8 Day Northern Spain & Portugal Tour from Barcelona

Bilbao, SPAIN Bilbao is a municipality and city in Spain, the capital of the province of Biscay in the autonomous community of the Basque Country. Bilbao is located on the Basque threshold, the range between the larger Cantabrian Mountains and the Pyrenees.

• Guggenheim Museum Bilbao's Guggenheim Museum is regarded as a modern architectural marvel, with its exterior decorated live rolling silver waves. It houses some of the best pieces of modern and contemporary art by greats like Pablo Picasso.

Santillana del Mar, SPAIN Santillana del Mar is a historic town situated in Cantabria, Spain. Its many historic buildings attract thousands of holidaymakers every year. The name actually derives from Santa Juliana (or Santa Illana) whose remains are kept in the Colegiata, a Romanesque church and former Benedictine monastery.

Covadonga, SPAIN Covadonga is a village and one of 11 parishes in Cangas de Onis, a municipality within the province and autonomous community of Asturias, in northwestern Spain. It is situated in the Picos de Europa mountains.

• Santa Cueva de Covadonga This cave and shrine, nestled between the Picos de Europa mountain range in Northern Spain, is a Catholic holy site and sanctuary dedicated to the Virgin Mary. A beautiful waterfall flows out of the cliff directly under the shrine.

La Coruna, SPAIN La Coruna is a city and municipality of Galicia, Spain. It is the second-largest city in the autonomous community and seventeenth overall in the country. La Coruna is located on a peninsula.

• Pontedeume Pontedeume is a small coastal fishing town in the area of the city of A Coruna on the northwestern tip of Spain. For the past 40 years or so, the town has developed into a ocean-side resort community.
• Betanzos Betanzos is a small Spanish town outside the city of La Coruna. It still features many of its medieval buildings, like churches and palaces. There are two large festivals held here each year in August.

Santiago de Compostela, SPAIN Santiago de Compostela has its origin in the shrine of Saint James the Great, now the city's cathedral, as destination of the Way of St. James, a leading Catholic pilgrimage route originated in the 9th century.

• Praza do Obradoiro This open, public square in Santiago de Compostela is a great spot to stop for a rest or merely people watch. Once there, your eyes willbe drawn to the exquisite cathedral.
• Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela This grand cathedral northwestern Spain is supposedly the burial site of the apostle St. James, built in the Romanesque style of architecture. The exterior is covered with intricate designs of apostles and Biblical scenes.

Santiago de Compostela, SPAIN Santiago de Compostela has its origin in the shrine of Saint James the Great, now the city's cathedral, as destination of the Way of St. James, a leading Catholic pilgrimage route originated in the 9th century.

Vigo, SPAIN Vigo is a city and municipality situated in north-west Spain, in the province of Pontevedra, in the Spanish autonomous community of Galicia, and on the eponymous ria, or bay, on the Atlantic Ocean.

Rias Baixas, SPAIN Rías Baixas is the most popular destination located the southwestern coast of Galicia. Discover the best wine from Rías Baixas where it has the wine grape grown with just the right amount of humidity and level of temperature.

Porto Santo, PORTUGAL Porto Santo is the northeasternmost island in the Madeira archipelago, located in the Atlantic Ocean southwest of Portugal. It is a popular vacation spot, featuring many hotels and a professional golf course in addition to its wonderful beaches.

Viana do Castelo, PORTUGAL Viana do Castelo is a municipality in the Norte Region of Portugal. The population in 2011 was 88,725 in an area of 319.02 km2.

Braga, PORTUGAL A city and a municipality in the northwestern Portuguese district of Braga, in the historical and cultural Minho Province.

Porto, PORTUGAL Porto is the second-largest city in Portugal. This center of Portuguese urban life is more than one thousand years old and a registered UNESCO World Heritage Site. Porto also lends its name to port wine, which it first produced.

Salamanca, SPAIN Salamanca is a major city in Spain that mixes antiquated, medieval architecture with the atmosphere of a college town, with the University of Salamanca leading the way in the teaching of the Spanish language.

• Plaza Mayor Most Spanish cities have a Plaza Mayor, but few are comparable to that of Salamanca. Surrounded by baroque buildings, the centerpiece of this public square is the city hall, with arms of restaurants, cafes, and other shops lining the side.