drmoose003927

Due to a few reasons, family of five going into Madrid in August (would have preferred July\late June but not possible). Never been to Spain. We are flying into Madrid and out of Barcelona (14 days). I figured Madrid for a few days coming in, and Barcelona a couple days going out. In between I though the Basque region would be best for this time of year. Thinking of Bilbao and or Santander, leaning towards Santander. Then maybe southern France for a couple days before Barcelona.

Is Santander a good place to visit with 3 teens? (~5 days) What I read is weather is not too hot in this part of Spain, though I am still looking for hotels with AC. I did find a nice house in Castro Urdiales, with no AC. Thoughts on that?

Seems like there are some nice outdoors stuff to do in the area, with the Picos park, beaches, hikes, etc.

Also any opinions on a place to go in the south for France (with the teens) for a few days would be welcome. I've been to Arles (in early Sept) and that was great, but not sure if there is much for teens and Id expect it to be very hot in the Camargue region.

Traveler_Nick

Just a few thoughts.

When people say northern Spain is "cooler" they mean cooler than the south. The south is literally blistering hot. Barcelona and northern Spain might still be 35. That's before you factor in weather is weather and it might actually be warmer in the north your days then in the south.

With only 14 days you don't have time for France. Also it's not like you'll really notice a difference between the French side of the line and the Spanish side of the border.

When it comes to beaches think about the sort of beaches you want. Some will be highly organized. Others totally wild. There are plenty of beaches and small towns north of Barcelona along the coast. Or even to the south .

Will you have a car? Some of the smaller places are easier by car even if the coastal roads will looking like a parking lot with lights.

bilboburgler

note that with Climate Change there is no certainty that 24's weather is goiing to be lilke 23's weather.

however massive forset fires are becoming more the thing in southern Europe with the worst in August.

Picos park; just checking, do you mean Picos de Europa?

drmoose003927

Thanks a lo for the feedback. WE will have a car so traveling around should be easier. I didn't think of forest fires - its a big thing where I am (PNW), so that is something to seriously consider.

And yes I meant the Picos de Europa national park.

bilboburgler

well the hiking is pretty good up there up only limited number of roads go in.

danon

We liked Santander ( it wasn’t summer, not sure about beaches) ), less expensive than San Sebastián. We made
day trips to Bilbao and Santillana del Mar.

Maribel

Traveler_Nick makes an excellent point. During this past summer the northern coast in many places (even Castrourdiales) was as hot or even hotter than the Andalusian coast.
There were many Google searches by Spaniards about where to escape the intense heat and many newspaper articles with recommendations. "Estos pueblos son los más frescos para evitar la ola de calor".

Rather than beaches, the coolest spots were found in July and August in the mountains---the Catalán Pyrenees (Val d'Aran, Val de Boí, Cerdanya), the Navarran Roncal Valley, Aragón's Ordesa National Park and its Tena Valley, the Cantabrian Picos de Europa, specifically Potes, which is within striking distance of Santander.

So you might want to rethink beaches and seek refuge in the mountains if you find the Santander area too hot. The Cantabrian Picos are blessed with plenty of hiking trails. The Hotel del Oso, just south of Potes in the village of Cosgaya, is a favorite with hikers and offers plenty of guidance (a car there is essential). You can probably find a rental in the Potes area if you book far in advance. It's an extremely popular July & August destination. In the Potes shops you'll find plenty of hiking equipment and at the tourist office hiking maps.

Do your teens surf? If so, they would enjoy the Ribamontán area across the bay, east of Santander with its large beaches very popular with the surfing crowd----the beach of El Puntal in Somo is one with surfing schools. Ribamontán al Mar is a member of the World's Surfing Network.

edited to add---for any house on the coast you will want AC just in case. We used to rent apartments in July in San Sebastián w/o AC and will no longer.