The Porto Run - Santander to Porto

Two weeks from Santander to Porto and back, which takes in northern Spain, the Douro and a long stretch of the Portuguese interior. Caminos arrange it as a fly-drive with the hire car included, or as a ferry crossing with your own car.

The route leaves the Cantabrian coast and crosses the Meseta, the high tableland that most people fly over, by way of Burgos and its cathedral and Salamanca’s sandstone university city. That stretch doubles as Wellington’s Peninsular Campaign route, which gives a fortnight’s driving an unexpected thread to follow.

Porto is the turning point, and the Douro valley above it is the reason the trip exists. The terraced vineyards running down to the river are the oldest demarcated wine region in the world and the roads along both banks are among the best in Iberia. The return comes north through Galicia and Santiago de Compostela, then along the Asturian coast, with the Picos de Europa inland for the last stretch.

Fourteen nights, starting and finishing at Santander, which makes it the most ferry-shaped tour in the range. The price is per person for two sharing, bed and breakfast, including a hire car; flights are extra, and the ferry-drive option with your own car costs more. One thing to settle before booking: Caminos have not published a day-by-day plan for this tour at all, so the stops above come from their own route description rather than a confirmed itinerary. Ask them for the detail. It suits anyone who wants two countries, a great wine valley and a historical thread, and is happy to cover ground to get them.