Galicia, a unique region with its own language and distinctive culture, is home to Santiago de Compostela, the pilgrim destination in the northwestern corner.
Asturias, the sole patch of Spain never conquered by the Muslims is, some claim, the real Spain: the rest is simply tierra de reconquista (reconquered land).
For modern travellers, Cantabria offers a bit of everything. The coastline is a sequence of soft cliffs, beautiful beaches and colourful fishing ports.
The Basque Country is different. Known to Basques as Euskadi or Euskal Herria and called El Pais Vasco in Spanish, this is where mountain peaks reach for the sky and sublime rocky coves are battered by mighty Atlantic swells.
Several Spains intersect in Navarra. The soft greens and bracing climate of the Navarran Pyrenees lie above the south, which is all plains, cereal crops and vineyards.
These are the top experiences and sights in Galicia, Asturias, Cantabria, Basque Country & Navarra according to Lonely Planet.
