There is a very different way to discover Spain.
Instead of moving from one famous city to another, imagine picking up a beautiful car, leaving the main tourist routes behind and following the road wherever the landscape, the food or a local recommendation tells you to go.
This is the idea behind The Art of the Spanish Road: Michelin, Mountains & Coast — a 15-day luxury self-drive through Northern Spain, created for travelers who want exceptional food and wine, beautiful hotels, dramatic landscapes and the feeling that they are discovering somewhere rather than simply visiting it.
A road trip designed by someone who knows the road
A luxury car is easy to rent.
The difficult part is knowing which road to take once you leave the obvious route.
Northern Spain is full of small coastal villages, mountain roads, family-run restaurants, vineyards, local producers and beautiful places that don't necessarily appear in an international travel guide.
That is where local knowledge makes the difference.
This itinerary starts in the Basque Country and San Sebastián before following the coast and countryside through Rioja, Bilbao, the Picos de Europa, Asturias, León and Las Médulas. Along the way, the route has been designed around not only the destinations, but also how you move between them — because in Northern Spain, the road itself can be one of the best parts of the journey.
And that is something we know particularly well because Hidden in Spain is based in Asturias, in the heart of Northern Spain.
We don't simply look at a map and connect attractive places. We know which roads are worth driving, which villages deserve a stop, which restaurants are worth the detour and which hotels give you a real sense of place.
San Sebastián, Rioja and the art of eating well
For many travelers, food is one of the main reasons to come to Northern Spain.
And this journey takes that seriously.
In San Sebastián, you'll explore the city and its Old Town through a private pintxos experience, with local stories, five pintxos and five drinks across different bars. Then comes the French Basque coast, including Biarritz and Saint-Jean-de-Luz, before heading into Rioja for a completely different kind of wine experience.
Instead of simply visiting a winery for a tasting, the itinerary includes a Rioja BBQ in the vineyard, where wine, fire and local food come together in a much more personal experience.
And yes, four are Michelin-starred restaurants.
Arzak. Akelarre. Asador Etxebarri. Casa Marcial.
But Michelin is only part of the story.
Some of the most memorable meals on this journey are in family-run or traditional restaurants, eating dishes that have been part of the local culture for generations.
That balance is important to us: haute cuisine when it adds something special, and authentic local food when that is what the place does best.
Beyond the famous Basque Country
The Basque Country is already becoming better known among travelers looking for food, wine and culture.
But this journey doesn't stop at San Sebastián and Bilbao.
You follow the coast through dramatic landscapes and hidden corners before heading inland and eventually reaching the Picos de Europa.
This is where the journey changes completely.
The Atlantic coast gives way to green mountains, tiny villages and winding roads. You can hike in the Picos de Europa — or simply slow down and enjoy the landscape, visit Potes and Mogrovejo, take the Fuente Dé cable car or spend time enjoying your surroundings.
This is the kind of Northern Spain that many international visitors simply don't reach.
Asturias: where the journey becomes personal
Asturias is one of the reasons we created this itinerary.
This is where we live, and it is also one of the places where the difference between traveling through Spain and experiencing Spain becomes very clear.
You can drive along the coast to Llanes, discover nearby villages such as Ribadesella, Lastres and Tazones, look for the hidden beach of Gulpiyuri, explore Covadonga and the Lakes of Covadonga, and finish the day with a meal at Casa Marcial, surrounded by green hills and mountains.
There is no need to rush.
A good luxury journey isn't about how many places you can visit.
It is about having enough time to enjoy the places that are worth stopping for.
Luxury without feeling like a tourist
The original version of this journey is designed as a high-end luxury self-drive.
Think Porsche, beautiful luxury hotels, private experiences, Michelin-starred restaurants, exceptional local food and carefully selected wine experiences.
But the Porsche is not the point.
And neither is having five stars on every hotel door.
The point is creating the right experience for you as a traveler.
If someone wants a different luxury vehicle, we can arrange it.
If you prefer another type of car, we can adapt the journey.
If you would rather have a private driver and private transportation instead of driving yourselves, we can design it that way too.
The same applies to accommodation. The itinerary includes properties such as the Hotel María Cristina in San Sebastián, Akelarre and Puebloastur, but the accommodation can be changed depending on your preferences, dates and style.
That is the difference between a fixed luxury tour and a truly tailor-made journey.
A luxury road trip — but not a standard tour
We created this itinerary for travelers who want something more personal.
People who enjoy driving.
People who care about food and wine.
People who appreciate beautiful hotels but don't want to spend their entire vacation inside them.
People who would rather discover a small village, eat lunch somewhere they would never have found themselves and follow a spectacular coastal road than simply tick another famous attraction off a list.
And most importantly, people who want to see a side of Spain that feels less touristy, more local and more authentic.
That doesn't mean avoiding the famous places. San Sebastián, Bilbao and the other highlights are included for a reason.
It means knowing what to do after you've seen them.
This is only the beginning
The 15-day itinerary is a starting point, not a package carved in stone.
It can be shortened or extended.
The route can change.
The number of Michelin experiences can be reduced or increased.
Hotels can be changed.
The Porsche can become another (luxury) car.
The self-drive can become a private chauffeur-driven journey.
More wine can be added. More hiking. More food. More villages. More time on the coast.
Or perhaps less of everything — and simply more time to enjoy Spain slowly.
This is what we mean when we talk about tailor-made tours through Spain and Portugal.
We don't sell a fixed itinerary and ask you to fit yourself into it.
We start with how you like to travel and build the journey from there.
Discover Northern Spain differently
If you have already seen Barcelona, Madrid or Seville — or if you simply want your first trip to Spain to feel completely different — Northern Spain deserves a place on your list.
The Basque Country.
Rioja.
The Atlantic coast.
Picos de Europa.
Asturias.
León.
Hidden villages.
Mountain roads.
Michelin-starred dining.
Family-run restaurants.
Wine among the vineyards.
And a road trip where getting from one place to the next is part of the experience.
You could rent a car and try to find it all yourself.
Or you could let someone who lives here design the route, select the right hotels, find the restaurants, arrange the experiences and make sure the journey flows naturally from beginning to end.
That is what our custom tours through Spain and Portugal are about.
Beyond the highlights. Beyond the guidebooks.Explore The Art of the Spanish Road
