Costa Verde Express: Tours and Excursions

The journey on the train Costa Verde Express is a magnificent cultural and gastronomic experience on a unique train, where tours and excursions play a special role, as they are an essential part of the journey. What is interesting about this train journey is the diversity and variety that we can find in all the destinations: sea, mountains, emblematic cities, charming towns, different monuments (cathedrals, churches, museums…); Biosphere Reserves, Assets of Cultural Interest, Historical-Artistic Sites, and World Heritage Sites. During the visits, we will have a multilingual tour guide who will accompany them throughout the tours.

Tours and Excursions

Bilbao (Basque Country)

The Old Town of Bilbao stands out for its avant-garde and traditional flavor, filled with charming streets and typical bars where food is the star. The Old Town is over 700 years old and features emblematic buildings such as the Cathedral and its theater (inspired by the Paris Opera). It is a cultural and gastronomic city, but it is also a green city with numerous parks and hills surrounding it.

Bilbao, Guggenheim Museum (Basque Country)

Bilbao is also called “The Guggenheim City”, a novel and avant-garde exhibition hall inaugurated in 1997, which dazzles with its construction and original design, which has become a global benchmark for innovation. Its collection incorporates works made by extraordinary figures in the art world: David Salle, Chillida, Jeff Koons, Louis Average, Robert Rauschenberg… Additionally, it hosts top-level exhibitions and prominent cultural events scheduled throughout the year.

Santander (Cantabria)

Santander, also called the “bride of the sea,” is located in a bay, possibly one of the most beautiful on the planet, a special place that connects green mountainous landscapes with white sandy shores of the sea. A city of maritime tradition with palatial constructions and majestic buildings. The jewel of the city is the Magdalena Palace. Santander stands out from other avant-garde places, as evidenced by the Botín Center, a building that serves as a center for cultural activities and exhibitions.

Neo-cave of Altamira (Cantabria)

The original cave is over 14,000 years old and is a World Heritage Site. Its paintings are considered the best representation of rock art in the world due to the quantity and quality of images inside (buffalos, horses, deer…). It is also called the “Sistine Chapel of rock art”. To safeguard its protection, its structure and paintings have been exactly replicated in the Neo-cave of the Altamira Museum, using the same pictorial techniques as the originals.

Santillana del Mar (Cantabria)

Charming medieval town, perhaps considered one of the main historical enclaves in northern Spain, proclaimed a Public Monument. The origin of the town dates back to the 8th century, when a medieval village began to form around the Collegiate Church of Santa Juliana, considered a masterpiece of Romanesque engineering in northern Spain. Other medieval monuments include the Merino Tower (14th century) and the Don Borja Tower (15th century), although visiting the town also makes it possible to contemplate Baroque-style mansions and Renaissance palaces.

Llanes (Asturias)

It is one of the most beautiful fishing towns in northern Spain, located on the shores of the Cantabrian Sea and near the Picos de Europa National Park, noted for its wonderful coastlines and the fantastic preservation of its splendid legacy with a historic center that includes a large number of palaces and heraldic houses, in addition to a medieval tower, a Basilica, the casino, beautiful walks, the lighthouse, and beaches. Llanes is a vibrant town with shops, restaurants, bars…

Lake Enol (Asturias)

It is an ideal place to contemplate beautiful landscapes and go hiking. Lake Enol is located near Covadonga in the Picos de Europa. Its origin is glacial and it is situated at over 1,000 meters above sea level. Beneath its waters lies a replica of the Virgin of Covadonga, which emerges every September 8th on the day of her festival. It reaches a depth of more than 20 meters.

Santuary of Covadonga (Asturias)

The Basilica is built in a neo-Romanesque style. It features two tall towers that encircle the main entrance. Inside, valuable artworks are preserved. The statue in the square is of the well-known King Don Pelayo. Inside the cave, you can find the image of La Santina, the tomb of King Pelayo, and that of Alfonso I.

Its location is at the gateway to the Picos de Europa National Park and the place where the Virgin of Covadonga, popularly known as “La Santina,” the patron saint of Asturias, is venerated.

Oviedo (Asturias)

This city was established in the 8th century and today retains its medieval value in its historic center with an easy-to-visit pedestrian route. A path with significant monuments, the most representative being its Flamboyant Gothic style Cathedral, but there are other interesting sites like the Palace of the Marquis of San Félix, the University, etc. There are also statues of illustrious figures during this walk. Its squares, streets, and numerous corners make this city one of the most charming in northern Spain.

Gijón (Asturias)

Located next to a bay in the center of the Cantabrian coast, Gijón is a stately city. Since its beginnings in the Roman era, the development of this city has been linked to its port, which remains highly valuable today. Gijón is also known as “The Capital of the Green Coast.” It is a city for walking and discovering its most emblematic places such as the Arturo Arias Square neighborhood, Cimavilla, Plaza Mayor, Plaza del Marqués, Palacio de Revillagigedo, among others.

Luarca (Asturias)

Known as the “White Town of the Green Coast,” Luarca is another charming town in this region of northern Spain, also internationally recognized as the birthplace of one of its most distinguished men: Severo Ochoa, Nobel Prize winner in Medicine. The old town of medieval origin encompasses important places and buildings such as El Camboral, La Pescadería, and La Carril, very close to the port and the church.

Ribadeo (Galicia)

Located on the estuary of the same name. The Ribadeo estuary, which separates the territories of Asturias and Galicia, is a place of great natural beauty with high biological diversity and was declared a biosphere reserve in 2007. The Marquis of Sargadelos was the driving force behind modern Ribadeo, highlighting the modernist mansion of the Moreno brothers. Ribadeo is a town for wandering through its corners and discovering its picturesque neighborhoods, streets with history, and local traditional shops for typical purchases, an example being the Plaza de Abastos.

Viveiro (Galicia)

Located on the estuary of Viveiro, the largest on the Cantabrian coast. It is one more of the charming towns with the title of villa. It boasts a significant artistic and cultural heritage, such as its Romanescript church of Saint Nicholas Maria, the old medieval wall, the church and religious circle of San Francisco, proclaimed a Historic Artistic Site. Additionally, its advantageous area allows for the viewing of marvelous landscapes and beaches of incredible beauty, where water sports and fishing can be practiced. Hunting and climbing are other options available in this wonderful place.

Santiago de Compostela (Galicia)

Santiago de Compostela has much to offer its visitors, indeed, its historic center has been declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. Famous around the world for centuries as the place where all the Camino de Santiago routes conclude, a tradition where pilgrims end their journey at the marvelous cathedral and visit the remains of the Apostle James. The Plaza del Obradoiro is the nerve center of Santiago, where the Cathedral, the Raxoi Palace, or the luxurious Hostal de los Reyes Católicos are located… Squatres like Quintana with its staircase or Platerías, and other monuments such as the Monastery of San Martiño Pinario make this city considered one of the most beautiful in Spain.