Travel to Northern Spain

Our holidays are so designed that it is you, the holidaymaker, who chooses what you want, from where you stay to how you get there. 

We are able to make ferry bookings for you with Brittany Ferries. We also arrange car hire from airports and city offices. But should you prefer we are happy for you to make your own travel arrangements, the choice is yours. We do not at present make flight reservations, but are always ready to advise on all travel options.

Travelling to northern Spain is a matter of choice and of time. The quickest way is to fly/drive and the low cost "no frills" airlines Easyjet, Ryanair and Vueling have routes to many suitable destinations, as do scheduled airlines. 

For a more leisurely start to your holiday, you can sail direct to northern Spain with Brittany Ferries from Plymouth or Portsmouth in the UK to either Santander or Bilbao and from Cork in Ireland to Santander. Or, if time allows, cross the Channel by ferry or the Eurotunnel shuttle to France and then drive on down - you'll need at least one night en-route. 

And don't forget - whether you ask us to make your reservations or you choose to make your own, Casas Cantabricas offer flexible start dates on most properties making it easier for you to plan your holidays

To make life easier we've included a travel advice section in the description of each property showing the various ways to get there from the UK or Ireland. But if you prefer to choose your travel first and then find your ideal property please read on....

Flights are available to most of the main airports throughout northern Spain from the UK and Ireland, both with the major carriers and low-cost airlines. See below or give us a call to find your best route.

For Cantabria and Asturias:

• Stansted, Dublin or Edinburgh to Santander with Ryanair
• Stansted to Bilbao with Easyjet
• Gatwick to Bilbao with Vueling (not daily)
• Bristol to Bilbao with Easyjet (not daily) 

For Galicia:

• From Heathrow with Vueling to La Coruña
• From Stansted with Ryanair to Santiago
• From Gatwick with Easyjet and Vueling to Santiago
• From Edinburgh to Vigo with Ryanair

For the more southerly properties flights to Porto in Portugal may also be a good option:

• From Stansted, Liverpool or Dublin with Ryanair
• From Bristol, Luton, Manchester or Gatwick with Easyjet
• From Heathrow with BA or Gatwick with TAP

NB_Flights are not included but we can advise on routes and timetables

Travel in style, take one of Brittany Ferries' crossings direct to northern Spain.

The ferries are in effect small cruise ships, with comfortable accommodation and a good choice of restaurants and bars and entertainment on board.

Brittany Ferries have a total of seven sailings weekly from the UK and two sailings per week from Ireland to northern Spain; the crossing takes approximately 21 - 24 hours, (NB: the Sunday crossing Portsmouth to Bilbao and the Friday crossing Cork to Santander take two nights). 

Onward travel

Properties within Cantabria and Asturias and the Basque country are within easy reach of Santander and Bilbao, whilst those in Galicia, Salamanca and Navarra are a bit further but improved motorway links make the whole region accessible by ferry - call us for advice on drive times, stop-overs and best routes.

We offer favourable, discounted fares for return crossings on any ferry route with Brittany Ferries when combined with an accommodation booking. Some clients prefer to take a Spanish route in one direction combined with a French crossing on the other leg - no problem!

To book a Brittany Ferries crossing through us please phone (01223 328721) or email us with your requirements.

French routes

For those who prefer to drive some more and spend less time on the boat Brittany Ferries' routes to France can be a good compromise. The shortest mileage to the Spanish border at Irun, just round the corner from Biarritz, is from St Malo (730kms). For western Channel ports there are crossings with from Portsmouth to St Malo, Cherbourg or Caen, from Poole to Cherbourg, and from Plymouth to Roscoff. 

Please call us for a quotation, we offer all Brittany Ferrries' routes.

We offer good value car hire through Affordable Car Hire in Spain and Portugal.Cars can be collected and returned at regional airports or at city offices. You can pick up a car at one destination and return to another. but only within the same country. You can take a car across borders - just remember to tell us if this is what you plan to do, for insurance purposes.

Click the button to hire a car through Casas Cantabricas and follow the on-screen instructions. Alternatively you may call us and we'll be happy to give you a quote.

i Please give full flight details - arrival and departure times as well as flight numbers - if booking a car at an airport.

ii Don't forget to let us know of any special requirements you may have - eg child seats.

With motorway through much of France and Spain it is possible to make the journey from the Channel to the Basque country, Cantabria and Asturias with a one-night stop. For destinations further west or south at least two nights en route are recommended. 

For those who are not fond of the sea, Eurotunnel from Folkestone to Calais has up to four departures an hour at peak times, and the journey takes only 35 minutes - just time to have a nap or to stretch your legs, before driving off onto the A16 Autoroute.

For short sea crossings there are the Hoverspeed fast ferries from Dover to Calais (taking just under an hour) and from Newhaven to Dieppe (two hours), or the ferry crossings with P&O Ferries or Sea France from Dover to Calais.