-desert badlands landscape, not technically a desert, even though you’ll often see it described that way.

The terrain is made up of clay, chalk and sandstone that’s been shaped over thousands of years into plateaus, ravines and isolated rock formations.

To explore Europe’s only true desert, you’ll want to adventure down to Southern Spain to see the Tabernas Desert!

One thing that caught us out was how unhelpful Google Maps can be inside the park.

Some of the marked viewpoints and walking routes are either inaccessible or shown in completely the wrong place, mostly because the area in the middle of the loop is occupied by a military zone and is completely off limits for public access.

To make things easier, we’ve included a screenshot of the route we drove and the places we stopped. The yellow markers show the direction we took through the park, the dark blue markers show the exit route, and the shaded red area marks the section that’s closed during bird nesting season from February to September.

You’ll also want to keep an eye out for wildlife as you drive. We saw birds of prey circling overhead throughout the day, but one of the real highlights was spotting wild foxes in the middle of this huge, barren landscape. We saw them a couple of times during our visit and it was such an unexpected sight.

The only slightly disappointing part was how comfortable some of them seemed around people. A couple actually came closer when we got out of the van, which makes us suspect they’ve been fed by visitors before. However tempting it might be, please don’t feed them. 

Seeing wild foxes here is amazing precisely because they’re wild, and it would be a shame to lose that.

Finally, check for seasonal closures before you go. Parts of the park close during bird nesting season, and official access hours are currently 8am until one hour before sunset.

Day 6 – Bardenas Reales to Vitoria-Gasteiz

Drive time: 2 hours

Spend the night: Vitoria-Gasteiz

Morning: Leave Bardenas Reales

After a full day exploring the dusty tracks of Bardenas Reales, today is intentionally a little slower.

The drive to Vitoria-Gasteiz only takes around two hours, which makes this a good chance to catch your breath after several mountain drives, viewpoints and long sightseeing days.

We’d recommend taking your time leaving Bardenas in the morning, giving yourself a more relaxed start before swapping desert-like landscapes for Basque old towns and chocolate shops.

If you’d rather break up the drive, one of the most popular stops in the area is Añana Salt Valley, around 30 minutes from Vitoria-Gasteiz. We didn’t visit ourselves, but it’s one of the Basque Country’s most unusual attractions, with centuries-old salt terraces that are still harvested today. If you’ve got an interest in unusual landscapes, food history or just fancy seeing something a bit different, it’s worth looking into.

Once you arrive in Vitoria-Gasteiz there are a couple of parking options.

We parked here which is reportedly ok for an overnight too but we only stayed for the day. You may need to try nearby streets depending on how busy it is but we got parked without issue and from here it was an easy 20 minute walk into town.

Lunchtime: Explore Vitoria-Gasteiz

We’ll be honest, the main reason we ended up adding Vitoria-Gasteiz to this Northern Spain road trip itinerary was because I’d heard about Goya and wanted to visit one of the Basque Country’s oldest confectionery shops.

A chocolate detour seemed like a pretty good excuse to break up the journey.

There are actually several Goya shops around the city, including some closer to where we parked, but I decided to walk into the old town instead so I could visit the original shop that opened in 1886 and is still running today.

Before you head straight for the chocolate though, Vitoria-Gasteiz make sure to take a wander around the old town!

After several days of mountain roads, viewpoints and road side stops of Bardenas, it was a nice change to spend a few hours somewhere that was easy to explore on foot. The old town is compact, with medieval streets, pretty squares and plenty of places to stop for a coffee or a bite to eat.

Plaza de la Virgen Blanca is a good starting point, but honestly we found Vitoria-Gasteiz was best enjoyed without too much of a plan. It’s not a city where you need to rush between attractions, which is exactly why it works well as a slower day on this route.

Then, obviously, there’s the chocolate.

Confituras Goya has been making traditional sweets since 1886, and the original shop is a great stop if you’re interested in trying some local Basque treats. The hardest part is deciding what to buy when the counters are full of pastries, biscuits and chocolates.

We came away with a bit of a haul, including their famous Vasquitos and Nesquitas pralines, and I’d definitely prioritise those if you’re trying not to leave with half the shop

Evening: Relax And Unwind In Vitoria-Gasteiz

Use the rest of the afternoon and evening to keep exploring if you feel like it, or simply enjoy a slower night in the city.

This is a good point in the itinerary to catch up on a few campervan basics, have an easier dinner and recharge before heading back towards more scenic drives and coastal stops over the next few days.

If you still have the energy, Vitoria-Gasteiz is a pleasant place for an evening stroll, especially around the old town once the day-trippers have thinned out.

Optional alternative: If you’re interested in the Running of The Bulls, or the works of Hemmingway, then heading towards Pamplona might be more interesting to you than Vitoria-Gasteiz. 

Accommodation Near Vitoria-Gasteiz

If you’re doing this Spain road trip from Santander in a car with nights in a hotel instead, there are lots of accommodation options around Vitoria-Gasteiz. Below is a map of your other options nearby, or you can click here to view the map full screen.

Day 7 – Vitoria-Gasteiz to Gorbeia Natural Park

Drive time: 3 hours

Spend the night: Near Gaztelugatxe

Morning: Leave Vitoria-Gasteiz and drive to Gorbeia Natural Park

After yesterday’s slower city stop, it’s time to swap chocolate shops and old towns for misty forests and cow bells.

The drive from Vitoria-Gasteiz to Gorbeia Natural Park is short, so there’s no need for a particularly early start unless you’re hoping to catch morning fog.

Today’s main stop is Otzarretako Pagadia, one of the Basque Country’s most photographed forests, but if you only drive to the nearest car park, walk five minutes to the beach grove and leave again, you’ll miss most of what makes this area so special.

Instead, we’d recommend heading for Parking de Saldropo and walking in from there. It’s a little further away than the closest car park to the grove, but the route is part of the experience and it’s also the better option for larger vehicles.

Just be aware that once you turn off the main road and into the forest towards the car park, the road gets narrower in places and there’s one short stretch that’s absolutely full of potholes.

They’re not normal potholes either; they’ve been churned up by hooves, which did make me laugh a bit imagining the horses and cows stomping through wet ground and leaving the road in that state. Thankfully it’s only a short section, so you don’t have to put up with it for long.

Midday: Walk to Otzarretako Pagadia the long way

Otzarretako Pagadia is a little grove of twisted beech trees that has become one of the Basque Country’s most photographed spots thanks to its moss-covered trunks, exposed roots and the stream that runs through the middle, which together give it that slightly surreal, fairytale feel.

Add the right moody weather conditions, and it’s easy to see why so many photographers make the effort to come here. 

Once you’ve parked up, don’t make the mistake of rushing straight to the beech grove.

A lot of people park in the closest car park, walk the five minutes to Otzarretako Pagadia, take a few photos and leave again.

Even from Parking de Saldropo, once you reach the point where the tracks split near the grove, we’d still recommend turning right rather than left.

The left-hand track takes you more directly to the famous trees within 5 minutes, but the right-hand loop is far more atmospheric and means the grove reveals itself at the end of the walk rather than immediately.

That’s exactly what we did, and we were the only people on the loop track the entire time.

If you get a drizzly or foggy day like we did, this walk is ridiculously atmospheric. Between the low cloud, the sound of cow bells and the quiet of the forest, it felt completely different to the quick in-and-out stop most people do.

What should have been a 45-60 minute walk ended up taking us four hours. We kept stopping for photos because the conditions were perfect and made the whole place feel so magical.

The best part is that even though Otzarretako Pagadia is one of the most photographed places in the park, it doesn’t stay busy for long.

Over the couple of hours we spent around the beech grove, only a handful of people turned up and most stayed for ten minutes at most before leaving again. So if it feels busy when you first arrive, don’t worry too much. Hang around for a bit and there’s a good chance you’ll soon have the place almost to yourself.

On the walk back to the van, the horses had moved so close to the road that they were almost blocking it, which gave us some incredibly close views of the newborn foals. It was one of those completely unplanned little moments that ended up being one of our favourite parts of the day.

More things to do in Gorbeia Natural Park

If you’re visiting after heavy rain, or during winter when the waterfalls are more likely to be flowing, you could easily turn this into a much busier day in Gorbeia Natural Park.

One of the best extra stops is Goiuriko Ur-Jauziaren Begiralekua, an impressive waterfall viewpoint that’s reached via a very short walk from the parking area. Unfortunately it was completely dry when we visited, so we can’t pretend it was a highlight for us, but if there’s been plenty of rain it’s meant to be well worth adding to your day.

If you want to properly pack out your time here, this is where I’d point you towards this full Gorbeia Natural Park guide, where we cover the other walks, viewpoints and seasonal stops in more detail.

One important thing to know if you’re travelling with a dog: farmers in this part of the park use mastiffs to guard their cattle and flocks. They’re working dogs, not friendly farm pets, and if they think your dog is a threat they absolutely can react. Keep your dog on a lead, give livestock plenty of space and don’t let them approach herds, even if everything looks calm at first

Evening: Drive to Gaztelugatxe and park up for the night

From Gorbeia, continue on towards Gaztelugatxe. The drive takes a little over an hour, and we’d recommend doing it this evening rather than leaving it until tomorrow morning.

If you’re not staying on a campsite, aim to arrive at the upper Gaztelugatxe car park fairly late in the day to give yourself the best chance of getting a space for the night. Staying overnight here was fine when we visited, and parking up the evening before means you’re already in position for an early start the next morning before the main crowds arrive.

It does make today a little longer overall, but we still think it’s the better option. Gaztelugatxe is far easier to enjoy when you’re not also trying to deal with parking first thing in the morning.

Accommodation near Gaztelugatxe

If you’re looking for a hotel that’s close to Gaztelugatxe, the best town to look at is Bentalde. This will give you a 15 minute drive to the car park and you will want to get there before 7am to grab a parking space. Below is a map of recommended places, zoom or drag to see more options or click this link to view it in full screen.

Day 8 – Gaztelugatxe and the Basque Coast

Drive time: Minimal unless you decide to move on along the coast

Spend the night: Nearby or around Castro Urdiales

Morning: Walk to Gaztelugatxe

Start the day with one of the most famous stops on the Basque coast route: San Juan de Gaztelugatxe.

You might recognise it as Dragonstone from Game of Thrones, but even without the TV connection, this place is impressive. A small hermitage sits on a rocky island connected to the mainland by a winding path, with incredible coastal views along the way.

Because we wanted to photograph Gaztelugatxe in different lights, we actually spent a couple of full days here, visiting at both sunrise and sunset.

We know that won’t be everyone’s priority though, so we’ve included the surrounding Basque coast later in the day too. It also works well as a bit of a buffer day in the itinerary if you want to slow things down earlier in the route.

Dogs are allowed at Gaztelugatxe, but we decided to tag team this visit with Lilly. The path is narrow, with a low wall along much of the route, and Lilly has a habit of jumping onto (or over) things she probably shouldn’t!

We didn’t want to risk her having a moment of enthusiasm on a steep coastal path, so one of us stayed with her while the other did the walk.

The upside was that we both got to experience Gaztelugatxe in completely different ways.

Dec went for sunrise around 5am and had the entire place almost to himself, apart from one or two other photographers, until around 7am.

I visited later in the day, which gave us a good idea of how much the atmosphere changes. From around 9am until late afternoon, the area becomes much busier with tour groups and a constant flow of visitors.

During our visit in June, we found that the gates were open before 9am and after 7pm without needing a time slot. At weekends and throughout the summer/peak season, you’ll usually need to reserve a free timed entry slot though, as visitor numbers are managed to prevent overcrowding. Sometimes this needs to be done weeks in advance, so it’s worth checking and booking as soon as you know when you’ll be there.

If you want a quieter experience, sunrise or evening is definitely the way to go.

The walk itself is not technically difficult, but it does require some effort. From the car park it’s an easy 10 minute walk to the start of the track where you’ll then descend steeply towards the bridge, before climbing the 241 steps up to the hermitage.

For me, the hardest part was actually the hill, not the steps. When I reached the first viewpoint on the way down, I genuinely questioned whether I really needed to go any further.

Did I need to see it closer, or was the view already enough?

I’m glad I carried on though, because reaching the hermitage and then looking back over the path you’ve just walked is absolutely worth it.

Take your time, stop for photos and don’t feel like you need to rush. There are plenty of places to pause, both to admire the views and catch your breath.

It took me around 3 hours there and back, but we saw plenty of people doing it quicker and others taking much longer. It really depends on your fitness level and how long you want to spend enjoying the scenery.

Good shoes are essential, especially if it has rained, as parts of the path are cobbled and can become slippery. I also found hiking poles really helpful on the way back up, especially with my knees.

TOP TIP: If you are visiting in summer peak  months, during a holiday or at a weekend, you will need to prebook a free timeslot to do the full walk. 

Afternoon: Explore the Basque Coast

After San Juan de Gaztelugatxe, this afternoon is intentionally flexible. How you spend it really depends on how long you stay at the viewpoint and whether you decide to stay longer elsewhere on the route!

If you want somewhere to properly slow down afterwards, head towards Plentzia.

It’s a small coastal town sitting at the mouth of the river, with a long sandy beach that stretches right into a sheltered bay. The main draw here is how easy it is to switch off, there’s a simple promenade, a small old town centre, and plenty of space to just sit by the water after a busy morning.

You can also walk along the river towards the marina area, which gives you a slightly quieter angle away from the main beach. It’s not a place you need a plan for, which is exactly why it works well after Gaztelugatxe.

If you’re looking for something even more low-key, the nearby Bentalde area is another option along this stretch of coast. It’s less of a “stop” and more of a viewpoint stretch, quiet coastal roads, small pull-ins, and elevated views back over the bay.

It works well if you still want scenery but don’t feel like parking up and going into a town.

Evening: Flexible stop on the coast

This isn’t a driving day with a fixed end point. Once you’ve explored Gaztelugatxe and either Plentzia or the surrounding coastline, the rest of the evening is simply about where you naturally end up.

You can stay put in Plentzia if you want a relaxed evening by the beach, or just find a quiet pull-in further along the route. The key here is not to over-plan it, this section of coast works best when you don’t force a schedule onto it.

We like to use Park4Night for nights like this, it’ll show you the nearest campsite or designated parking options!

Day 9 – Plentzia to Castro Urdiales

Drive time: 45 minutes (varies depending on where you’ve stayed)

Spend the night: Castro Urdiales 

Morning: Arrive and walk into town

The drive from the Basque Coast to Castro Urdiales is an easy one, you’ll just want to make sure you avoid any rush hours as the route does bring you quite close to Bilbao.

If you want, you could use this time to go into the city instead but we explain later why we don’t recommend it and haven’t included Bilbao on our 10 day Northern Spain road trip itinerary.

Don’t skip Castro Urdiales though, we only came here because a local recommended it to us. We’d mentioned we were heading along the coast, and they told us we’d love it, especially the old town. We were slightly sceptical at first because we’d assumed it would feel like a fairly touristy beach stop.

Turns out they weren’t wrong. We absolutely loved it.

We recommend parking up on the streets closer to the Cotolino Park side. It’s quieter than the streets around the harbour and old town, and you avoid the usual scramble for spaces closer in. It is paid parking but it’s only a few euros for most of the day, and overnight is allowed, so it’s a bargain really!

From there, walk down towards the seafront and follow the promenade into town. It’s an easy 20 minute walk that naturally brings you into the harbour and old town area.

Head first to the castle lighthouse and church right on the waterfront and go inside if it’s open. It’s one of the key landmarks in the town and gives you the best views back over town.

Historically, Castro Urdiales has been an important fishing port for centuries and was heavily involved in the Bay of Biscay whaling industry. It’s one of those places where that history still sits underneath everything, even if the town now feels very much like a coastal holiday spot.

Afternoon: Pier walk and quiet streets

Spend the afternoon walking the pier, harbour and surrounding streets.

This is where Castro surprised us most. We visited during early June and expected it to be busy throughout the day, but the middle of the day was actually really quiet in the town itself.

A lot of shops and bars close for a few hours around lunchtime, so you end up wandering through streets that feel almost empty compared to the evening.

It’s a completely different atmosphere, fewer people, shuttered doorways, and just locals moving between places rather than crowds of visitors. The promenade and harbour are still active, but in a much slower, more relaxed way.

It’s a good time to just drift rather than follow a route. Walk the pier, loop back through the old town, and move between the waterfront and streets depending on what’s open.

Evening: Harbour, sunset or seafood

For the evening, head back towards the harbour or nearby Parque Cotolino for sunset. We did both the harbour, but both work well depending on how you want to end the day. The harbour is busier and more atmospheric, while Cotolino is quieter with a wider view over the coast.

Alternatively, head back into the old town once everything has opened up again and try some of the local seafood. This is very much a fishing town at its core, and that shows in the restaurants around the harbour and side streets: simple menus, busy tables, and a very local feel rather than polished tourist dining.

From here, everything is walkable, so it’s easy to leave the van parked and just wander until you’re done for the day.

Accommodation Near Castro Urdiales

Once again, there are lots of accommodation options in and around Castro Urdiales, from hotels to boutique BnBs. Below is a map of your other options nearby, or you can click here to view the map full screen.

Day 10 – Castro Urdiales to Santander Via Laredo

Drive time: 1.5 hours

Spend the night: Santander 

Today is the final stretch of the coastal route, making your way back towards Santander with a stop in Laredo along the way.

Morning: Castro Urdiales to Laredo

Leave Castro Urdiales and follow the coast west towards Laredo. It’s a short and straightforward drive, with plenty of sea views along the way, so there’s no real rush to get moving early unless you have a ferry or flight from Santander.

Laredo works well as a mid-point break before heading into Santander. It’s a classic Cantabrian coastal town, with a long sandy beach and a slightly more open, spacious feel compared to Castro. 

The main draw is the promenade and beach, which give you wide, open views across the bay. It’s a good place to stretch your legs and reset before the final drive into Santander.

Behind the seafront, the old town is small but worth walking through. There are narrow streets, local bars and cafés, and a much more traditional feel once you move away from the beach. It’s also where you’ll find most of the atmosphere, especially around late morning and lunchtime when things start to pick up.

If you want a simple stop with a coffee, a walk and a view, this is exactly that.

Afternoon: Final drive to Santander

From Laredo, it’s a straightforward final run into Santander.

The road gradually becomes more built up as you approach the city, which feels like a natural shift after several days of smaller coastal towns and quieter stops along the way.

This is the end of the road trip loop, so there’s no pressure to pack anything else in today. Depending on your plans, you might be heading straight for a ferry or flight, or you might simply be using Santander as your final base before travelling home.

If you do have time to pause before leaving, the seafront is the easiest place to unwind for a bit. The promenade stretches along the coastline and makes for an easy final walk, whether that’s a quick stretch after the drive or a slow wander before heading off.

Otherwise, this is very much a “take it as it comes” kind of afternoon. Park up, reset, and let the trip wind down naturally.

Why Isn’t Bilbao Included?

You might be surprised to see Bilbao missing from this itinerary. We actually visited the city during our own Northern Spain road trip but ultimately decided not to include it here.

The main reason? We found Bilbao surprisingly difficult as a campervan destination.

The official free designated overnight spot in Berango (the closest option to the city) was full when we arrived, so we headed to the alternative spot next door recommended on Park4Night and by local police.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t somewhere we’d have felt comfortable staying. While we were there, a group of teens were using the car park like a racetrack, blasting music, towing someone behind a car on a surfboard before eventually smashing the board to pieces. It wasn’t just noisy; the whole atmosphere felt chaotic and unsafe so we ended up leaving around 10pm.

We also found that several other parking options didn’t feel safe to leave the van while we went into the city for the day, and others had height barriers or no camper signs, generally ruling out many campervans altogether.

The only secure paid motorhome area is often booked days in advance during summer, and some reviews suggest self-build campervans and panel van conversions aren’t always welcomed.

Of course, there are ways to visit Bilbao. You could stay at a campsite outside the city and use public transport to get in. However, if you’re travelling with a dog, that becomes much less appealing during the hot summer months when it’s not really safe for them to be out in the sun, on hot city concrete, all day.

That’s not to say Bilbao isn’t worth visiting. If museums, architecture and city breaks are your thing, you may well love it. But for a 10-day campervan road trip, we’d rather spend our time in the mountains, along the coast and in places where finding somewhere safe and comfortable to park isn’t part of the adventure.

Campervan Driving Tips For North Spain:

We were pleasantly surprised by driving in Northern Spain!

Before we arrived, we’d heard plenty of warnings about narrow roads, mountain passes and difficult parking, but overall we found driving here much easier than expected.

That said, this route does include everything from easy motorway driving to proper mountain roads, so it’s worth knowing what to expect before you set off.

The biggest thing to remember is that the distances can be misleading.

A 50km drive through the mountains can take just as long as a much longer motorway journey, especially if you’re stopping at viewpoints (which you absolutely should be).

Mountain roads in Northern Spain

A lot of this itinerary takes you through mountainous areas, particularly around Picos de Europa and Gorbeia Natural Park.

Most roads are perfectly manageable in a campervan, but they’re not roads where you’ll want to rush. Expect winding sections, steep climbs and plenty of hairpin bends.

Our biggest advice? Take your time and don’t let the cars behind you pressure you into driving faster than feels comfortable. Spanish drivers are used to these roads, and they’ll overtake when it’s safe. If you see an area to pull over, do so and let the traffic pass.

The good news is that the views are usually worth the slower pace. Some of our favourite drives from this route were the ones where we covered the least distance.

Driving a larger campervan

We completed this route in a 7m VW Crafter and had no major issues, but there were definitely a few moments where we were glad we weren’t any bigger.

Some village roads are narrow, parking areas can be tight and a few viewpoints are better suited to smaller vans.

While we’ve written this itinerary with campervans and motorhomes in mind, if you’re travelling in a larger motorhome, we’d recommend checking parking situations before arriving rather than assuming every viewpoint or village stop will work.

We also recommend getting a GPS that is specifically designed for motorhomes so you can pop in your dimensions and have a little extra security from Google Maps. We use the Garmin 795.

Toll roads

One of the nice surprises about this route is that you can avoid a lot of toll roads if you want to.

The main roads and motorways are generally easy to drive, but depending on where you’re travelling from and where you’re heading afterwards, you may come across some toll sections.

Google Maps will often suggest the fastest route, which isn’t always the route we’d choose in a campervan anyway. We’d rather take a slightly slower scenic road than save 20 minutes on a motorway.

If you do use toll roads, most accept card payments, but we recommend carrying some cash for Northern Spain anyway.

Clean Air Zones

Several Spanish cities now have low-emission zones, including places where you may want to stop on a road trip.

The good news for foreign visitors is that you don’t usually need to buy a Spanish emissions sticker in the same way local vehicles do.

However, that doesn’t mean you can ignore the rules.

You still need to understand your vehicle’s emissions rating and make sure it meets the requirements for the zone you’re entering. If you’re stopped, you may need to prove that your vehicle complies.

All of the parking that we’ve noted in this itinerary is outside any clean air zones. Before driving into any city centre, check the current restrictions and decide whether it’s easier to park outside and use public transport instead.

This is one reason we’ve focused on smaller towns and natural areas rather than city stops.

Wild camping rules

When campervanning in Spain, you’ll probably find the rules around wild camping can be a little confusing because it’s not as simple as “allowed” or “not allowed”.

In general, sleeping inside your vehicle is treated differently from camping. If you’re parked legally and not setting up outside (chairs, awnings, tables etc.), you’re usually in a much safer position.

It is not acceptable to get all of your equipment out in supermarkets (yes, we’ve seen this) or free car parks. If a space is free, and designated for campervans and motorhomes, it’s usually only for overnight sleepings so check the signs.

However, local rules vary and coastal areas, national parks and popular tourist spots often have their own restrictions.

Our advice? Don’t treat every beautiful viewpoint as an overnight spot.

We’ve included the places we stayed throughout this itinerary, but always check current signs and local restrictions when you arrive.

Being respectful makes a huge difference. Don’t empty waste, don’t spread out into a campsite setup and don’t block spaces locals need.

Renting A Campervan In Spain:

If you don’t have your own campervan, Northern Spain is a great place to rent one.

Starting in Santander or Bilbao works particularly well because these are common arrival points for travellers coming from elsewhere in Europe, and it lets you jump straight into the road trip.

When choosing a campervan, we’d prioritise practicality over size.

A smaller van will make parking and village roads easier, but a larger motorhome gives you more comfort if you’re travelling for longer.

For this route, we’d recommend looking for:

• A vehicle you’re comfortable driving on mountain roads
• Enough storage space for longer stretches away from supermarkets
• Good heating if travelling outside summer
• Solar power or enough battery capacity if you plan to stay off-grid

Also pay attention to the rental rules. Some companies have restrictions around where you can take the vehicle, whether dogs are allowed, and whether you’re permitted to use it for wild camping.

Before collecting your van, check:

• What insurance is included
• The mileage allowance
• Whether you can cross borders if needed
• What happens if you damage the vehicle on narrow roads

Northern Spain rewards slow travel, so don’t feel like you need the biggest van possible.

The best vehicle for this route is the one you feel confident taking down a tiny village road when the sat nav suddenly decides it’s the “quickest route” 😂

Best Time For A Northern Spain Road Trip:

For this specific Northern Spain road trip itinerary, we think spring and autumn are the sweet spots.

This route takes you from the mountains of Picos de Europa, through the desert-like landscape of Bardenas Reales, and back along the Basque coast, which means you’ll experience very different conditions depending on when you visit.

We did this route in late spring, and it worked really well. The mountains were green, the forests were full of atmosphere, and the weather was generally comfortable for hiking and exploring. The exception being Bardenas which really is better in Autumn and winter if you want full access.

It’s also a great time for campervan travel because you avoid the peak summer crowds that can make some of the smaller stops on this itinerary much harder.

Summer is still possible, but it comes with a few things to consider.

Northern Spain might not have the same reputation for heat as the south, but temperatures can still climb, especially around Bardenas Reales, where there is very little shade.

At the time of writing, parts of Spain were experiencing early heat waves with temperatures around 35°C, which would make some of the walks and longer sightseeing days on this itinerary much less enjoyable.

It’s also worth remembering that this route includes some very popular stops.

Places like San Juan de Gaztelugatxe, Picos de Europa and the smaller villages can become noticeably busier during July and August, and parking a larger campervan becomes more of a challenge.

Winter is a bit more complicated. While it can be a fantastic time to visit Bardenas Reales, the mountain sections of this itinerary need more planning. Picos de Europa and other sections of the route can have snow and icy conditions, so depending on the weather you may need snow chains.

For us, the best balance would be:

April–June: A great choice. Expect greener landscapes, flowing rivers and comfortable temperatures for hiking but restrictions in Bardenas

September–October: Probably the best overall option. The summer crowds have dropped, the temperatures are usually much easier, and autumn colours can make the forests even more impressive. Bardenas is fully open.

November–March: Possible, but we’d adapt the itinerary. Bardenas Reales and the coast can be excellent, but the mountain sections need extra care and you should be prepared for winter driving conditions.

Ready to plan your own Northern Spain road trip?

If you’re looking for a Northern Spain road trip that goes beyond the usual city-hopping itinerary, we genuinely think this route is hard to beat. After spending more than a month exploring the region in our campervan, these are the places we’d come back to without hesitation, and the route we’d recommend to friends planning their first trip.

Before you set off, it’s also worth reading our guide to campervanning in Spain. It covers everything this itinerary doesn’t, from overnight parking rules and finding great places to stay to driving tips, tolls and the practical lessons we’ve learnt from exploring all across Spain by van over the years. It’ll help you spend less time worrying about the logistics and more time enjoying your trip!