Overall assessment of Spain’s Northern Coast

The towns on the northern coast of Spain are definitely worth visiting. The food is amazing, everything is super cheap (especially wine!), and there is a lot to see. We would probably recommend Bilbao as a base. Just be aware that there is not a lot of English spoken and public transportation can be challenging as it isn’t always well marked. The weather is also kind of hit or miss. The cooler temperatures were definitely a welcome relief from Segovia and Madrid where it felt like we were sitting in a brick pizza oven, but it is cloudy and drizzly a lot (San Sebastian actually has almost as many rain days per year as London)