Northern Spain to Costa Brava: A Pyrenees Van Journey

A sluggish household highway journey by means of valleys, vineyards, and volcanic forests

There’s one thing magical about hitting the highway with your loved ones in a slightly-too-old motorhome. It coughs a bit on climbs, the brakes scent humorous on descents in the event you aren’t cautious sufficient to make use of the engine brakes, but it surely turns into your tiny transferring residence by means of mountains, vineyards, medieval cities, and Mediterranean coves.

In September 2025, we packed our lives into ours and left Galicia for a 24-day loop that might take us throughout northern Spain, into France, by means of Andorra, and again residence through the Costa Brava and Ribera del Duero. With my accomplice, our three-year-old daughter, and a weary map filled with plans, we rolled east on a journey that was half household journey, half endurance take a look at, half love letter to sluggish journey.

Why This Route Works

We’re not mountain conquerors. Our classic car overheats in the event you take a look at it mistaken, so this route was designed for valleys, tunnels, and scenic detours as an alternative of excessive passes.

Nonetheless, there have been some excessive passes to climb.

It’s additionally good for anybody touring with small youngsters or sluggish engines: brief drives (4–5 hours max), simple walks (2–5 km), loads of free in a single day parking, and a mixture of nature, small cities, and the occasional pool, river, seashore, or spa cease.

Northern Spain, French Pyrenees & Costa Brava: Our Itinerary

The Journey Begins: Galicia to Burgos

We left the damp Galician coast behind, spent a quiet evening in Pedrouzo, then drove by means of Lugo for an impromptu BBQ lunch in Baralla—embers already glowing—earlier than rolling east throughout Castilla’s golden plains towards Burgos.

This river is a 2 min stroll away from Baralla’s motorhome free space

Burgos greeted us with crisp air and its imposing Gothic cathedral. Tapas bars, leafy promenades, and the sense that we’d really begun transferring. Attempt the native morcilla in the event you dare — it’s not for everybody, but it surely doesn’t get extra Burgos than that!

Rioja & Navarra: Wine, Castles, and Fireworks within the Darkish

From Burgos, we adopted the Ebro into La Rioja, the place vineyards roll endlessly towards Laguardia — a walled city seemingly painted onto its hilltop.

We spent a leisurely Sunday afternoon there, hopping between a few native eating places for lunch earlier than heading to the city pool — closing for the season that very day — to chill off as temperatures neared 30°C.

Laguardia out of doors public swimming pools have a few of the most fascinating views I’ve ever seen.

Though we had deliberate to cease for tapas alongside Logroño’s well-known Calle Laurel, we determined to skip it; cities can really feel much less inviting typically, can’t they? We additionally handed on Olite’s fairytale streets, figuring out their predominant festivities would make the evening as busy — and noisy — because it will get.

As an alternative, it was Ujué that stole the present. We parked by the traditional partitions, climbed the cobbled lanes in full silence, and from the highest watched fireworks burst far throughout the valley, someplace close to Olite.

No crowds, no plans — simply us, the celebrities, and distant flashes of sunshine. It felt as if the entire plain was celebrating.

The French Pyrenees: Fog, Religion & Forest Roads

Crossing into France, the climate modified its thoughts. The morning fog close to Roncesvalles / Orreaga was so dense it felt like driving inside a dream.

We had slept the evening earlier than close to a pilgrims’ ward, sharing a €14 set-menu dinner of soup, trout or hen, and crimson wine with Camino walkers — strangers, however for one night, household.

La Posada restaurant, in Orreaga Roncesvalles, serves an reasonably priced every day dinner menu for pilgrims.

Subsequent got here Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port, tucked within the French Basque hills. We solely adopted the reverse Camino for a brief stretch between Roncesvalles and right here, but it surely was sufficient to really feel the quiet rhythm of the route—pilgrims heading west, us heading east. Acquainted France greeted us once more with its stone homes, comfortable mild, and that unmistakable mixture of calm and character.

Serene palette in Southern France.

By the point we reached Lourdes, we have been prepared for one thing surreal. It’s onerous to explain: half shrine, half Disneyland of devotion.

Lourdes’ structure is a fancy of three basilicas, a Gothic and a Roman Byzantine fashion church, with the most important underground crypt on the planet, all constructed across the grotto the place the Virgin Mary is claimed to have appeared.

However its huge underground basilica — a concrete amphitheater for 25,000 individuals — was breathtaking, each holy and weird. Religion, scale, and humanity are all intertwined.

Basilica of the Immaculate Conception, Lourdes.

Then got here the drive south — mountain after mountain, every curve a reminder that the Pyrenees are usually not only a border however a residing backbone.

After a Capvern in a single day pause, we stopped in Saint-Bertrand-de-Comminges, mountaineering as much as the previous city (a laughable climb for little legs) and pausing to admire its beautiful cathedral.

Val d’Aran: Mountains, Magic, and Kindness

Again in Spain, Val d’Aran felt like moving into one other world — alpine meadows, slate-roofed villages, and air that made you breathe in another way.

Captured from our motorhome’s window close to Vielha, Val d’Aran.

We started strolling Tredós’ Camí de les Bruixes – the Witches Path – between Vielha and Baqueira, a forest loop stuffed with carved witches and previous mountain legends. Our daughter cherished each minute of it.

From there, we adopted the path from Pla de Beret to Montgarri, strolling beneath rolling clouds till, as nightfall fell, an area stopped and supplied us a experience again — with out us even asking him straight.

The hike from Pla de Beret to Montgarri is a scenic trek by means of lush valleys and alpine meadows, providing breathtaking views of the Pyrenees.

Kindness has its personal radar.

The Gerber Lakes Stroll winds previous three beautiful alpine lakes, with peaceable waters framed by rugged mountain surroundings.

And at last, we set out for the primary of the Gerber Lakes — the Estanyola de Gerber — that icy-blue mirror tucked among the many peaks.

Estanyola de Gerber, a serene alpine lake surrounded by dramatic peaks.

Considered one of us stayed again halfway with our daughter whereas the opposite continued up the steep path, simply far sufficient to see the place the valley turned to water and stone.

Andorra: Storms, Lunch, and a Fast Goodbye

We spent a few sluggish, simple days between Rialp and La Seu d’Urgell, two incredible spots for in a single day parking surrounded by mountain views and crisp September air.

In Rialp, the village was buzzing with the Matxicots path race—runners dashing by means of muddy tracks because the river swelled with post-storm water.

The hillsides have been dotted with chestnut bushes simply starting to show, and we even discovered a bookcrossing cease tucked inside a tiny previous bus shelter, a candy reminder of how small gestures could make a spot really feel alive.

The Cloister of La Seu d’Urgell is a peaceable, historic area the place Romanesque arches body tranquil gardens.

La Seu d’Urgell, our final cease earlier than Andorra, supplied a calmer rhythm.

La Seu d’Urgell’s lined streets provide shaded paths with retailers and cafés, good for wet days!

We wandered by means of its Romanesque cathedral and previous quarter, letting the sense of historical past settle in earlier than heading up the valley—arriving in Andorra la Vella simply as the primary rumbles of a thunderstorm started to echo off the peaks.

Just a few hours after leaving the tiny nation, the sky opened up — lightning flashing, temperatures dropping quick. We solely stayed lengthy sufficient for a heat lunch and a brief stroll earlier than realizing snow was on the way in which. Then we turned the van south once more, chasing clearer skies and the scent of autumn as an alternative of frost.

Garrotxa & Banyoles: Forests That Breathe

La Garrotxa is thought for its volcanic landscapes and charming cities.

The beech forest of Fageda d’en Jordà is the form of place that makes you converse softly — tall trunks, darkish volcanic soil, and leaves glowing amber within the mild.

The shorter route by means of Fageda d’en Jordà is about 2km lengthy, takes roughly 45–60 minutes to stroll, and passes by means of dense beech forest rising over previous lava flows from the Croscat volcano.

We paid €5 for parking — one in all solely two instances we did on the entire journey — and wandered for a few hours between showers.

Close by the aforementioned volcano.

After lunch, we tried to achieve the St. Margarita volcano however turned again as electrical storms rolled in quick.

Olot’s Botanical Backyard includes a peaceable lake surrounded by various plant collections and strolling paths.

By the point we reached Olot — greener and bigger than we’d imagined — it was pouring.

The subsequent day, we spent a full day exploring: Castelfollit,

The Llierca Bridge spans 36 meters over the Llierca River in La Garrotxa and dates again to the sixteenth century.

the Llierca bridge,

and Besalú, earlier than arriving in Banyoles simply in time for a quiet afternoon by the lake.

No rain, no rush — simply nonetheless water and a deep breath out.

The Coastal Arc: From Collioure to Cap de Creus

We crossed north once more into France to go to Collioure, the pastel harbor city that after impressed Matisse and Picasso. The air smelled of salt and crepes; the streets hummed with sluggish pleasure.

We adopted the D914 coastal highway south — a winding ribbon between sea and cliffs.

After forsaking Paulilles, Banyuls-sur-Mer, Port-Vendres, and Cerbère, we crossed the French–Spanish border and reached Portbou.

Portbou is a small coastal city in Catalonia close to the French border, identified for its railway station and rugged Mediterranean cliffs.

It introduced again teenage reminiscences of enjoying in my hometown’s orchestra — our late conductor had written a relaxed, lovely piece known as Portbou Sarajevo, and the identify nonetheless strikes a chord.

Nestled on Catalonia’s Costa Brava, El Port de la Selva is a fishing village identified for its harbor, seashores, and recent seafood.

After a fast cease in El Port de la Selva, we reached Cadaqués, the place rumba music drifted by means of the streets and small artwork galleries stayed open late on a heat Saturday evening.

The city had that easy Mediterranean allure—whitewashed partitions, laughter within the air, and the form of vitality that makes you need to keep only one extra day.

Jose kayaking close to Cap de Creus.

The next morning, we kayaked the turquoise coves of Cap de Creus, gliding previous Dalí’s home in Portlligat.

Roses was the place we parked that evening.

Our solely actual pause got here in Cala Montgó, the place we stayed two nights — swimming, drying towels on the van mirrors, letting time dissolve.

Cala Montgó, a sheltered seashore close to L’Escala, is ideal for swimming, snorkeling, and kayaking.

We even obtained misplaced one night on a cliff path till a sort native couple rescued us and drove us again in time for sundown. These are the individuals you keep in mind lengthy after the landscapes blur.

Hidden Gems Inland

Monasterio de Piedra – Water within the Desert

On our method again west, we detoured to the Monasterio de Piedra — a lush canyon of waterfalls and moss tucked into Aragón’s dry plains. The distinction was so hanging it felt like stepping right into a secret portal: roaring water, echoing caves, and inexperienced mild filtering by means of leaves.

Bodegas Pandora – Verdejo & Laughter

In Rueda, we stopped at Bodegas Pandora for a tasting of crisp Verdejo. It was easygoing and human — extra storytelling than advertising. Simply good!

Residence Stretch: Wine, Household & Farewell Feasts

The ultimate days blurred into heat reunions and full hearts. Lunch with Asia’s great-grandmother close to Valladolid. Beers (that was dinner) with Jose’s previous college gang. And the final evening — a soul-warming Senegalese domoda stew cooked by my buddy María and her accomplice Baba in Vilardevós.

Tomatoes from my buddy’s vegetable backyard.

The subsequent day, after virtually a month on the highway, 3,150 kilometers, and numerous reminiscences, the van — dusty, squeaky, and proud — carried us residence to the Galician seaside.

Traversing northern Spain in a classic motorhome presents scenic coastal roads, charming villages, and a slow-paced, nostalgic journey.

How A lot Did Our 24-Day Van Journey Actually Price?

After practically a month of exploring Spain and France, right here’s what all of it added as much as (for 2 adults — our three-year-old rides free):

💶Whole: €1,690.13 — €845 per grownup, round €70 a day for the three of us (2 adults, one child). Neither low cost nor expensive, however value each cent in the event you ask us!

The three of us prepared to begin the Gerber lakes hike.

Discover the Route on Our Interactive Map

If you wish to comply with our journey—or plan your personal—right here’s the complete interactive map of our 24-day campervan loop by means of northern Spain, southern France, Andorra, and the Costa Brava.
Zoom in to discover every cease and driving phase from foggy Roncesvalles to the brilliant coves of Cala Montgó.

 👉 View the Journey Map on Tripline

(Greatest considered on cellular in panorama mode or on a desktop for the complete route expertise.)

Suggestions for Future Van Vacationers

• Keep away from steep passes in case your van (or nerves) runs scorching. Valleys are your folks.
• Journey slowly. 3 weeks minimal for this route; 4 in the event you can.

• Eat like locals. Weekday menus are reasonably priced and filling.
• Carry money. Small cities, large surprises.
• Libraries and swimming pools are your folks. You’ll be able to work, play, chill, and even take a bathe or shelter in case of unhealthy climate situations! 

Lourdes’ predominant library is one in all a sort

• Don’t chase the plan. One of the best tales occur once you detour.

As a result of in the long run, one of the best journeys don’t simply take you someplace — they modify the way in which you see the whole lot, together with residence.

Questioning what a household highway journey by means of Southern France and Northern Spain actually appears to be like like? Get a glimpse of the unforgettable moments that made this journey one for the books!