The Ultimate Guide for Travelling Spain on a Budget

The cities in the North of Spain are so beautiful and it is so accessible to hop from city to city, which allows you to see so much of the country in one trip!

We spent a week in total travelling the North of Spain for less than €300. Within this week we saw 6 Spanish cities and although it was hectic, it was amazing. In this blog I will be discussing the route we took, how long we stayed in each place and how much it cost overall.

I will be making a separate blog in the coming weeks about my top recommendations and the best places to eat for each individual city we visited.

This will be a step by step travel itinerary on how to travel the North of Spain on a budget. So, let’s get into it!

VALENCIA -> MADRID

As we were already living in Valencia we did not have to get a flight to begin our travels, but if you are thinking of travelling the North of Spain, I would recommend flying into Valencia and beginning your journey there. Even though Valencia isn’t technically in the North of the country, it is super easy to get to any of the surrounding cities from there, so whether you are travelling the North or the South of Spain, I would start your trip in Valencia. I say this because you can travel the North of Spain in one big circle and starting in Valencia or Barcelona can be your best bet.

We spent 2 nights in Madrid, which I think was the perfect amount if you are looking to fit a lot into your trip. We saw everything we wanted to over the 2 days.

To kickstart our travels we got the train from Valencia Joaquin Sorolla station, (which can be easily mixed up with Estacion Jaoquin Sorolla in Valencia). Be sure to arrive at the right station about 20-25 minutes before your train departs, just to make sure you’re in the right area. The duration of the journey from Valencia to Madrid is approximately 2 hours. We arrived at Madrid Chamartin station which is north of the city, so we had to get a metro into the city centre after arriving. If you can, I would recommend instead of getting a train to Chamartin, get a train to Madrid’s Atocha station which is in the heart of the city. 

We stayed in an AirBnB, which was a 15 minute metro ride outside the city centre. This was purely because we were on a budget and we only needed the room to sleep in, so this option was perfect for us. As we booked this trip a little last minute, hostels at the time were pretty expensive, that is why we opted for an AirBnB. 

However, here are some great hostels for super affordable prices: The Hat Madrid (€21), 2060 The Newton Hostel (€22) or The Central House Madrid Lavapies (€22). We really wanted to stay at Art Seven Hostel which is a futuristic hostel where you sleep in a capsule. Unfortunately, this was booked out for the dates we were going to be in Madrid but it costs €45 a night for a 2 person capsule.

Cost:

Transport: €20 per person (one way train journey)

Accommodation: €30 per person

MADRID -> BILBAO

Our next stop was Bilbao, where we spent 3 nights, which included a day trip to San Sebastian while we were here. As we were travelling a lot, we were really tired so it was nice to have that bit of extra time in Bilbao to just relax. However, if you are pressed for time I would recommend only staying one day in Bilbao and one day in San Sebastian, as this is all you will need to see what these cities have to offer.

The transport from Madrid to Bilbao was a little pricier than expected. When researching we found that a train would cost up to €80 on the dates we intended to go, so we opted for the bus. WARNING: The bus does take a total of 4 hours and 40 minutes to get to Bilbao from Madrid so just keep this in mind. We didn’t find the journey too bad, as we downloaded a TV series on Netflix and the bus stops at a shop where you can get food and stretch your legs. There are also chargers onboard so you don’t have to worry about saving your battery.

We travelled from the Intercambiador de Autobuses Station in Madrid which was pretty straightforward to get around, and arrived at Bilbao Intermodal station which is super close to the city centre. 

We stayed in a hostel in Bilbao called the Bilbao Metropolitan Hostel and I definitely do not recommend this place. I have stayed in lots of hostels in my life and this definitely had to be the worse one. As we were on a tight budget we did pick the cheapest hostel on the HostelWorld website but I wish I spent the extra money for somewhere a little nicer. We stayed here for 2 nights but decided we couldn’t do a 3rd night here so we booked into an AirBnB. Our AirBnB was nothing special, we just booked a place near the bus station as we were heading off the next morning.

Some hostels I would recommend staying in if you are visiting Bilbao are: Latroupe la Granja (€28), Quartier Bilbao Hostel (€19), or Optimi Rooms (€26). Optimi Rooms is also a futuristic hostel, so if you are looking for a bit of an different experience this could be super cool.

We also went on a day trip to San Sebastian on our 3rd day in Bilbao which is a must see if you are travelling the North of Spain. The city is so beautiful and the views are breathtaking. If you can, I would recommend spending a night in San Sebastian to get the full experience.

We got a bus from Bilbao Intermodal Station to San Sebastian, which takes approximately 1 hour and 20 minutes. The bus arrives into Paseo Federico Garcia Lorca Station which is in the heart of San Sebastian so it is super accessible to go there on a day trip.

Cost:

Transport: €38.60 per person (one way bus journey)/€14 (return trip to San Sebastian) = €52.60

Accommodation: €39 per person (Hostel)/€20 per person (AirBnB) =€59

BILBAO -> ZARAGOZA

We decided to spend one night in Zaragoza as it was on our travel route. I would recommend not spending any more than a day here. Although it is a beautiful city, there is not a lot to do. You can definitely fit all the sites you wish to see into one day. 

Booking our transport for super early in the morning was something we did throughout our travels, as we wanted to get as much time in each destination as we could. We got a bus from Bilbao to Zaragoza, which takes approximately 4 hours and 15 minutes. This was another long journey but honestly the buses in Spain didn’t feel half as bad as the Bus Eireann buses at home. 

We got the bus at Bilbao Estación Autobuses and arrived at Estación Intermodal de Zaragoza Delicias. This station was a little outside the city but we got the bus into the centre for €2.50 per person and it took about 20 minutes.

As we were only here for one night we spent the entire day in the city. We stayed in an AirBnB near the train station in Delicias, which was a smart move as our train was leaving early the next morning. Since our accommodation was outside the city centre we actually got a really nice place for super cheap.

Cost: 

Transport: €24.71 per person (one way bus journey)

Accommodation: €20.50 per person

ZARAGOZA -> BARCELONA

I know this is probably basic but I just never get sick of Barcelona. This was our final stop on our travels in Northern Spain, and it was such a great way to end our trip. We spent 2 full days here but honestly you could spend way longer here, there is just so much to do.

The journey took approximately 1 hour and 30 minutes, which absolutely flew! We got the train from Zaragoza Delicias Station to Sants Station in Barcelona. This station in Barcelona is a little outside the city but you are able to get a metro from this station directly into the centre which is super convenient. The metro cost €2.50 each and took us directly to where we were staying.

We opted for a hostel in Barcelona as I had stayed in a few here before and they are super cheap and cheerful. We booked the Sun and Moon Hostel which is in a really great location, right beside the city’s mercado. The rooms were perfect, with bunk beds that had a frame around them so you didn’t feel exposed to anyone else staying in the room and also they had safe keeping lockers.

Other hostels that I would recommend in Barcelona are: The Black Swan Hostel (€39), St Christopher’s Barcelona (€28), or Unite Hostel Barcelona (€32).

If you are in Barcelona for socialising and partying, then these hostels could be a great option for you: Sant Jordi Hostel Rock Palace (€48) or Kabul Party Hostel Barcelona (€32).

Cost:

Transport: €16 per person (one way train journey)

Accommodation: €53.40 per person

So, that is how I travelled the North of Spain on a budget. Of course, there are always cheaper ways to do things, but we always want to stay somewhere where we feel remotely comfortable and also that is safe, so I never mind throwing an extra €5 here and there for those reasons. 

We booked all our accommodation through: Holiday Homes & Apartment Rentals – Airbnb or Hostelworld – Explore the world’s best hostels

We booked all our transport through: https://www.thetrainline.com/

Total cost for transport: €113.31 per person

Total cost for accommodation: €162.90 per person 

Overall cost for 2 trains, 3 buses, and 4 beds was: €276.21

I hope this travel guide of the North of Spain was helpful! If you have any questions you can also message me over on my Instagram @saortheblog or leave a comment below. If you have found this interesting please share with your friends.

Chat again soon,

Aoife x