Galicia
Galicia is a mountainous region with large tracts of heathland broken by gorges and fast-flowing rivers. The coastline has many sandy bays, often backed with forests of fir and eucalyptus, and deep fjord-like estuaries (rías), which cut into the land. The dominant building material is granite. Galicia has its own culture and language (gallego, influenced by Portuguese) and many of the roadsigns are in two languages.
La Coruña is one of the largest towns in the region and is said to have been founded by the Phoenicians. Since then it has enjoyed a tempestuous history – the Armada set sail from here in 1588 and Sir John Moore’s British Army had to evacuate the town following an ignominious retreat from Napoleon’s forces in January 1809. Moore died in the encounter and is buried in the Jardín de San Carlos. La Coruña’s most attractive feature is the Ciudad Vieja (old quarter) on the north spur of the harbor. Santiago de Compostela has been a center of pilgrimage since the early middle ages and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The focal point for all visits is the Gothic Cathedral completed in 1188. Apart from the revered image of St James, it boasts a magnificent portico and crypt. For further information, see The Way of St James section. The Roman town of Lugo is noted for having one of the finest surviving examples of Roman walls. Orense first attracted the Romans on account of its therapeutic waters. The 13th-century cathedral was built on the site of one dating from the sixth century. Pontevedra, the region’s fourth provincial capital, is a granite town with arcaded streets and many ancient buildings. Further south is the important port of Vigo, the center of a region of attractive countryside. A good view of the town and the bay can be had from the Castillo del Castro.

The Way of St James
During the Middle Ages, the tomb of St James at Santiago de Compostela was regarded as one of the most holy sites in Christendom and thousands of pilgrims traveled through Spain each year to visit the shrine. This route, the Way of St James, was lined with monasteries, religious houses, chapels and hospices to cater for the pilgrims. Many of these buildings still survive, and any traveller following the route today will find it an uplifting introduction to the religious architecture of medieval Spain. The route began in Navarre, at Canfranc or Valcarlos; from there, traveling west, the main stopping places were Pamplona, Santo Domingo de la Calzada, Logroño, Burgos, León, Astorga and Santiago de Compostela. The Saint’s feast day, 25 July (the term ‘day’ is a misnomer since the festival runs for a full week) is celebrated in vigorous style in Santiago de Compostela and accommodation should be booked well in advance. There are several specialist books on the subject of this and other old pilgrim routes that may be followed, both in Spain and elsewhere in Europe.

Asturias
This small, once independent principality is predominantly mountainous although there are also large tracts of forest. The resorts are known collectively as the Costa Verde on account of the rich vegetation. Oviedo, the capital of Asturias, is an historic town with an outstanding 12th-century Gothic Cathedral. The Camara Santa has some impressive Romanesque wall paintings and other artistic treasures. Asturias has a remarkably rich legacy of Romanesque churches, several of which can easily be visited from Oviedo. San Julian de los Prados dates from AD 830 and is decorated with medieval frescoes. The Palacio de Santa Maria del Naranco was also built in the ninth century for Ramiro I as a hunting lodge. The chapel of San Miguel de Lillo is nearby. There are many good beaches along the coast, especially around the large fishing village of Ribadesella and Lastres.

Cantabria
The Cantabrian resorts make a convenient base for expeditions to the mountains. Cantabria (and Asturias) are important centers for skiing and winter sports. The main stations are at Alto Campo, San Isidro and Valgrande-Pajares. Santander is a busy traditional resort set in a beautiful bay ringed with hills. The Gothic Cathedral was destroyed by fire in 1941, but has been carefully restored. The Municipal Museum contains a fine collection of paintings by many 17th- and 18th-century artists. Nearby are the fine beaches of El Sardinero and Magdalena. Santander hosts an impressive music festival throughout August. There are a number of smaller beach resorts to east and west of Santander: Comillas, San Vincente (an old fishing port with a hill-top Gothic church and ducal palace), Laredo and Castro Urdiales (an attractive village with a fine harbor, overlooked by a medieval church and the remains of a Knights Templar castle). The Caves of Altamira are decorated with wall paintings dating back 13,000 years. Note however that admission is strictly limited and advance applications are essential. 100 meters away is Neocuerva, a reproduction of the prehistoric original. Nearby is the well-preserved historic town of Santillana del Mar with buildings dating from the 12th to the 18th centuries. Solares is noted for the therapeutic qualities of its mineral waters.

The way of St James - Spain

Santander  offers a city atmosphere combined with the very essence of Cantabria: beaches, countryside, nature, gastronomy and culture. The city is built around a natural port, which has been used since before the occupation of the Roman Empire. The surrounding countryside is stunning, with wide open verdant areas and beaches, particularly Mataleñas, Sardinero and La Magdalena, where Alfonso XIII had his summer residence. A short distance from the city are the bay's south shore and the coastal strip that stretches to the mouth of the river Pas, boasting some of the region's finest beaches, which are extremely popular in summer, but practically deserted for those who happen to be in the region during the first few days of the beach season (May and June).

The rocky and steep coast to the north of the city has recently been converted into a natural park. During migration season, many bird watchers gather there to observe the migratory birds. Just a few kilometres away is the Dunas Liencres Natural Park, the most extensive dune system in the whole of the Cantabrian coast. To the south of the bay is the Peña Cabarga Park, and from the summit of Peña Cabarga itself you are treated to an impressive view of practically the whole of Cantabria. At the foot of the mountain is the Carbárceno Natural Park, the biggest zoo in Europe, where you can see tigers, elephants, giraffes, hippos and much more. The enclosures are so big it is almost as if the animals were in the wild.

Very little of Santander's old quarter remains; it was destroyed in 1941 in a fire that even consumed the cathedral. The temple, which has now been completely restored, is gothic in style, and characterised by its austerity. It was built on high ground, in a location which was, in antiquity, the port entrance, and was built on the ruins of a pre-Roman settlement, whose remains can still be seen in the Romanesque Chapel of Santo Cristo.

Surrondings Santander Nature

Parque Natural Saja-Besaya: this Parque Natural includes the largest national hunting reserve in Spain, developed between 1948 and 1966. It covers most of the western part of Cantabria.

Parque Natural de Oyambre: This area of marshland and woodland behind a four-kilometre beach has a wide variety of aquatic and migratory birds. Large whalebones frequently appear on the beach, since whales were slaughtered here from medieval times onwards; the watch-tower from which they were spotted on the horizon still stands.

Parque Natural de las Dunas de Liencres: This covers the magnificent dune system formed in the estuary of the river Pas.

Parque Natural de Peña Cabarga: this protected area covers the mountain range of the same name, which rises over the bay of Santander.
Parque Natural de los Collados del Asón.

Reserva Natural de las Marismas de Santoña y Noja: Also declared a national sanctuary for aquatic bird life. Pantano del Ebro: National sanctuary for aquatic bird life

Parque Nacional de Picos de Europa: Established in 1995, over an area of 700 km2, it includes ten mountain municipalities in three autonomous communities: Asturias, Cantabria and Castilla-Leon. It is the biggest national park in the country, consisting of three limestone massifs that were formed during the Carboniferous period and includes some of the deepest chasms in the world. It is one of the national parks most frequently visited by tourists, mountaineers and climbers, and offers a wide range of mountain accommodation and refuges.
 

Activities

Windsurfing, horse-riding, snowboarding, white-water rafting, walking, diving, sailing, canoeing, guided tours, climbing... Everything your body can handle can be found on offer from the specialist companies presented here.

Adventure tourism has combined a growing interest in outdoor holidays, the rapid growth of equipment manufacture and the increased capacity of commercial operators, including clothing and equipment wholesalers, to provide a wide range of "activity" holidays.

Nowadays, adventure tourism is one of the fastest growing sectors in the tourist industry and has increased its presence and attraction in the world of tourism and international travel. The variety and easy availability of adventure tourism products for a wide range of interests and abilities seems to be limitless.

We propose this heady setting for your adventure of choice: paragliding, hang-gliding, abseiling down a rock face or pot-holing in underground caverns. The heights come courtesy of the Cantabrian landscape, one of the largest protected areas in Europe; all you have to do is bring the adrenalin and chose your form of descent. Just let yourself go.

The Basque Country (País Vasco)
Guipúzcoa, Vizcaya and Alava form the Basque provinces, to the east of the Cantabrian Mountains. The economy of this fertile region is based on agriculture, despite having been highly industrialized in the 19th century. The Basques are an ancient pre-Indo-European race and the origins of their language have baffled etymologists for centuries. An independence movement started to make headway around the turn of the 20th century and the separatists still have a following in parts of the region. The Spanish constitution allows the Basques a degree of autonomy, but Nationalist politicians are demanding a greater say in their own affairs.
A large though declining port, Bilbao is the main city of the region. The city was founded in the early 14th century and the Old Town is quite extensive with a Gothic Cathedral and an attractive Town Hall. Bilbao’s pre-eminent attraction is Frank Gehry’s Guggenheim Museum, hailed as a masterpiece of 20th-century architecture. The vast exhibition spaces are given over to rotating exhibitions of modern art in all its forms. The Palacio Euskalduna is Bilbao’s new congress and music center.
The provincial capital of San Sebastián, situated very close to the French frontier, is one of the most fashionable and popular Spanish seaside resorts. Just 7km (4 miles) west of the town is Monte Ulia, which offers superb views across the countryside and the Bay of Biscay. The art treasures found in the 13th-century Castle of Butron, near Bilbao, are also worthy of note.
The third provincial capital of the Basque region, and also the regional capital, is Vitoria, famous as being the site of a British victory during the Peninsula War, an event commemorated in various places in the city. Vitoria is remarkable for having two cathedrals; one was completed in the 15th century, whilst the other, on which work commenced in 1907, has yet to be finished.