Our Northern Spain Photo Tour, from December 1st to 8th, 2024 (more dates available soon), is a great opportunity to photograph the beautiful landscapes of the Cantabrian Coast in our country. On this adventure, we will travel for a week photographing the most spectacular locations in Cantabria, Asturias, and the Basque Country.
During the tour, you will be accompanied by one or more of our local photographers, who live in the same area. At the same time, all the travel details are organized by our own travel agency. Therefore, you can be assured that you are in the best hands, allowing you to make the most of your trip.
As for the itinerary, we will explore what is, for many, the most beautiful area of Spain. The northern coast of the country, with its beaches, cliffs, and picturesque villages, is a true gem, as well as a dream destination for any photography enthusiast.
This Northern Spain Photo Tour is focused on landscape photography, with a special emphasis on seascapes. During the trip, we will explore the most beautiful cliffs and beaches of the Cantabrian Coast. Additionally, we will visit some of the extraordinary forests and mountain landscapes of northern Spain. And we won’t forget about the most picturesque fishing villages in the area.
Throughout the week, we will be able to photograph many of the most famous locations in Northern Spain. To begin with, we will photograph beaches such as Barrika, Arnía, Gueirúa, Playa del Silencio, or Portizuelo. We will also visit incredible cliffs like San Juan de Gaztelugatxe, Urros de Costa Quebrada, or those of the rugged Asturian coast. Finally, we will photograph wooded areas such as the surroundings of Vega de Pas or Ucieda in Cantabria, and venture into the Picos de Europa National Park, with its spectacular mountains as a backdrop. Lastly, we will take photos in the most beautiful coastal villages, such as San Vicente de la Barquera, Llanes, Lastres, or Luarca.
We run this tour at this time of year because there is barely any tourism in the area, allowing us to enjoy all the locations on our itinerary much more. Additionally, historically, it tends to be a season with good chances of experiencing beautiful sunrises and sunsets.
Our Northern Spain Photo Tour along the Cantabrian Coast is suitable for everyone, regardless of fitness levels, photographic experience, or age.
On one hand, no minimum physical level is required to join the tour. Most locations will be very close to where we park, so there will only be short walks to reach the key spots.
Likewise, there is no age limit, as long as you are reasonably healthy.
On the other hand, no high level of photography skills is required, nor is previous experience necessary. Our photography guides will assist you at all times, providing personalized attention tailored to each participant’s level. This way, you’ll be able to return home with fantastic images of the destination.
Finally, no minimum photography equipment is required; any camera will be valid to make the most of and enjoy the trip. Although further down, you will find a recommended equipment section for the tour, it is merely a list of the ideal gear and not essential items. Sometimes, we have clients who join us with a compact camera or even take photos only with their smartphone, and that doesn’t stop them from enjoying the experience to the fullest.
To conclude, we offer you an unforgettable photography experience in Spain. A great opportunity to photograph some of the most beautiful landscapes in the country while improving your photography skills. If you enjoy coastal and seascape photography, this trip is highly recommended for you. Don’t miss this great opportunity and join us now, as places are very limited.
Our Northern Spain Photo Tour along the Cantabrian Coast will begin by meeting at Bilbao Airport. We will gather there in the morning of the first day of the trip.
After introductions, we will head out to photograph the coast of Biscay, ending the day with a visit to one of the most spectacular locations of the tour, Barrika Beach. This beach, known for its characteristic flysch rock formations, is one of the most famous spots on the Cantabrian Coast, and probably one of the most beautiful beaches in the world for landscape photography.
In the morning, after our time in the Basque Country, we will head to Cantabria, where we will spend the next two days along its coast. We will leave early to capture the first sunrise in Cantabria, on the coast of Sonabia, featuring its iconic rocky island known as “The Whale”.
Later, we will continue westward, heading to the outskirts of Santander, where we will stay for two nights.
Once in the area, we will move to the region known as Costa Quebrada, an impressive area of cliffs and beaches of unparalleled beauty, where we can capture stunning images. Here, we will visit Valdearenas Beach and Madero Beach, ending the day with our sunset session at the cliffs of Los Urros, next to large rock formations.
Today, we’ll leave the hotel early, heading to our next destination, Sonabia, in Cantabria. We will photograph sunrise from a rocky area known as ‘The Whale’, due to its shape. During this session, we’ll find beautiful flowers and rock formations, which will bring us fantastic composition options.
After having breakfast, we will continue driving to Costa Quebrada, an impressive coastline full of stunning cliffs and rocky formations, where we will be able to get a lot of spectacular pictures.
First of all, we will visit the beautiful Valdearenas and Canallaves beaches, located by a wonderful pinewood. We will take some images by the beaches, before photographing the beautiful sand dunes in Valdearenas. Secondly, we will get to El Madero Beach, in the middle of a rocky area, with beautiful flysch to compose outstanding pictures again. Finally, we will visit Los Urros cliffs for sunset. This is probably the most famous area for photography in Cantabria, so we will have plenty of time to enjoy it. The rock formations known as ‘urros’ will bring us endless possibilities, and we’ll capture sunset in from of the most famous one, La Puerta del Mar, literally ‘The Door of the Sea.’
We will end up the day getting to our hotel for a well deserved rest.
Today we will capture the sunrise from Arnía Beach, with the sun rising in front of us, returning once again to the Costa Quebrada.
Afterward, we will head to Ucieda, where we will photograph one of Cantabria’s most magical forests, filled with streams and waterfalls, offering endless possibilities for beautiful images.
In the afternoon, we will visit the cliffs and waterfall of Bolao. Finally, for sunset, we will return to Costa Quebrada, photographing the sunset this time from another one of its beaches, near the village of Liencres.
For our final sunrise in the area, we will visit Camello Beach in Santander, one of the most beautiful views in the city. Here, we will be able to photograph the waves hitting the sand and rocks, with the Magdalena Peninsula and its stunning palace in the background, providing a lovely morning of photography.
Afterward, we will travel to the Liébana Valley, in the heart of the Picos de Europa National Park, a beautiful region with the impressive backdrop of the Picos de Europa mountains. We will spend much of the day visiting several locations in the valley before leaving the area to reach our sunset location, near the beach of one of the most picturesque villages in Cantabria and Northern Spain, San Vicente de la Barquera.
Today we will photograph the sunrise near the village of Llanes, in Asturias, at a beautiful cliffside location featuring a majestic rock formation in the sea, El Castro de las Gaviotas.
After breakfast, we will continue our Northern Spain Photo Tour, heading west and visiting some of the most charming villages in Asturias, such as Ribadesella and Lastres.
Finally, for sunset, we will visit another must-see beach for photography in the area, Playa del Silencio. Once night falls, we will head to our accommodation to rest.
We will wake up early to capture the dawn at the wild Gueirúa Beach, a remote location reached after a short walk from the nearest village. There, we will have the sun rising in front of us, with the waves crashing against the rocks and flysch of this stunning beach.
After our session, we will continue our route, visiting some wooded areas in the Asturian interior, leaving for the end of the day the location where we will spend the night, the site of the final day’s sunset, Luarca Beach.
For the last sunrise of the trip, we will wake up early to reach another one of the beaches along the spectacular Asturian west coast.
After that, we will make our way to Bilbao airport, where our journey will come to an end.
Bilbao Airport, Spain (Google Maps)
This Northern Spain Photo Tour is recommended for anyone, no matter the physical level to join the trip. As long as you are able to walk for a short hike with no problems, you are welcome to join us on this photo tour. Most of the photo locations are located just a short walk from the places where we’ll park, meaning this will be an easy trip. There are just a couple of locations around a 15 or 20 minute hike (one way) from the parking, but it will be easy hikes (and you always have the choice of skipping that session!). At the same time, there are not age limits for the tour, as well as your health and conditions are reasonably good.
There is no need of a minimal photography level to join this Northern Spain Photo Tour. You don’t have to be a professional photographer to come to this trip, nor even having a lot of experience with your camera. All our photo tours are open to all levels, even for beginners, or unexperienced photography users. Sometimes, we even have people just taking shots with their smartphones. One of our highlights is providing customized attention, so we will help you to get the best possible images, regardless your previous level. We’ll be there to help you becoming a better photographer!
For the summer edition of our Northern Spain Photo Tour, we can expect quite warm temperatures most of the daytime. However, please notice that many of our sessions are held at sunrise, sunset or during the night, so temperatures will be much cooler then. Therefore, we recommend you bringing a light jacket, like a fleece or a softshell one. For most of the time, the best choice will be wearing light and fresh clothes, like summer mountain clothes, easy-drying t-shirts and light trousers. A Gore Tex jacket or similar could be also useful, in case of rain. Mountain boots would be perfect for most of the time. Once you confirm your booking, you will also receive a guide withe the recommended gear list for this Northern Spain Photo Tour.
This Northern Spain Photo Tour, as most of our trips, doesn’t include meals (breakfast, lunch or dinner). This will give us maximum flexibility during the trip, in order to focus mainly in the most important thing: photography. Normally, we will be having breakfast in the hotel or in cafes near the area, before or after our sunrise shooting session (depending on timing). For lunch, sometimes we’ll be stopping at restaurants, but other times we’ll be going to a supermarket and doing a picnic near to the locations we’ll visit. Then, we will have dinner at the hotel or in town.
However, we will lots of chances to enjoy the amazing food we’ll find in this part of Spain”
Currently, the main payment option we have is the bank transfer. However, if you prefer it, we also have other payment options, such as credit or debit card, PayPal or Transferwise. Please notice that these other payment options may apply a commission fee. You can ask us about these different payment options.
If you choose to pay by credit or debit card, or by PayPal, you can process your payment online, when you finish the booking process. For bank transfer payment, you just have to proceed with the booking and then, once you finish the process with the chosen payment method, you’ll receive an email with al the instructions and bank details.
During this Northern Spain Photo Tour, we’ll be normally staying in 3 or 4 stars hotel. Each traveller will be staying in a double twin shared room, staying with another participant of the tour. Rooms will always include a private bath.
If you come with another person to the trip, you’ll share the room, However, if you are traveling alone, we’ll choose a roommate for you between the other participants in the trip (always same genre). Anyway, you will also have the chance to choose a single room for you, paying an extra supplement. Contact us for all details.
Anyone can join this Northern Spain Photo Tour, no matter your country of residence. Our main travel agency is settled in Santander, Spain, but our trips are open to customers from countries all around the world. Therefore, we may have clients from different places in our photo tours.
This Northern Spain Photo Tour, as all our tours, begins in a location in the destination country, normally at the airport. Therefore, all the participants need to get there for the first day of the tour, traveling from their country of residence, and there is no need of traveling to a particular town to fly together.
Once you have confirmed your booking for this Northern Spain Photo Tour, we will send you the trip info with a recommended gear PDF guide. This will include suggestions not only about the photography gear, but also about the clothes and accessories you might need during this photo tour. To sum up, you won’t have to worry about anything, since our expert photo leaders and guides will inform you about everything you will need, so you can enjoy your travel as much as possible!
As a first tip, we would suggest you bringing a light color jacket for sunrises and sunsets (for example red, orange, yellow, light green, etc…). That jacket will protect you from the cold but, at the same time, you’ll look great to be photographed in some of the most beautiful locations around the North of Spain!
Discover our essence and what sets us apart.
‘Traveling with Sergio to the North of Spain has been great, due to his professionalism and kindness. All the locations we visited are amazing for landscape photography, and with his help and advices, I took wonderful images. I am sure that I will repeat more experiences with him, see you soon, Sergio.’
‘Great trip to enjoy the North of Spain, mainly covering its coastline, but also gettin to other places, with incredible landscapes perfect for photography, as long as the weather cooperates. Sergio lanza Casado doesn’t lead the group to take his own pitcures, but to help and teach all the participants to capture their own great images, always adapting to their level, and wiling to solve any issue, also in a small group, something great. My conclussion: highly recommended.’
‘Over the basis of a magnificent professional and human team, Dream Photo Expeditions has grown to be what I consider the best photo tours travel agency in the market. All their destinations are fantastic, the photo locations they choose are just perfect, and the organization and personal treatment is simply perfect. My last photo tour with, to the North of Spain, has been a wonderful experience!!! 100% Recommended.’
