Can't beat Cantabria

Both Spain and France have coastlines on the Bay of Biscay (not to be confused with Biscayne Bay, the lazy lagoon that abuts Miami Beach). This Spanish province, Cantabria, gets its name from the southern part of the bay, known as Mar Cantábrico or the Cantabrian Sea. Anchored by its capital port of Santander, Cantabria alternates between ragged rocks and open beach along its coast—but head slightly inland and you'll discover one of the lushest forest regions of Europe, nicknamed Green Spain.