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Best parts of spain ? Best parts of spain ?
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Route Planning Where to go, when, what are the interesting places to see
Photo by Ellen Delis, Lagunas Ojos del Campo, Antofalla, Catamarca

I haven't been everywhere...
but it's on my list!


Photo by Ellen Delis,
Lagunas Ojos del Campo,
Antofalla, Catamarca



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  #1  
Old 12 May 2009
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Best parts of spain ?
Looking at giving Spain a shot ,got about two weeks to play with. looking at starting from Santander .Where do you recommend? We're looking for good biking roads , scenery and not too commercial places to stay inland but also where's best on the coast ,once again not too commercial , small and quiet would be fine !

Thanks for any advice
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  #2  
Old 19 May 2009
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Hi, I've been to Spain a couple of times on the bike and always pretty happy with what I stumbled upon.

East of Santander, you will definitely want to check out Bilbao and the Guggenheim museum. Donostia/San Sebastian closer to the border with France is also beautiful and well worth a visit.

Madrid is an obvious must. Toledo disappointed me when I visited 5 months ago, as a couple of important museums were "under refurbishment" and hence completely off limits. It might also help that I had just driven through Cordoba and Granada (down south), which are both beautiful and recommended.

If you head west of Santander, I would drop by Oviedo to admire Santa Maria del Naranco ( http://tinyurl.com/oy5lvm ) and then head towards La Corunia and then Cape Fisterra (Land of the Dead). It's a fantastic place and a very nice coastal ride.

Have fun!
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  #3  
Old 19 May 2009
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Hi,

Just south west of Santander, you must visit the Picos de Europa. Fantastic roads through great mountains with amazing views. Just south of the Picos is Salamanca - a great city to visit - and further south is the Extremadura region which is great touring country with lots of little villages. While there are motorways, it is easy to stay on the minor roads. Sevilla, Granada and Cordoba in the south are also great. As is Barcelona. To be honest there are lots of great places to visit in Spain and it is easy to stay away from the resorts.

One area which I have not done yet but I think would be worth a visit is the Pyrenese.

regards

Reinhard
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  #4  
Old 19 May 2009
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I have found the Northern coast to be very beautiful and a lot less commercial than the South.

There are lovely coastlines, mountains, and historic cities.

Santiago de Compostela in the North West is spectacular as are places like Pamplona and San Sebastian, and Burgos toward the North East, together with dozens of places in between.

Jealous!! Enjoy...
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Old 19 May 2009
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I`ll be riding down through france on the 24th may with a group of friends.we are planning to spend a few days in the spanish pyrenees and then heading across to the picos de europa for a few days then up to the basque area before headind back to santander for the ferry to porthmouth.all the reports I`ve read suggest this part of spain is well worth taking the time to explore and if you have a couple of weeks it could be a good intro.enjoy
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Old 19 May 2009
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Hey I used to visit a relatives farm in the Basque Country, NE Spain. It was in the Aralar Mountain range, famed for Mt. Txindoki (chin-dow-key). Havnt been there on a bike yet (I say yet as my brother is going over there soon and I may "tag along") but I do remember it being bloody beautiful.

Lots of forest too if you fancy camping, although watch out for mountain cats. I recall stumbling accross a deserted logging camp in the middle of the forest near my aunties farm one day, I was about 12, noticed the floor was moving; scorpions! and massive spiders!

Anyways have fun
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Old 20 May 2009
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You could do a lot worst than following the pyrenean mountains from west to east ( or vice versa) Excellent scenery, you can adjust the temperature of where you camp by choosing teh right altitude. Take a telescopic fishing rod.
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Old 5 Jun 2009
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Quote:
Originally Posted by oldbmw View Post
You could do a lot worst than following the pyrenean mountains from west to east ( or vice versa) Excellent scenery, you can adjust the temperature of where you camp by choosing teh right altitude. Take a telescopic fishing rod.
Wouldn't know about the fishing rod, but the pyrenees are a great place, even if the area is a bit small if you ride through too fast. The contrast between the French and Spanish site is interesting.
Tapas in San Sebastian !
I like Barcelona a lot, but it is an acquired taste for some.
In the south: Sevilla (even though the countryside around it is not very interesting) Granada and I love Tarifa and the ride north to Ronda (don't forget the Bandolero museum here.. )
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Old 6 Jun 2009
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Brill roads
Head south to Bourgos, then turn west to Segovia, sorry we are in South Africa at the mo so dont have the road No , but I think its the n110. After Segovia , Avilla then onto Placencia and Caceres, top , top ride.
after that you can decide to ride down to Seville or just explore the mountains, weve done it 5 times, there is no problem with places to stay on the way down.
Motorways suck, leave em out
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Old 6 Jun 2009
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Northern Spain Picos and then down into Portugal, Serra de Estrella, cross the border again and Caceras - Seville , Rhonda, Cordoba, Granada, Cartagena, Valecia, Barca, Figueres then back west across the pyrenees. Generally avoiding the centre of Spain is a good idea.
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Old 6 Jun 2009
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Originally Posted by DavePortugal View Post
Northern Spain Picos and then down into Portugal, Serra de Estrella, cross the border again and Caceras - Seville , Rhonda, Cordoba, Granada, Cartagena, Valecia, Barca, Figueres then back west across the pyrenees. Generally avoiding the centre of Spain is a good idea.
This looks like as close to perfection as it gets (on tarmac in Western Europe, at least): wonderful riding in the Pyrenées and Picos de Europa, wonderful riding again in the mountains of the south out of Ronda and Granada. Two weeks doesn't allow much time for sightseeing or dawdling, though. Plenty of time if you're in it for the riding.

Hope that helps.

Mark
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