A point that confuses many first-time guests: on El Transcantábrico you do not eat every meal on the train — and that is deliberate. Northern Spain is the country's gastronomic heartland, and the itinerary is built to prove it.
On board
Breakfasts and roughly half the main meals are served in the period dining cars: white linen, regional wines, menus that follow the map — Basque fish, Asturian cheeses, Galician shellfish as the week moves west.
Ashore
The other meals are taken in selected restaurants along the route — from classic sidrerías to acclaimed regional tables. They are all included in the fare, wine too; see what's included for the full picture.
The drinks deserve their own guide
Txakoli poured from a height in the Basque Country, cider thrown in Asturias, Albariño in Galicia — we wrote a separate guide to the route's wines and cider.
Dietary requirements
Vegetarian, gluten-free and most other requirements are handled gracefully with advance notice — tell us when you book and we pass it to the operator's chefs. It is one advantage of reserving through the authorized source: details travel with your booking. Questions? Our Ultimate FAQ covers the rest.
