Things to do in Northern Spain

Spain's north looks nothing like the sunbaked postcards of the south. Between the Pyrenees and the Atlantic, a strip of green valleys, fishing harbours and limestone peaks runs through the Basque Country, Cantabria, Asturias and Galicia, with a cooler climate and a food culture many Spaniards consider the best in the country.

Bilbao mixes a medieval old quarter with bold modern architecture, and its coast leads to the island hermitage of San Juan de Gaztelugatxe. Further west are the stone village of Santillana del Mar, the prehistoric art of Altamira, the lakes and peaks of the Picos de Europa, the Templar castle of Ponferrada on the Camino route, and finally Santiago de Compostela, where the pilgrim roads end at the cathedral.