Transcantabrico luxury rail holiday from San Sebastian along the Green Coast of northern Spain to Santiago de Compostela.
With our Transcantabrico luxury train holiday, there is the choice of travelling from San Sebastian to Santiago de Compostela, or from Santiago de Compostela to San Sebastian. We include one night in a 5-star hotel before the start of the tour and again at the end of the tour and then you spend seven nights on board the spacious and luxurious train. The train with its suites and saloon cars takes you back to the golden age of rail journeys but also allows guests to relax in comfort and enjoy the stunning scenery. All Gran Clase suites that are included have private WC and a bed measuring 120 cm x 185 cm. Each trip on the Costa Verde Express includes a programme of excursions including entry to museums and other places of interest with a multilingual guide, while all meals are included, either on board the train or in local restaurants
The journey from San Sebastian to Santiago includes stops or visits in Bilbao, Santander, Comillas, Llanes, Picos de Europa, Oviedo, Gijon, Luarca, Ribadeo, Viveira and Santiago de Compostela, or in reverse if starting in Santiago.
Highlights
• Seven nights on the Transcantabrico • One night in San Sebastian • One night in Santiago de Compostela • Excursions in Bilbao, Santander, Santillana del Mar, Picos de Europa, Oviedo, Comillas, Gijon, Luarca, Ribadeo, Viveiro, Santiago de Compostela • All meals included on the luxury train
It has been a lovely holiday & once again, you did not disappoint. Thank you again for everything. We look forward to contacting you again for our next adventure.Mrs H, July 2025
Holiday price guide Sample prices are per person based on two people sharing a double Gran Clase cabin on the train and a double or twin hotel room for two nights. The journey on the Transcantabrico train includes all breakfasts, lunches and dinners, with wine, water, soft drinks and coffee, either served on board the train or in restaurants.
From about
£10,750 Gran Clase double suite
Holiday Code SNFH16
The prices displayed here are a guide only. Each holiday price will be tailor-made at the time of booking to reflect all actual costs including up-to-date special offers.
Call us on 01392 441245
Transcantabrico luxury rail holiday from San Sebastian along the Green Coast of northern Spain to Santiago de Compostela.
Begin your holiday by flying from London Gatwick to Bilbao. We include a private car transfer for you from Bilbao to your hotel in San Sebastian, about an hour’s drive away. Settle into your hotel and spend the night here, ready to start your rail adventure the following day.
Meeting point in San Sebastian at 1.00 pm. Tour of the city and lunch. Our luxury coach will then take us to Bilbao, where El Transcantábrico Gran Lujo will be waiting for us. Welcome and settling in. Dinner on board and overnight stay in Carranza.
We will begin every day by enjoying our delicious à la carte and buffet breakfast. El Transcantábrico will bring us back to Bilbao to tour this dynamic city, which has managed to reinvent itself after the decline of its traditional heavy industry. The tour includes a visit to the famous Guggenheim Museum, the symbol of this new Bilbao. Return to the train to savour lunch while heading towards Santander. Tour of the elegant capital of Cantabria and free time to explore it at our leisure. Dinner and overnight stay in Santander.
After breakfast, our coach will take us to Potes, going through the impressive gorge called Desfiladero de la Hermida. After touring this charming Cantabrian town, we can enjoy a thermal circuit in La Hermida Spa. Lunch. In the afternoon, we will visit El Capricho, in Comillas, a marvellous, colourist 19th-century villa designed by Antonio Gaudí. Dinner and overnight stay on board the train in Cabezón de la Sal.
We will visit Santillana del Mar with its magnificently preserved medieval district. Visit The Altamira Neocave, a museum and faithful reproduction of the maximum exponent of rock art in the Upper Palaeolithic. Lunch on board, we will enter to the region of Asturias as far as Llanes. Dinner and overnight stay in Llanes.
After breakfast we will go by coach to the heart of the National Park of Picos de Europa. National Park of Picos de Europa. We will visit the Enol Lake and later we will go to the Sanctuary of Covadonga, a sacred place full of tradition and legend. Return to El Transcantábrico for lunch on board while we travel to Oviedo, capital of the Principality of Asturias and an exponent of the Asturian pre-Romanesque style with gems such as San Julián de los Prados such as San Julián de los Prados. Visit, dinner and night in Oviedo.
We start the day by going to Gijón, a city as open to the Cantabrian Sea as it is full of cultural events. We will return to El Transcantábrico to travel along the Asturian coastline to Luarca Asturian coastline to Luarca, the White Village of the Costa Verde, where we will enjoy a guided tour of this guided tour of this charming seaside town. Dinner and overnight on board in Luarca.
Journey to Ribadeo, a historic Galician town bordering the Principality of Asturias. By bus along the coast of Luarca to Las Catedrales Beach, one of the most spectacular beaches in the world. We will then take a panoramic tour of Ribadeo and lunch. In the afternoon we will take the train to Viveiro, where we will enjoy some free time and guided visit. Dinner and night in Viveiro.
While enjoying our last breakfast on board, we will travel to Ferrol, where our coach will be waiting to take us to Santiago de Compostela. Tour of the city’s old town, which has been the destination of pilgrims for a thousand years and features countless artistic gems, such as its magnificent cathedral. This is the end of your luxury rail trip. Take a taxi to your overnight hotel.
Depending on the time of your flight, you have today at leisure before taking a local taxi to the airport for your flight home.
It has been a lovely holiday & once again, you did not disappoint. Thank you again for everything. We look forward to contacting you again for our next adventure.Mrs H, July 2025
Holiday price guide Sample prices are per person based on two people sharing a double Gran Clase cabin on the train and a double or twin hotel room for two nights. The journey on the Transcantabrico train includes all breakfasts, lunches and dinners, with wine, water, soft drinks and coffee, either served on board the train or in restaurants.
From about
£10,750 Gran Clase double suite
Holiday Code SNFH16
The prices displayed here are a guide only. Each holiday price will be tailor-made at the time of booking to reflect all actual costs including up-to-date special offers.
Our prices include
● Flights London to Bilbao and Santiago to London with Vueling (or vice versa)
● One night’s bed and breakfast at the Villa Favorita in a classic double
● One night’s bed and breakfast at the Parador Santiago de Compostela in a standard double
● 7 nights’ full board on Transcantabrico train based on two people sharing a Gran Clase Cabin, including the excursions and meals mentioned in the itinerary
● Private car transfer from Bilbao airport to San Sebastian
● Concierge service and Expressions Holidays regional helpful hints
Call us on 01392 441245
Train departure dates 2026
You begin your holiday the day before these dates. These dates are when the train journey starts.
San Sebastian to Santiago 2026
28 Mar | 11, 25 Apr | 9, 23 May | 6, 20 June | 4, 18 July | 1, 15, 29 Aug | 12, 26 Sep | 10, 24 Oct
Santiago to San Sebastian 2026
21 Mar | 4, 18 Apr | 16, 30 May | 13, 27 June | 11, 25 July | 8, 22 Aug | 5, 19 Sep | 3, 17, 31 Oct
It has been a lovely holiday & once again, you did not disappoint. Thank you again for everything. We look forward to contacting you again for our next adventure.Mrs H, July 2025
Holiday price guide Sample prices are per person based on two people sharing a double Gran Clase cabin on the train and a double or twin hotel room for two nights. The journey on the Transcantabrico train includes all breakfasts, lunches and dinners, with wine, water, soft drinks and coffee, either served on board the train or in restaurants.
From about
£10,750 Gran Clase double suite
Holiday Code SNFH16
The prices displayed here are a guide only. Each holiday price will be tailor-made at the time of booking to reflect all actual costs including up-to-date special offers.
Our prices include
• Flights London to Bilbao and Santiago to London with Vueling (or vice versa)
• One night’s bed and breakfast at the Villa Favorita in a classic double
• One night’s bed and breakfast at the Parador Santiago de Compostela in a standard double
• 7 nights’ full board on Transcantabrico train based on two people sharing a Gran Clase Cabin, including the excursions and meals mentioned in the itinerary
• Private car transfer from Bilbao airport to San Sebastian
• Concierge service and Expressions Holidays regional helpful hints
The journey and how you get there You fly from London Gatwick to Bilbao or Santiago with Vueling. We include a private car transfer from Bilbao to your hotel in San Sebastian. We suggest you take a local taxi for the short distances between airports and city centres.
Call us on 01392 441245
Transcantabrico luxury rail holiday from San Sebastian along the Green Coast of northern Spain to Santiago de Compostela.
It has been a lovely holiday & once again, you did not disappoint. Thank you again for everything. We look forward to contacting you again for our next adventure.Mrs H, July 2025
Holiday price guide Sample prices are per person based on two people sharing a double Gran Clase cabin on the train and a double or twin hotel room for two nights. The journey on the Transcantabrico train includes all breakfasts, lunches and dinners, with wine, water, soft drinks and coffee, either served on board the train or in restaurants.
From about
£10,750 Gran Clase double suite
Holiday Code SNFH16
The prices displayed here are a guide only. Each holiday price will be tailor-made at the time of booking to reflect all actual costs including up-to-date special offers.
Our prices include
• Flights London to Bilbao and Santiago to London with Vueling (or vice versa)
• One night’s bed and breakfast at the Villa Favorita in a classic double
• One night’s bed and breakfast at the Parador Santiago de Compostela in a standard double
• 7 nights’ full board on Transcantabrico train based on two people sharing a Gran Clase Cabin, including the excursions and meals mentioned in the itinerary
• Private car transfer from Bilbao airport to San Sebastian
• Concierge service and Expressions Holidays regional helpful hints
The journey and how you get there You fly from London Gatwick to Bilbao or Santiago with Vueling. We include a private car transfer from Bilbao to your hotel in San Sebastian. We suggest you take a local taxi for the short distances between airports and city centres.
Call us on 01392 441245
Transcantabrico luxury rail holiday from San Sebastian along the Green Coast of northern Spain to Santiago de Compostela.
About Spanish Basque country
An Expressions tailor-made holiday to the Basque Country in northern Spain include the very best four and five star hotels across the region, including seaside retreats, city properties and vineyard hotels in La Rioja. Lying at the point between the Pyrenees and the Bay of Biscay is the Basque Country, a name which refers both to an autonomous community within Spain and to a larger cultural area which comprises parts of Spain and France. Known in Spanish as the Pais Vasco, you will find a unique culture here with fascinating traditions and a regional language which is widely spoken throughout. The region's key attraction is the closeness of both sea and country - the spectacular coastline boasts sweeping sandy beaches and rugged cliffs, stunning sunsets over the ocean and surf breaking on rocks; but only a short drive inland are rolling green hills and flower filled fields. Lying around 10 miles away from the north coast is the vibrant and energetic riverside city of Bilbao, whilst further east is San Sebastian, an elegant seaside resort set on a beautiful bay only a few miles away from the French border. Stretching away from the Basque coast and forming the border with France are the Pyrenees, where rocky mountains with waterfalls and lakes stretch into Navarre, a region which is dotted with unspoiled villages and mediaeval towns which line the pilgrimage route to Santiago de Compostela. Further west are the undulating hills of La Rioja, a region whose name is synonymous with the fine wines that it produces. Although parts of the region are heavily industrialised, there are many areas of unspoiled countryside as well as over 150 miles of coastline, making it a superb destination for a luxury holiday. The natural environment has long played a huge role in the lives of the region's inhabitants, with charming fishing villages along the coast which celebrate marine festivals as well as mountain farmers inland whose traditions remain unchanged. Throughout the region, visitors are sure to experience the unique culture of the Basque country through its language, cuisine and traditions.
Cultural highlights of Spanish Basque country
Bilbao's Guggenheim Museum, a Frank Gehry-designed landmark which transformed the city. The charming old town of San Sebastian, located between the beach and the river. Vitoria-Gasteiz, the capital of the Basque Country which is home to a mediaeval old town and two cathedrals. Guernica, a small town which was bombed during WWII and inspired a famous painting by Picasso. Fishing villages between Bilbao and San Sebastian including Bakio, Bermeo, Zumaia and Lekeitio, some of which are home to wonderful beaches and are also popular surf spots. Hondarribia, a historic town situated on the border with France. Pelota, a traditional ball game which is played throughout the region on a two-walled court. Numerous bars across the region which serve ‘pinchos’ (a Basque version of tapas), including those in Logroño. Wine-producing towns across La Rioja where visitors can enjoy cellar tours and wine tastings, which can also be enjoyed at the luxury vineyard hotels which we feature. Yuso and Suso Monasteries, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in La Rioja. The fortress city of Pamplona, renowned for the annual bull running festival.
Gastronomy of Spanish Basque country
The Basque Country is renowned for its varied and innovative cuisine, with numerous Michelin-starred restaurants found across the region. San Sebastian alone is home to eight Michelin-starred restaurants, two of which have been included within the top ten of Restaurant magazine's list of the world's 50 best restaurants. Wine is of course an incredibly important product, primarily in La Rioja which is known for its high-quality reds as well as a number of good white and rosé wines. A regional variation of tapas called ‘pinchos' can be found throughout the Basque Country and Navarre, frequently eaten as a snack in bars. Regional cooking varies according to location, with plenty of fresh fish and shellfish to be found along the coastline and a greater use of meat and game further inland. Local dishes include ‘Bacalao' (salt cod), ‘Marmitako' (fresh tuna stew), ‘Cordero al Chilindron' (spicy lamb stew) and ‘Txangurro relleno' (stuffed spider crabs).
Festivals in Spanish Basque country
19 to 20 January: San Sebastian Drum Festival, 29 June: Haro Wine Festival, 6 to 14 July: Los Sanfermines Bull Running Festival (Pamplona), July: San Sebastian Jazz Festival, 4 to 9 August: Festival of the Virgin Mary (Vitoria-Gasteiz), August: Bilbao's Big Week, September: San Sebastian International Film Festival, September: San Mateo Wine Festival (Logroño).
Climate in Spanish Basque country
The Basque Country's climate is generally quite mild and wet, although there is some variation between coastal and inland areas. The Basque coast experiences relatively high levels of rainfall, cold winters and warm summers where temperatures regularly reach 25 degrees, whilst some areas further south enjoy a Mediterranean climate, with hot summers and little rain.
Call us on 01392 441245
Transcantabrico luxury rail holiday from San Sebastian along the Green Coast of northern Spain to Santiago de Compostela.
About Green Spain
Green Spain features some of the best four and five star hotels in the regions of Galicia, Asturias and Cantabria in northern Spain, including coastal properties, city hotels and rural retreats. From the pretty rivers on the west coast of Galicia to the spectacular mountains of Asturias and the prehistoric caves of Cantabria, Green Spain is a picturesque area in the north of Spain. With quiet sandy beaches, green landscapes, charming villages and Romanesque architecture lining the famed pilgrimage route which leads to Santiago de Compostela, there is plenty to discover. Although many of those who go on holiday to northern Spain simply pass through en route to Santiago de Compostela, the entire region has much to offer. Stunning beaches are almost untouched, whilst the mild climate has produced rich vegetation which covers unspoilt countryside. Both along the coast and further inland there are attractive cities, towns and villages with a wealth of historical, architectural and cultural sights to discover. Galicia and Asturias have strong cultural identities, both fiercely defending their Celtic traditions which include playing bagpipes, and even speaking their own languages. In the far west is the remote region of Galicia, known as ‘The land of a thousand rivers’ thanks to the numerous wide inlets that run into the sea. The Atlantic coastline is rugged, with rocky headlands, idyllic beaches and isolated fishing villages, whilst the interior is hilly and overwhelmingly green. To the east is the Principality of Asturias, an enchanting region of contrasts with secluded beaches as well as peaceful countryside. Forming a natural barrier in the south are the towering Picos de Europa mountains, a spectacular area with small mountain villages, lush pastures, emerald forests, sheer gorges and glittering lakes. Next is the small, mountainous region of Cantabria, where white sand beaches line the coastline facing the Bay of Biscay, separated by rugged headlands.
Highlights of Green Spain
Santiago de Compostela cathedral, the supposed resting place of St James the Apostle, from whose rooftop you can enjoy unforgettable views over the old town. The attractive Galician cities of Ourense, Pontevedra and Lugo, all with historical sites including Roman architecture. Maritime cities along the Atlantic coastline including A Coruna, Ferrol, Vigo, and Baiona. The Tower of Hercules, an ancient Roman lighthouse near A Coruna. Galicia's fjord-like inlets known as the Rías Altas (along the north-west coast) and the Rías Baixas (along the southwestern coast). The dramatic Cape Finisterre, so called because it was thought to be the westernmost point in Europe. The stunning Picos de Europa mountains, home to a diverse range of walking trails and the atmospheric Covadonga Sanctuary. Oviedo, the attractive capital of Asturias which is home to some remarkable pre-Romanesque churches. Altamira Caves, a UNESCO World Heritage Site with ancient rock paintings which are up to 20000 years old. Comillas, a beachside town with impressive architecture including a building designed by Antonio Gaudí. Pleasant towns along the shores of the Cantabrian Sea including Gijón and Llanes. Santillana del Mar, a picturesque village inland with a number of well-preserved mediaeval buildings. Santander, a lively port city with a historic quarter, a modern centre and the famous El Sardinero beach.
Festivals in Green Spain
February/March: Carnivals celebrating Lent, March: Vigo Reconquest Festival; March/April: Holy week celebrations, July: ‘A Rapa das Bestas’ horse festival held in Galician villages, July: Saint James the Apostle festival in Santiago de Compostela, July: Nava Cider Festival (near Oviedo), August: Festival of San Roque in Betanzos (near A Coruna), August: Santander International Festival.
Gastronomy in Green Spain
Cuisine in the north of Spain tends to be simple and hearty, making good use of the excellent local produce including abundant fish and seafood, plentiful meat and game and a great variety of vegetables. The regions produce a range of dairy products, from the mild soft cheeses of Galicia to the smoked cheese of Cantabria and the blue cheeses of Asturias. Asturias is known for its dry cider, whilst Galicia produces high quality wines, both crisp whites and fruity reds, as well as a strong liqueur, ‘Orujo.’ Local dishes include ‘Vieras de Santiago’ (Scallops, the symbol of St James, which are baked in their shells), ‘Empanada gallega’ (a Galician meat pasty), ‘Lacón con grelos’ (pork shoulder with chorizo, turnips and potatoes), ‘Caldo gallego’ (thick soup with meat, potatoes and beans), ‘Fabada’ (an Asturian stew with pork and beans), ‘Tarta de Santiago’ (an almond cake), ‘La quesada’ (a Cantabrian cheesecake) and ‘Sobaos Pasiegos’ (Cantabrian sponge cakes).
Climate in Green Spain
Green Spain has a wet and mild climate with warm summers and cool winters. Summer is a popular time to visit northern Spain as the weather is sunny yet comfortable, but you can expect good weather in Spring and Autumn as well. Rain falls throughout the year although there is little during the summer months. Temperatures are rarely extreme, although mountainous areas can be very cold in winter with snow falling.
