The advice Palace Tours repeats more than any other: never fly in on departure morning. Give the endpoint cities their due, land your jet lag softly, and the train week improves before it begins.
Bilbao first: two nights minimum
Day one for the Guggenheim without a clock, and the riverside walk that shows off the city's reinvention. Day two for the Casco Viejo's pintxo counters and the funicular view from Artxanda. Coastal add-on if time allows: the hanging transporter bridge at Portugalete, a UNESCO oddity guests adore.
Santiago after: stay two nights
Arrival day belongs to the cathedral and the crowds; the magic begins at night when the granite lanes empty. Next morning, the Mercado de Abastos for breakfast among farmers, then — for the romantics — a drive to Fisterra, where medieval pilgrims believed the world ended. Our Santiago guide goes deeper.
The practical part
Bilbao and Santiago airports handle the connections; we arrange the hotels, transfers and private guides at both ends so the whole trip books as one piece — a convenience of reserving through the authorized source rather than stitching suppliers together. Route context in the complete route guide; when ready, talk to a specialist.
