One of most wonderful ways to see this part of Spain is to walk the Camino de Santiago. This is an ancient pilgrimage that has been around more than four hundred years and is still strongly supported by the locals in northern Spain. The pilgrimage has many routes which all lead to the city Santiago de Compestella in the northwest part of Spain. Many of these routes have names their own names. The route called the Camino Norte will take you through the cities Bilbao, San Sebastian, Santander & La Rioja. 

This pilgrimage can be done by foot, bike or horseback. On the way you will meet new friends from all around the world, get to know the local people and cuisine and see the cities and the countryside in ways you would never be able to do as a traditional tourist. You will find the people to be warm and hospitable and each day will be filled with a new adventure.

If you have the time, I recommend that you walk the entire Camino Norte, which will take about four weeks. It is an excellent way to get into better shape and you will find that you discover things about yourself you didn’t know. I did it alone, but lots of people go in groups or as couples.

If you are more pressed for time and cannot do the whole thing, then you might want to consider combining some walking with some bussing. This will allow you to have the wonderful experience of the trek while seeing all the places you really want to see.

There are a ton of great resources out there to learn more. The link below has the entire path of the Camino Norte. You can navigate from there to find out more about the history of the Camino.

http://www.santiago-compostela.net/cdn/index_cdn_en.html

Also, check out my Hubs after February 1^st for some writing I plan to publish that were inspired by my recent experience along the Camino de Santiago.

As they along the Camino, Buen Camino!