Santiago de Compostela & Galicia
Santiago de Compostela
Costa da Morte
Fisterra & Around
Lires & Around
Muxía & Around
Camariñas to Camelle: the Ruta do Litoral
Laxe & Around
Rías Altas
A Coruña
Betanzos
Pontedeume
Parque Natural Fragas do Eume
Cedeira & Around
Cabo Ortegal & Around
Bares Peninsula
Viveiro
Ribadeo
Rías Baixas
Ría de Arousa
Pontevedra
Ría de Pontevedra
Ría de Vigo
Vigo
Southwest Galicia
Baiona
A Guarda
Tui
Eastern Galicia
Ourense
Ribadavia & the Ribeiro Wine Region
Ribeira Sacra
Lugo
Santiago de Compostela & Galicia
Why Go?
Galicia, a unique region with its own language and distinctive culture, is home to Santiago de Compostela, the destination of more than quarter of a million souls who travel each year along the Camino de Santiago pilgrim trails. Santiago is one of Spain’s most beautiful and magical cities, an exceptionally good reason for any traveller to make their way to Spain’s northwestern corner.
But Galicia is much more than Santiago. The wild coastline is frayed up and down its 1200km length by majestic rías (coastal inlets), and strung with cliffs, beaches, islands and fishing ports – which bring in arguably the best seafood in Europe. Inland is a labyrinth of deep-green valleys, speckled with stone villages, medieval monasteries and age-old vineyards. And as you travel you’ll repeatedly run into reminders of Galicia’s unique cultural identity: the sound of bagpipes, the wayside cruceiros (carved-stone crosses), the castro fort-villages of Galicians’ Celtic ancestors.
When to Go
- Jun & Sep No peak-season crowds or prices but (hopefully) reasonable weather.
- Jul & Aug Your best chances of sunny weather are now.
- 24 Jul Spectacular fireworks launch Santiago de Compostela’s celebration of the Día de Santiago.
Best Places to Stay
Santiago de Compostela & Galicia Highlights
1 Santiago de Compostela Soaking up the atmosphere and history of this beautiful and fascinating city.
2 Costa da Morte Exploring the capes and lighthouses north of Cabo Fisterra, Spain’s ‘Land’s End’.
3 Seafood and wine Feasting on fresh fish, octopus or shellfish with Galician wines along the coast.
4 Beach time Chilling in the cold water under the hot sun, admiring the lovely scenery and maybe even surfing at Praia de Nemiña.
5 Cliffs and capes of the Riás Altas Standing atop Europe’s highest ocean cliffs at the Garita de Herbeira.
6 Illas Cíes Sailing out to the beaches and walking trails of these spectacular, traffic-free islands.
7 Ribeira Sacra Meandering around the wineries and dramatic canyons of the ‘Holy Riverbank’.
History
Early Galicians built numerous dolmens (megalithic tombs) and Iron Age castros (protected settlements of circular stone huts). Many of these monuments have been excavated and can be visited today. The castro-builders are widely reckoned to have been Celts. The Romans pacified the region in the 1st century BC, founding cities including Lucus Augusti (Lugo).
A Germanic tribe, the Suevi, settled in Galicia in AD 409, founding the Kingdom of Galicia, which endured, in name at least, until 1834. Though medieval Galicia was absorbed into León and then Castilla, it did enjoy brief independent spells in the 10th and 11th centuries, with northern Portugal closely tied to it in this period.
The supposed grave of Santiago Apóstol (St James the Apostle), discovered in about the 820s at what became Santiago de Compostela, grew into a rallying symbol for the Christian Reconquista of Spain, and pilgrims from all over Europe began trekking to Santiago, which grew into a key centre of Christendom.
The Rexurdimento, an awakening of Galician identity, surfaced late in the 19th century. In the 19th and 20th centuries, hundreds of thousands of impoverished Galicians departed on transatlantic ships in search of better lives in Latin America.
Things looked up after democracy returned to Spain in the 1970s. Galicia today is an important fishing, shipbuilding and agricultural region, with more ports than any other region of the EU.
SANTIAGO DE COMPOSTELA
POP 79,800
The final stop on the epic Camino de Santiago pilgrimage trail, Santiago is a unique city imbued with the aura of a millennium’s worth of journeys. Long-gone centuries live on in its arcaded streets and magnificent stone architecture, of which the famous cathedral is the jewel in the crown.
Today some 300,000 Camino pilgrims and many thousands of others venture here each year, giving Santiago a greater international dimension than ever. Yet this is also the capital of the Spanish autonomous region of Galicia, with a strong local character – a place where the skirl of bagpipes wafts across plazas and the countless restaurants and bars specialise in fine Galician seafood and local wines.
It’s hard not to be both wowed and charmed by this city. Even the precipitation has its upside: Santiago is, many feel, at its most beautiful when the stone streets are glistening in the rain.
The biggest numbers of people hit the city in July and August, but Santiago has a festive atmosphere throughout the warmer half of the year. For fewer crowds, May, June and September are good months to come.
History
The faithful believe that Santiago Apóstol (St James the Apostle, one of Christ’s closest disciples) preached in Galicia and, after his execution in Palestine, was brought back by stone boat and buried here. The tomb was supposedly rediscovered circa AD 820 by a religious hermit, Pelayo, following a guiding star (hence, it’s thought, the name Compostela – from the Latin campus stellae, field of the star). Asturian king Alfonso II had a church erected above the holy remains, pilgrims began flocking to it, Alfonso III replaced it with a bigger church in the 890s, and by the 11th century the pilgrimage along the Camino de Santiago was a major European phenomenon, bringing a flood of funds into the city. The building of the magnificent cathedral we see today began in 1075, and Bishop Diego Xelmírez obtained archbishopric status for Santiago in 1100 and added numerous other churches in the 12th century. The following centuries, however, were marked by squabbling between rival nobles, and Santiago gradually slipped into the background.
Only since the 1980s, as capital of the autonomous region of Galicia and a rediscovered tourist and pilgrimage destination, has the city been revitalised.
Santiago de Compostela
1Top Sights
1Sights
4Sleeping
5Eating
6Drinking & Nightlife
3Entertainment
1Sights
The magnificent cathedral and Praza do Obradoiro are the natural starting points and focus for exploring Santiago. The Old Town in which they sit – a roughly oval-shaped area bounded by the line of the medieval city walls – is where almost everything of interest is found. Its stone-paved streets are a delight to wander, with plenty of cafes, bars and restaurants to drop into as you go.
Praza de Galicia marks the boundary between the Old Town and the Ensanche (Extension), the 20th-century shopping and residential area to its south.
oCatedral de Santiago de Compostela CATHEDRAL
(MAP GOOGLE MAP; http://catedraldesantiago.es; Praza do Obradoiro; 
h7am-8.30pm)
The grand heart of Santiago, the cathedral soars above the city in a splendid jumble of spires and sculpture. Built piecemeal over several centuries, its beauty is a mix of the original Romanesque structure (constructed between 1075 and 1211) and later Gothic and baroque flourishes. The tomb of Santiago beneath the main altar is a magnet for all who come here. The cathedral’s artistic high point is the Pórtico de la Gloria inside the west entrance, featuring 200 masterly Romanesque sculptures.
Over the centuries the cathedral has suffered considerable wear and tear from water seepage, settlement and humidity. Restoration works in recent years meant that much of the main facade facing Praza do Obradoiro, and the Pórtico de la Gloria inside that facade, were covered in scaffolding. It was expected that work on the facade, and hopefully the Pórtico de la Gloria, would be completed in 2018, meaning that people would again be able to get a close look at the Pórtico de la Gloria. Works on other parts of the cathedral are expected to continue until 2020.
The cathedral has a traditional Latin-cross layout and three naves, separated by majestic lines of Romanesque arches. The lavish baroque western facade facing Praza do Obradoiro was erected in the 18th century, replacing the weather-damaged Romanesque one. The only facade that still conserves its original Romanesque structure is the southern one from Praza das Praterías, which now serves as the main visitor entrance.
The artistically unparalleled Pórtico de la Gloria (Galician: Porta da Gloria) stands just inside the western facade. The Pórtico features 200 Romanesque sculptures by Maestro Mateo, who was placed in charge of the cathedral-building program in the late 12th century. These detailed, inspired and remarkably lifelike sculptures add up to a comprehensive review of major figures from the Bible, with the Old Testament and its prophets on the north side, the New Testament and Apostles on the south, and glory and resurrection depicted in the central archway.
The main figure in the central archway is a throned, resurrected Christ, surrounded by the four evangelists plus angels and symbols of Jesus’ passion. In an arc above are the 24 musicians said in Revelations to sit around the heavenly throne. Below Christ’s feet is Santiago, and below him Hercules (holding open the mouths of two lions). Visitors arriving in the cathedral traditionally said a brief prayer while placing their fingers in five holes above Hercules’ head, created by the repetition of this very act by millions of faithful over the centuries. On the other side of the central pillar is a sculpture of Maestro Mateo. For centuries, tradition called for visitors to bump heads with the maestro to acquire some of his genius. These countless knocks led to Mateo’s notably flat nose, and both he and Hercules were blocked off behind metal barriers even before the Pórtico acquired its scaffold covering in 2013.
Among the Old Testament prophets, the very bright smile on Daniel’s face is, according to one legend, caused by the tightly dressed figure of Queen Esther on the pillar opposite him. Legend also has it that Esther’s stone breasts were originally much larger, but were filed down on orders of a disapproving bishop – to which townspeople responded by inventing Galicia’s cone-shaped tetilla (nipple) cheese in Esther’s honour.
Towards the east end of the cathedral, the fantastically elaborate, Churrigueresque Altar Mayor (High Altar) rises up from the central crossing where the transepts intersect the nave. From the right side of the ambulatory (walkway) that runs round behind the Altar Mayor, a small staircase leads up to a statue of Santiago that has watched over the cathedral since its consecration in 1211. The faithful queue up here to kiss or embrace the statue. From the statue you emerge on the left side, then descend some steps into the Cripta Apostólica, where we are assured Santiago’s remains lie, inside a large 19th-century silver casket. Behind the Altar Mayor is the Puerta Santa (MAP GOOGLE MAP; Holy Door), which opens onto Praza da Quintana and is cracked open only in holy years (next in 2021).
Mass is usually celebrated at the High Altar at noon and 7.30pm daily, and at 10am and 6pm on Saturday and Sunday, and at 1.15pm on Sunday. Touristic visits are discouraged during Mass.
Restoration work on the eastern part of the cathedral may mean some restrictions on access to the statue of Santiago and Cripta Apostólica, and on the number of Masses held in the cathedral and the number of people who can attend them, until 2020.
For wonderful views of the cathedral’s interior from its upper storeys, and of the city from the cathedral roof, take a cathedral rooftop tour.
oMuseo da Catedral MUSEUM
(MAP GOOGLE MAP; Colección Permanente; http://catedraldesantiago.es; Praza do Obradoiro; adult/reduced/child €6/4/free; h9am-8pm Apr-Oct, 10am-8pm Nov-Mar)
The Cathedral Museum spreads over four floors and incorporates the cathedral’s large 16th-century Gothic/plateresque cloister. You’ll see a sizeable section of Maestro Mateo’s original carved-stone choir (destroyed in 1604 but pieced back together in 1999), an impressive collection of religious art (including the botafumeiros, the cathedral’s famous giant censers, in the 2nd-floor library), the lavishly decorated 18th-century sala capitular (chapter house), a room of tapestries woven from designs by Goya, and, off the cloister, the Panteón de Reyes, with tombs of kings of medieval León.
oMuseo das Peregrinacións e de Santiago MUSEUM
(MAP GOOGLE MAP; http://museoperegrinacions.xunta.gal; Praza das Praterías; adult/pilgrim & student/senior & child €2.40/1.20/free; h9.30am-8.30pm Tue-Fri, 11am-7.30pm Sat, 10.15am-2.45pm Sun)
The brightly displayed Museum of Pilgrimages & Santiago gives fascinating insights into the phenomenon of Santiago (man, city and pilgrimage) down the centuries. Much of the explanatory material is in English as well as Spanish and Galician. There are also great close-up views of some of the cathedral’s towers from the 3rd-floor windows. Free entry on Sunday and from 2.30pm Saturday.
Mosteiro de San Martiño Pinario MONASTERY
(MAP GOOGLE MAP; http://espacioculturalsmpinario.com; Praza da Inmaculada; adult/student, pilgrim & senior €3/2; h10.30am-6.30pm or later, closed 2-4pm May-Jun)
This huge baroque monastery looming over Praza da Inmaculada is now a seminary, and its central sections, including the grand cloister, aren’t open to visitors – but its enormous church, with spectacular decoration, is open as part of a museum that’s well worth a visit (enter from the plaza’s upper end). The church’s centrepiece is its incredibly ornate main altarpiece, encrusted with carved saints, cherubim, flowers, plants, horses and bishops. The walnut choir stalls behind this also merit close inspection.
Museo do Pobo Galego MUSEUM
(MAP GOOGLE MAP; Museum of the Galician People; www.museodopobo.gal; Campo de San Domingos de Bonaval; adult/senior & student/child €3/1/free, Sun free; h10.30am-2pm & 4-7.30pm Tue-Sat, 11am-2pm Sun)
This museum in a former convent is a fascinating window into traditional Galician ways of life that still persist in some rural areas. Displays range over music, agriculture, architecture, fishing and more, with exhibits including fishing boats, bagpipes, costumes and antique printing presses. The upper floors are accessed by an extraordinary triple spiral staircase designed by Domingo de Andrade around 1700. Behind the museum, the Parque de San Domingos de Bonaval (MAP GOOGLE MAP; Campo de San Domingos de Bonaval; h8am-11pm Apr-Sep, 8am-8pm Oct-Mar) is a lovely, tranquil retreat from the Santiago bustle.
EXPLORING AROUND THE CATHEDRAL
The cathedral is surrounded by handsome plazas that invite you to wander through them.
The grand square in front of the cathedral’s west facade earned its name, Praza do Obradoiro (MAP GOOGLE MAP; Workshop Sq), from the stonemasons’ workshops set up here while the cathedral was being built. It’s free of both traffic and cafes, and has a unique, magical atmosphere.
Stretching across the northern end of the praza, the Renaissance-style Hostal dos Reis Católicos (MAP GOOGLE MAP; 
%981 58 22 00; www.parador.es; adult/child €3/free, Mon free; hnoon-2pm & 4-7pm Sun-Fri) was built in the early 16th century by order of the Catholic Monarchs, Isabel and Fernando, as a recuperation centre for exhausted pilgrims. Today it’s a parador (luxurious state-owned hotel) and shelters well-heeled travellers instead, but its four courtyards and some other areas are open to visitors: the self-guided tour, with leaflet and more than 40 information panels, is well worthwhile.
Along the western side of the praza stretches the elegant 18th-century Pazo de Raxoi (MAP GOOGLE MAP), now Santiago’s city hall. At the south end stands the Colegio de San Xerome (hhr vary Mon-Fri), a former college for the poor that is now the rectorate of Santiago University. This 17th-century building has a 15th-century Romanesque/Gothic portal that was transferred from the college’s previous site.
South of the cathedral, stop in cafe-lined Praza de Fonseca (MAP GOOGLE MAP) to look into the Colexio de Fonseca (MAP GOOGLE MAP; hcloister 9am-9pm Mon-Fri, exhibitions 11am-2pm & 5-8.30pm Tue-Sat, 11am-2pm Sun) with its beautiful Renaissance courtyard; this was the original seat of Santiago’s university (founded in 1495) and now houses the university’s main library. Its Gothic chapel and Salón Artesonado, either side of the entrance, house assorted temporary exhibitions.
Praza das Praterías (MAP GOOGLE MAP; Silversmiths’ Sq) is marked by an elegant 1825 fountain, the Fuente de los Caballos (MAP GOOGLE MAP; Fountain of the Horses), a popular photo op, with the cathedral’s Romanesque south portal at the top of the steps. Curiously, the baroque Casa do Cabido (MAP GOOGLE MAP; h10am-2pm & 5-8pm Sat, 11am-2pm Sun), on the lower side of the square, is no more than a 3m-deep facade, erected in the 1750s to embellish the plaza.
Broad Praza da Quintana (MAP GOOGLE MAP) opens up outside the cathedral’s eastern end. The cathedral’s Puerta Santa here is opened only in holy years (next in 2021): it’s flanked by 24 Romanesque sculptures of biblical figures that were once part of the cathedral’s original stone choir, created by Maestro Mateo and his team in the late 12th century.
The plaza’s east side is lined by the long, stark wall of the Mosteiro de San Paio de Antealtares (MAP GOOGLE MAP), founded in the 9th century for the monks who looked after Santiago’s relics (now a convent). Its Museo de Arte Sacra (MAP GOOGLE MAP; Vía Sacra 5; €1.50; h10.30am-1.30pm & 4-7pm Mon-Sat, 4-7pm Sun), accessed through the convent church at the top of the plaza steps, contains the original altar raised over those relics.
On the cathedral’s north side, the Praza da Inmaculada (MAP GOOGLE MAP) is where most pilgrims arriving in Santiago first set eyes on the cathedral. Opposite looms the huge, austerely baroque Mosteiro de San Martiño Pinario, now a seminary.
TTours
oCathedral Rooftop Tour TOURS
(%881 55 79 45; http://catedraldesantiago.es; adult/reduced/child €12/10/free, combined ticket with Museo da Catedral €15/12/free; htours hourly 10am-1pm & 4-7pm; 
c)
For unforgettable bird’s-eye views of the cathedral interior from its upper storeys, and of the city from the cathedral roof, take the rooftop tour, which starts in the visitor reception centre. The tours are popular, so book beforehand, either at the visitor reception centre for same-day visits, or on the cathedral website up to several weeks ahead. Tours are given in Spanish, but some guides also speak some English.
The guides provide a good insight into Santiago’s and the cathedral’s history. From late October through March, the last tour is at 5pm.
zFestivals & Events
Fiestas del Apóstol Santiago CULTURAL, RELIGIOUS
(Fiestas of the Apostle St James; hJul)
Two weeks of music, parades and other festivities surround the Día de Santiago (Feast of St James; 25 July), which is simultaneously Galicia’s ‘national’ day. Celebrations peak in a truly spectacular lasers-and-fireworks display, the Fuegos del Apóstol, on Praza do Obradoiro on the night of 24 July.
4Sleeping
From hostels for pilgrims and backpackers to chic boutique lodgings and historic luxury hotels, Santiago has hundreds of places to stay at all price levels. Even so, the best-value and most central places can fill up weeks ahead in summer, especially July and August.
oHostal Suso HOSTAL€
(MAP GOOGLE MAP; %981 58 66 11; www.hostalsuso.com; Rúa do Vilar 65; r €48-65; 
a
i
W)
Stacked above a convenient cafe (with excellent-value breakfasts), the friendly, family-run 14-room Suso received a full makeover in 2016 and boasts immaculate, thoughtfully designed rooms in appealing greys and whites, with up-to-date bathrooms and firm beds. It’s very good for the price. Everything is thoroughly soundproofed, too – the street outside is traffic-free but can get quite celebratory in summer.
O Xardín de Julia HOTEL€
(MAP GOOGLE MAP; %626 004591; www.oxardindejulia.com; Rúa da Virxe da Cerca 20; r €45-90; hclosed Jan & Feb; aW)
Opened in 2016, ‘Julia’s Garden’ is a delightful little 10-room option on the edge of the Old Town. Everything is bright and clean-lined, with plenty of wood and stone but without unnecessary clutter. The icing on the cake is the lovely strip of garden, with a camellia tree, overlooked from the galerías of some rooms.
Last Stamp HOSTEL€
(MAP GOOGLE MAP; El Último Sello; %981 56 35 25; www.thelaststamp.es; Rúa Preguntoiro 10; dm €15-20; hclosed late Dec–late Feb; iW)
A purpose-designed hostel, the Last Stamp occupies a 300-year-old, five-storey house (with lift) in the heart of the Old Town. The cleverly designed dorms (all mixed) feature semi-private modules with ultra-solid bunks, electrical plugs, good mattresses and individual reading lights. Some rooms enjoy cathedral views. Bathrooms and kitchen are big, and Camino-themed murals add a bit of fun.
oHotel Costa Vella BOUTIQUE HOTEL€€
(MAP GOOGLE MAP; %981 56 95 30; www.costavella.com; Rúa da Porta da Pena 17; s €50-60, d €55-97; aiW)
Tranquil, thoughtfully designed rooms (some with typically Galician galerías – glassed-in balconies), a friendly welcome, super-helpful management and staff, and a lovely garden cafe make this family-run hotel a wonderful option. It’s set in an old stone house just a 400m stroll from the cathedral; the €6 breakfast is substantial.
oAltaïr Hotel BOUTIQUE HOTEL€€
(MAP GOOGLE MAP; %981 554 712; http://altairhotel.net; Rúa dos Loureiros 12; s €60-85, d €75-120; hclosed Jan; aW)
The Altaïr combines traditional stone walls and solid oak floors with cosy comfort, attentive staff, soft furnishings and splashes of contemporary design. The breakfast (€8.50) is a gourmet affair, and the super-colourful Carlos Sansegundo canvas hung in the bar-breakfast area is a masterstroke! There are some great city views from the rooms.
oMoure Hotel DESIGN HOTEL€€
(MAP GOOGLE MAP; %981 58 36 37; www.mourehotel.com; Rúa dos Loureiros 6; d incl breakfast €65-110; hclosed Jan; aiW)
An award-winning conversion of a 19th-century building, the Moure will please anyone who likes a bit of contemporary adventure in their hotel design. It’s comfortable, friendly and practical, with spacious bathrooms and good beds, as well as being stylishly minimalist in whites, greys and splashes of bright lime green, with sections of exposed stone wall. A good breakfast is included.
Hotel Pazo de Altamira BOUTIQUE HOTEL€€
(MAP GOOGLE MAP; %981 55 85 42; www.pazodealtamira.com; Rúa Altamira 18; r €70-120; hclosed Jan & Feb; aiW
#)
A sturdy stone house just steps from the bustling Mercado de Abastos, the Altamira provides 16 stylish, bright, white rooms with real wood floors, comfy beds, marble-lined bathrooms and, in superior rooms, galerías. Breakfast costs €10 to €12. Reception is helpful with Santiago tips, and the hotel is also home to the good Café de Altamira (MAP GOOGLE MAP; Rúa das Ameas 9; mains €9-18, lunch menú Mon-Fri €14; h1.30-3.45pm & 8.30-11.15pm, closed Sun night & Wed Nov-Mar; W).
oParador Hostal dos Reis Católicos HISTORIC HOTEL€€€
(MAP GOOGLE MAP; %981 58 22 00; www.parador.es; Praza do Obradoiro 1; incl breakfast s €146-226, d €167-392; 
paiW)
Opened in 1509 as a pilgrims’ hostel, and with a claim as the world’s oldest hotel, this palatial parador occupies a wonderful building that is one of Santiago’s major monuments in its own right. Even standard rooms are grand, if a little old-fashioned, with wooden floors, original art and good-size bathrooms with big glass showers. Some have four-poster beds.
oSan Francisco Hotel Monumento HISTORIC HOTEL€€€
(MAP GOOGLE MAP; %981 58 16 34; www.sanfranciscohm.com; Campillo San Francisco 3; incl breakfast s €110-138, d €154-334; paiW
s)
The three cloister-courtyards and low-lit hallways with their stone doorways recall the hotel’s former life as a Franciscan monastery. But the modern, spacious rooms are all about contemporary comfort, and there’s a great indoor pool as well as a huge grassy garden, a cafe, a monastery-style restaurant and very spacious common areas. Room rates include parking.
5Eating
Central Santiago is packed with eateries and there are good options for most palates and budgets, from cheap menú del día places (see www.santiagomenus.es) to gastronomic fusion. Busy Rúa do Franco is almost end-to-end restaurants and bars, but the most enticing options are scattered elsewhere.
Don’t leave without trying a tarta de Santiago, the city’s famed almond cake.
oCafé-Jardin Costa Vella CAFE€
(MAP GOOGLE MAP; www.costavella.com; Rúa da Porta da Pena 17; breakfast €2.70-4.50; h8am-11pm; W)
The garden cafe of Hotel Costa Vella is the most delightful spot for breakfast (or a drink later in the day), with its fountain, a scattering of statuary and beautiful flowering fruit trees. And if the weather takes a Santiago-esque rainy turn, you can still enjoy it from the glass pavilion or the galería.
oMercado de Abastos MARKET€
(MAP GOOGLE MAP; www.mercadodeabastosdesantiago.com; Rúa das Ameas 5-8; h8am-3pm Mon-Sat) 
S
Santiago’s food market is a fascinating, always lively scene, very clean, with masses of fresh produce from the seas and countryside attractively displayed at 300-odd stalls. Stock up on tetilla cheese, cured meats, sausage, fruit, empanada (pastry pie) or the tasty take-away dishes of Cocina María (MAP GOOGLE MAP; Posto C61, Mercado de Abastos; items €1.30-14; h9.30am-3pm Mon-Sat) for a picnic.
Numerous bars and cafes line the street outside, and there are several more within the market itself, including a wine bar in the central alley. You can buy seafood or meat and have it cooked up on the spot for €5 per person at hugely popular Mariscomanía (MAP GOOGLE MAP; Posto 81, Mercado de Abastos; h9am-3pm Tue-Sat), though they don’t do octopus or fish. The eastern side of the market is reserved for villagers and stallholders selling the produce of their orchards or vegetable gardens.
La Flor FUSION€
(MAP GOOGLE MAP; Rúa das Casas Reais 25; dishes €7-10; hnoon-12.30am Mon-Sat, 4pm-midnight Sun, kitchen 1.30-3.30pm & 8-11.30pm; W
v)
La Flor is a buzzy bar for drinks (with free tapas) and good music – but it’s also a place to enjoy an eclectic range of creative, not-too-heavy dishes from chicken fajitas to rocket and goat’s-cheese salad, or homemade burgers to pita bread stuffed with veg sticks and wasabi – all amid a uniquely random melange of art, objets and hanging lamps.
O Filandón TAPAS, RACIONES€
(MAP GOOGLE MAP; Rúa Acibechería 6; medias raciones €10-12; h1-4pm & 8pm-1am, to 2am Fri & Sat)
Squeeze past the cheese-shop counter into the thin, cellar-like bar area behind, where you’ll receive exceedingly generous free pinchos (snacks) with drinks, and can order empanadas or plates of ham, sausage, cured meats, cheese, peppers or anchovies. Thousands of notes and words of wisdom scribbled by past clients are pinned to the walls, and a welcoming log fire burns on chilly winter evenings.
oO Curro da Parra GALICIAN, FUSION€€
(MAP GOOGLE MAP; www.ocurrodaparra.com; Rúa do Curro da Parra 7; mains €15-23, starters & half-raciones €5-15; h1.30-3.30pm & 8.30-11.30pm Tue-Sun; W)
With a neat little stone-walled dining room upstairs and a narrow food-and-wine bar below, busy Curro da Parra serves thoughtfully created, market-fresh fare, changing weekly. Everything is delicious; typical offerings might include line-caught hake with cockles and green beans or beef tenderloin with shiitake mushrooms. The 2010 cheesecake has been a favourite ever since they opened.
On weekday lunchtimes there’s an excellent €13 menú mercado (market menu). On busy summer evenings they have two dinner sittings, at 8.30pm and 10.30pm.
oAbastos 2.0 GALICIAN€€
(MAP GOOGLE MAP; %654 015937; www.abastoscompostela.com; Rúa das Ameas; dishes €6-13, menú from €30; hnoon-3.30pm & 8.30-11pm Mon-Sat)
This highly original, popular marketside eatery offers new dishes concocted daily from the market’s offerings, with an emphasis on seafood. Inside is one long 12-seat table where they serve a daily changing menu for €30-plus: reservations highly advisable! Outside are a few tables (not reservable) where they serve small to medium-size individual dishes. Almost everything in both sections is delicious.
María Castaña GALICIAN€€
(MAP GOOGLE MAP; Rúa da Raiña 19; raciones €6-22; hnoon-3.30pm & 7.30-11.30pm)
A solid central choice for many varieties of seafood, cheese or ham boards, salads, scrambled-egg dishes and a few meaty options. The pulpo á feira is tops. There’s a long bar area, and two stone-walled rooms with tables as you go further in.
La Bodeguilla de San Roque SPANISH€€
(MAP GOOGLE MAP; %981 56 43 79; www.labodeguilla.gal; Rúa de San Roque 13; raciones & mains €5-18; h9am-12.30am Mon-Fri, 10.30am-4pm & 7pm-12.30am Sat & Sun)
An amiable two-storey restaurant and wine bar just northeast of the Old Town, the Bodeguilla serves an eclectic range of appetising dishes, from vegetarian salads to casseroles of prawn, wild mushroom and seaweed, Galician beef sirloin in port, or plates of cheeses, sausages or ham.
GALEGO
Most Galicians speak both Spanish (Castilian) and the separate Galician language (galego or, in Castilian, gallego). Galician is close to Portuguese (which developed out of Galician in the late Middle Ages), and slightly less close to Castilian. We use the place names you’re most likely to encounter during your travels. By and large, these are Galician.
6Drinking & Entertainment
On summer evenings every streetside nook in the Old Town is filled with people relaxing over tapas and drinks. The liveliest bar area lies east of the cathedral. Santiago’s large student population comes out in full force around midnight, Thursday to Saturday. Later, people gravitate towards clubs along Rúas da República Arxentina and Nova de Abaixo, in the Ensanche.
Pub Atlántico BAR
(MAP GOOGLE MAP; %981 57 21 52; Rúa da Fonte de San Miguel 9; h5.30pm-3am, shorter hours in winter)
This buzzing bar pulls in an artsy crowd of 20- and 30-somethings, with excellent gin and tonics and cocktails, and a great soundtrack ranging from Cajun blues to Spanish indie.
oCasa das Crechas LIVE MUSIC
(MAP GOOGLE MAP; www.facebook.com/casadascrechas; Vía Sacra 3; h6pm-3am; W)
There’s no better place for Celtic and other live music. Head to the tightly packed downstairs bar at about 10.30pm most Wednesdays from September to mid-June for terrific Galician folk sessions with the Banda das Crechas (cover €1). There’s usually live jazz, folk or flamenco a couple of other nights a week too, and DJ sessions on Friday and Saturday.
TOP FIVE FOOD EXPERIENCES
Mercado de Abastos Santiago de Compostela’s fascinating food market is piled with fine produce displaying the bounty of Galicia’s seas and countryside, and there are lively eateries and bars right on the spot.
Albariño and seafood at Cambados Galicia’s best-known white wine is the perfect pairing to a plate of scallops, cockles, mussels or freshly caught fish in the taverns of albariño’s ‘capital’, Cambados.
Pulpo á feira Galicia’s iconic octopus dish: tender slices of tentacle with olive oil and paprika, even better when accompanied by cachelos (sliced boiled potatoes). Delicious at A Coruña’s Pulpeira de Melide and great almost everywhere.
Tapas in Lugo The tapas zones of A Coruña, Ourense and Pontevedra run close, but Lugo wins our tapas accolade for the animated atmosphere and the fact that almost every door is a bar; and because they give you two tasty tapas free with every drink.
Fish and shellfish at A Guarda The harbourfront of this small fishing port at Galicia’s southwest tip is lined with restaurants preparing the local catch for customers’ palates. Wander along and take your pick.
8Information
Cathedral Visitor Reception Centre (%881 55 79 45; http://catedraldesantiago.es; Praza do Obradoiro; h9am-8pm Apr-Oct, 10am-8pm Nov-Mar) You can buy tickets for the Museo da Catedral and cathedral rooftop tours here, and this is also the starting point for the rooftop tours. As of early 2018, owing to restoration work on the cathedral’s Obradoiro facade, the reception centre was located in the Pazo de Xelmírez on the cathedral’s north side. When the facade works finish the reception centre may move back to its previous location in the crypt beneath the steps of the Obradoiro facade.
Centro Internacional de Acogida al Peregrino (Pilgrim’s Reception Office; %981 56 88 46; http://oficinadelperegrino.com; Rúa das Carretas 33; h8am-8pm Easter-Oct, 10am-7pm Nov-Easter) People who have covered at least the last 100km of a Camino de Santiago on foot or horseback, or the last 200km by bicycle, for religious or spiritual reasons or with an ‘attitude of search’, can obtain their ‘Compostella’ certificate to prove it here. The website has a good deal of useful info for pilgrims.
Oficina de Turismo de Galicia (%881 86 63 97; www.turismo.gal; Praza de Mazarelos 15; h10am-5pm Mon-Sat, 10am-2.30pm Sun) The scoop on all things Galicia.
Turismo de Santiago (%981 55 51 29; www.santiagoturismo.com; Rúa do Vilar 63; h9am-9pm Apr-Oct, 9am-7pm Mon-Fri, 9am-2pm & 4-7pm Sat & Sun Nov-Mar) The very efficient city tourist office. Its website is a multilingual mine of information.
8Getting There & Away
AIR
Santiago’s busy Lavacolla airport (%902 404 704; www.aena.es) is 11km east of the city. Direct flights (some only operating during variable summer months) include the following:
Air Europa (www.aireuropa.com) Ibiza, Menorca, Palma de Mallorca, Seville
Aer Lingus (www.aerlingus.com) Dublin
EasyJet (www.easyjet.com) Basel-Mulhouse, Geneva, London (Gatwick), Milan (Malpensa)
Iberia (www.iberia.com) Barcelona, Bilbao, Madrid
Lufthansa (www.lufthansa.com) Frankfurt, Munich
Ryanair (www.ryanair.com) Alicante, Barcelona, Frankfurt (Hahn), London (Stansted), Madrid, Málaga, Milan (Bergamo), Palma de Mallorca, Seville, Valencia
Swiss (www.swiss.com) Zurich
Vueling Airlines (www.vueling.com) Alicante, Amsterdam, Barcelona, Brussels, Ibiza, London (Gatwick), Málaga, Palma de Mallorca, Paris (Charles de Gaulle), Rome (Fiumicino), Zurich
BRING YOUR UMBRELLA
Swept by one rainy front after another from the Atlantic, Galicia has, overall, twice as much rain as the Spanish national average. Galicians have more than 100 words to describe different nuances of precipitation, from babuxa (a species of drizzle) to xistra (a type of shower) to treboada (a thunderstorm). June to August are the least rainy months. If you haven’t brought an umbrella, don’t panic – you’re never far from an umbrella shop in any Galician town: just ask for the nearest paragüería (par-ag-wer-ee-ah).
BUS
The bus station (%981 54 24 16; Praza de Camilo Díaz Baliño; W) is about a 20-minute walk northeast of the city centre. Monbus (%982 29 29 00; www.monbus.es) runs to many places in Galicia; Empresa Freire (www.empresafreire.com) and ALSA (%902 422242; www.alsa.es) operate to Lugo; ALSA serves destinations outside Galicia.
| DESTINATION | FARE (€) | DURATION (HR) | FREQUENCY (DAILY) |
|---|---|---|---|
| A Coruña | 6 | 1-1½ | 13 |
| Cambados | 5.60 | 1½ | 2 |
| Ferrol | 10 | 1½ | 5 |
| Fisterra | 13 | 2-3 | 4 |
| León | 30 | 6 | 1 |
| Lugo | 9-13 | 1½-2¾ | 10 |
| Madrid | 20-67 | 8½-10 | 3 |
| Muxía | 8 | 1½ | 2 |
| Ourense | 12 | 2 | 4 |
| Oviedo | 30 | 5¼-6¾ | 2 |
| Pontevedra | 5.85 | 1-1½ | 11 |
| Porto (Portugal) | 27-34 | 4¼ | 1 |
| Santander | 43-50 | 8-10 | 2 |
TRAIN
The train station (www.renfe.com; Rúa do Hórreo) is about a 15-minute walk south from the Old Town. All trains are run by Renfe (%91 232 03 20; www.renfe.com), which has a ticket office (Rúa das Carretas 29; h3-7.30pm Mon, 9.30am-2pm & 3-7.30pm Tue-Fri, 9.30am-2pm Sat) on the edge of the Old Town as well as at the station. There is high-speed service to A Coruña and Ourense.
| DESTINATION | FARE (€) | DURATION | MINIMUM FREQUENCY (DAILY) |
|---|---|---|---|
| A Coruña | 6.10-16 | 30-40min | 19 |
| Madrid | 17-56 | 5¼hr | 2 |
| Ourense | 6-20 | 35-45min | 9 |
| Ponte-vedra | 6.10-7.35 | 35min-1hr | 15 |
| Vigo | 9.25-11 | 50min-1½hr | 15 |
8Getting Around
TO/FROM THE AIRPORT
Empresa Freire (www.empresafreire.com) runs buses (€3, 45 minutes) to Lavacolla airport from Praza de Galicia half-hourly from 6am to midnight, via the train and bus stations. Returning buses leave the airport every half-hour from 7am to 1am. Taxis charge around €21.
CAR
Private vehicles are barred from the Old Town. Underground car parks around its fringes generally charge about €16 per 24 hours. Cheaper are Aparcadoiro Xoan XXIII (Avenida de Xoan XXIII; per 24hr €11; h24hr) and the open-air Aparcadoiro Belvís (Rúa das Trompas; per 24hr €7.50; h24hr). These two also offer seven-day deals for €30 from about June to September. Many Old Town lodgings offer small discounts on the underground car parks for their guests.
COSTA DA MORTE
Rocky headlands, winding inlets, small fishing towns, plunging cliffs, wide sweeping bays and many a remote, sandy beach – this is the eerily beautiful ‘Coast of Death’, the most westerly outpost of mainland Spain, where mysteries and legends abound. One of the most enchanting parts of Galicia, this remote, thinly populated and, for the most part, unspoilt shore runs from Muros, at the mouth of the Ría de Muros y Noia, round to Caión, just before A Coruña. Inland, narrow lanes weave through woodlands between tiny stone hamlets clustered around ancient churches in the folds of undulating hills. The treacherous coast has seen a lot of shipwrecks, and the idyllic landscape can undergo a rapid transformation when ocean mists blow in. Then it’s time to settle into a local bar for some of the top-class local seafood and good Galician wines.
PIPERS & FIDDLERS
Galician folk music has much in common with Celtic traditions in Brittany, Ireland and Scotland, and the haunting sounds of the gaita (bagpipe), violin, bombo (a big drum), flutes and the extraordinary zanfona (a vaguely accordion-like combined wind and string instrument) provide the soundtrack to many moments here.
The most sure-fire spot for hearing a Galician piper is the passageway between Praza do Obradoiro and Praza da Inmaculada in Santiago de Compostela, a day-long haunt of local folk buskers. The best place to catch a live group on a regular basis is Santiago’s Casa das Crechas. Several Celtic music festivals liven up the summer months. The biggest and best is the four-day Festival Ortigueira (www.festivaldeortigueira.com; hJul) at Ortigueira in the Rías Altas in mid-July, which attracts bands and musicians from several countries and tens of thousands of music lovers. Other annual festivals well worth seeking out include the Festival Intercéltico do Morrazo (hJul/Aug) in Moaña (Ría de Vigo) on a weekend in July or August, and the Festa da Carballeira (www.festadacarballeira.com; hAug), on the first Saturday of August at Zas (Costa da Morte).
Leading gaiteros (bagpipers) and other folkies are popular heroes in Galicia. If you fancy tuning into this soulful, quintessentially Galician cultural scene, look for gigs by piper and multi-instrumentalist Carlos Núñez, pipers Xosé Manuel Budiño or Susana Seivane, violinist Begoña Riobó, piper and singer Mercedes Peón, singer Uxía, harpist and zanfona- and bouzouki-player Roi Casal, or groups Luar Na Lubre or Milladoiro.
Fisterra & Around
POP 2800 (FISTERRA)
The fishing port of Fisterra (Castilian: Finisterre) has a picturesque harbour, fine views across the Ría de Corcubión, and some beautiful beaches within a few kilometres, but the main reason throngs of people head here is to continue out to Cabo Fisterra. This beautiful, windswept cape is the western edge of Spain, at least in popular imagination (the real westernmost point is Cabo Touriñán, 20km north) and the end point of an ever more popular extension of the Camino de Santiago (90km from Santiago de Compostela)
Fisterra and its cape get busier by the year with Camino travellers and tourists drawn to this oddly magnetic corner of Spain.
1Sights
oCabo Fisterra AREA
(Cabo Finisterre; p)
Panoramic Cabo Fisterra is a 3.5km drive or walk south of Fisterra town. It’s crowned by a lighthouse, the Faro de Fisterra. Camino de Santiago pilgrims ending their journeys here ritually burn smelly socks, T-shirts and the like on the rocks just past the lighthouse. Many people come for sunset but it’s a magnificent spot at any time (except when shrouded in fog or rain). The former lighthouse-keepers’ residence is now a comfortable hotel, with a good cafe-bar and restaurant.
On the way out from Fisterra you pass the 12th-century Igrexa de Santa María das Areas. Some 600m past the church, a track signed ‘Conxunto de San Guillermo’ heads up the hill to the right to Monte de San Guillermo, which was once a site of pagan fertility rites. This provides a longer (by 2km to 3km), more challenging, but even more scenic alternative walking route to the cape: separate tracks on the upper part of the hill lead to the faint, excavated remains of an old hermitage, the Ermida de San Guillermo (or Guillerme), and the Pedras Santas. The latter are rocks where, as late as the 18th century, childless couples would come to try to improve their chances of conception.
A taxi to the cape from town costs €5 one way.
Praia da Mar de Fora BEACH
The spectacular beach Praia da Mar de Fora, over on the ocean (western) side of the Fisterra Peninsula, is reachable via an 800m walk from the top of the town. The scenery is glorious, but with strong winds and waves, the beach is not safe for swimming.
4Sleeping
Albergue Cabo da Vila HOSTEL€
(%981 74 04 54; www.alberguecabodavila.com; Avenida A Coruña 13; dm/s/d/q €12/25/30/48; hmid-Mar–mid-Nov; iW)
Cabo da Vila is an especially welcoming hostel, with multilingual owners and 10 private rooms (with shared bathrooms) as well as the big 24-bunk dorm with good solid metal bunks and big lockers. Sheets and towel (included) are cotton, and the hostel has a kitchen, laundry facilities (€3/4 for washing/drying), an ample indoor sitting area and a small rear garden area. Breakfast €4.
oHotel Mar da Ardora DESIGN HOTEL€€
(%667 641304; www.hotelmardaardora.com; Rúa Atalaia 15; incl breakfast s €77-99, d €85-110; hclosed mid-Dec–Jan; piWs) S
This delightful little family-run hotel sits at the top of town, with fantastic westward ocean views from the big windows and terraces of its six rooms. Everything is in impeccably contemporary but comfortable style, from the cubist architecture to the soothing white, grey, and silver colour schemes. Downstairs is an excellent spa and gym with solar-heated pool and Turkish bath.
Hotel Rústico Spa Finisterrae HOTEL€€
(%981 71 22 11; www.hotelspafinisterrae.com; Lugar da Insua 128; s €39-79, d €49-129; hclosed Jan & Feb; pWs)
The Finisterrae provides spacious, bright rooms with brass beds, fresh white linen and stone-walled charm. A characterful converted farmhouse, it’s 700m up from the harbour, with panoramic views and a garden. Good breakfasts and dinners (€29; order ahead) are available.
O Semáforo de Fisterra BOUTIQUE HOTEL€€
(%981 11 02 10; www.hotelsemaforodefisterra.com; Cabo Fisterra; r incl breakfast €99-270; W)
Possibly Spain’s most spectacularly located hotel, the former lighthouse-keepers’ residence next to the Faro de Fisterra is now a very comfortable five-room lodging with bright, up-to-date rooms. The restaurant (dishes €9-22; h1-4pm & 8-10.30pm) and cafe specialise in traditional Galician dishes, which are mostly prepared from locally bought fish and seafood. Needless to say, the views (when not obscured by rain or fog) are unbeatable.
5Eating
O Pirata SEAFOOD€
(Paseo de Calafigueira; raciones €7-12; h11am-5pm Feb-May & Sep-Nov, 11am-11pm Jun-Aug, closed Mon & Dec-Jan)
With just half a dozen tables but a nice view over the harbour and a short but sweet menu, O Pirata serves up the freshest of fish and seafood at good prices. Try one of its ‘portions’ of mixed fish and/or seafood (€15 to €20).
Mesón A Cantina GALICIAN€
(Paseo de Calafiguera 1; raciones & mains €6-15; h10am-1am, kitchen 1-4pm & 8-11.30pm; W)
Multitasking as a hang-out for fishermen, pilgrims, tourists and everyone else, A Cantina is a great, lively option for bocadillos (long-bread sandwiches), octopus, squid, fish, caldeirada (fish stew), big salads, meat main dishes, and good Estrella de Galicia beer.
O’ Fragón GALICIAN€€
(%981 74 04 29; www.ofragon.es; San Martiño de Arriba 22; mains €14-20; h1.15-3.45pm & 8.15-10.45pm)
Several degrees more gastronomically refined than anywhere else in the district, O’ Fragón serves beautifully prepared, market-based, mainly fish and seafood dishes in a stylish dining room with picture windows. Service is expertly attentive and the vistas across the wide Ría de Corcubión and the minimalist pine-clad design add to the experience.
O’ Fragón is located in a hillside hamlet 2km north of town. Heading north out of Fisterra, turn off the main road at Hotel Arenal and go 1km uphill. The restaurant is below the road and not particularly obvious to spot: look for its small three-car parking area, from which a zig-zag path leads down to the building.
8Information
Oficina Municipal de Turismo (%981 74 07 81; www.concellofisterra.com; Rúa Real 2; h1-9pm) Helpful office inside the municipal pilgrims’ hostel, 50m uphill from the main harbour car park.
8Getting There & Away
Monbus (www.monbus.es) runs four to six daily buses to/from Santiago de Compostela (€13, two to three hours) via Cée, O Pindo, Carnota and Muros. Monbus can get you from Fisterra to Muxía with a transfer at Cée (Monday to Friday only; the 9.45am and 11.45am buses from Fisterra have the best connections). Arriva (www.arriva.gal) runs five daily buses (fewer Saturday and Sunday) to/from A Coruña (€15, 2¼ hours).
CAMIñO DOS FAROS
There’s no better way to experience the essence of the Costa da Morte than to walk along its dramatic coastline. Thanks to what was originally just a small local group of friends, who set out in 2012 to find a route as close to the shore as possible, there is now a 200km footpath, the Camiño dos Faros (Way of the Lighthouses; www.caminodosfaros.com/en), running all the way from Malpica de Bergantiños, about 40km west of A Coruña, to Cabo Fisterra in the southwest.
The route is divided into eight one-day stages of between 18km and 32km, and is a continuous succession of spectacular vistas, as long sweeping beaches, plunging cliffs, high capes and picturesque fishing villages follow one after another. It is, however, not a Sunday stroll in the park, or even much like a Camino de Santiago, but more like mountain hiking by the sea. There is a lot of up and down, the terrain is sometimes rough and the path narrow, and the route passes close to cliffs. Approach it with a sense of adventure, strong footwear with good grip, and appropriate care and caution where necessary. If you’re not happy with where you’re heading, retrace your steps.
The website is a mine of helpful detailed information, and it’s a good idea to download the Wikiloc tracks to consult as you walk.
The trail as originally created was marked and signalled only in the Malpica-to-Fisterra direction, with little green arrows and paint markers which are occasionally easy to miss. It is being upgraded into an officially recognised GR (Gran Recorrido) route, meaning, among other things, improved trail quality and better route marking – in both directions. Until that’s completed, don’t try to walk it in the Fisterra-to-Malpica direction.
The website has good information on places to stay and eat along the way, but there isn’t always a great selection at the end of every stage. Many people enjoy the Camiño dos Faros in day walks covering single stages, using taxis to get back to their starting point if necessary.
Lires & Around
POP 150 (LIRES)
The pretty and peaceful village of Lires sits just inland from the coast, above the little Ría de Lires. By road it’s about 13km north of Fisterra and 20km south of Muxía. For walkers it’s conveniently about halfway between Fisterra and Muxía on both the 29km route of the Camino de Santiago and the 51km route of the Camiño dos Faros. With two rivers meeting here, amid typically green, wooded Costa da Morte countryside, plus some wonderful beaches nearby, it’s a fine spot to linger even if you’re not walking any camino.
1Sights
Praia de Nemiña BEACH
The beautiful, 1.5km sandy curve of the Praia de Nemiña, stretching north from the mouth of the Ría de Lires, attracts surfers in numbers from roughly April to November and has a couple of surf schools. The ría mouth can be crossed at low tide in summer, but otherwise it’s a walk of about 2.5km (or a roundabout drive of 9km) from Lires village to the beach.
Praia do Rostro BEACH
(p)
One of Galicia’s most spectacular beaches, Praia do Rostro is a broad 2km stretch of unbroken sand beginning about 4km south of Lires. It’s a particularly magnificent sight from the headlands at either end, with the Atlantic surf pouring in from the open ocean. Unfortunately it’s not good for swimming (even if you wanted to brave its very cold waters) but it’s a wonderful walk.
4Sleeping
As Eiras HOTEL, HOSTEL€
(%981 74 81 80; http://ruralaseiras.com; Lires; dm €12, s €35-45, d €45-65; piW)
A great stop whether you’re walking a camino or vehicle-touring, As Eiras has both a budget hostel (with solid bunks in four- to nine-person dorms) and a hotel section with good-sized rooms in pinks and greys, sporting comfy beds and hydromassage showers (the best have sea-view terraces). It’s in the middle of Lires and also has a good cafe-restaurant.
Casa Fontequeiroso HOTEL€€
(%617 490851; www.casafontequeiroso.com; Hotel Rural Fontequeiroso, Lugar de Queiroso; d incl breakfast €75 Jul-Sep, €65 Oct-Jun; pW) S
Just 2km above Praia de Nemiña surf beach (and the Camiño dos Faros), and 2.5km from the Camino de Santiago, this restored, century-old stone house in the minuscule hamlet of Queiroso is a lovely and welcoming place to stay. Delicious meals are based around traditional Galician country recipes with local, often organic ingredients.
Muxía & Around
POP 1540 (MUXÍA)
The stone-built fishing village of Muxía, on the south side of the Ría de Camariñas, is a beloved pilgrimage spot thanks to the belief that the Virgin Mary appeared to Santiago (St James) while he was preaching here.
1Sights
Santuario da Virxe da Barca CHURCH
(hMass noon & 7pm Sun year-round, 7pm Mon-Sat Jun-Oct; p)
This 18th-century church on the rocky seashore at the north end of town marks the spot where (legend attests) the Virgin Mary arrived in a stone boat and appeared to Santiago (St James) while he was preaching here.
oCabo Touriñán NATURAL FEATURE
(p)
The picturesque rocky Cabo Touriñán, 17km southwest of Muxía and marked by one the area’s many lighthouses, is great for a breezy walk. The northwest corner of the cape, Punta de Sualba, is the westernmost point of peninsular Spain (longitude 9º18’), and Touriñán is also the place where, from 21 March to 25 April and from 13 August to 22 September, the sun sets later than anywhere else on mainland Europe.
CAMINOS OF THE MUXÍA–FISTERRA REGION
Muxía is the destination of increasingly popular pilgrim trails from Santiago de Compostela and Fisterra. The Camino de Santiago, coming from Santiago de Compostela, divides just after Hospital village (60km from Santiago), with one branch heading 27km northwest to Muxía and the other going 30km southwest to Cabo Fisterra. Completing the triangle, a 29km route links Muxía with Fisterra.
The Camino de Santiago follows a pretty, well-marked route between Muxía and Fisterra, through woodlands and green countryside. A different kind of trail from Muxía to Fisterra, the Camiño dos Faros, sticks close to the spectacular coast and covers a more demanding and adventurous 51km route, visiting dramatic capes such as Cabo Touriñán and spectacular beaches including Praia de Nemiña and Praia do Rostro.
4Sleeping & Eating
oBela Muxía HOSTEL€
(%687 798222; www.belamuxia.com; Rúa da Encarnación 30, Muxía; dm €12-15, d €40-50; hclosed Jan or Feb; iW)
Very comfortable and stylish, this designer hostel features bright, hotel-standard private rooms with bathroom, as well as spacious dorms with good mattresses, reading lights and electrical plugs for each bunk, big lockers and plenty of showers and toilets. Common areas, including the kitchen and dining area, are spacious and well designed, and there are great panoramas from the upper floors.
Albergue Arribada HOSTEL€
(%981 74 25 16; www.arribadaalbergue.com; Rúa José María del Río 30, Muxía; dm €12, s/d/tr €40/50/67; iW)
This well-designed, welcoming modern hostel opened in 2015, and features two enormous private rooms with private bathrooms, four 10-person dorms, and good bathroom, kitchen and laundry facilities. They even have a saltwater foot bath to soothe sore feet!
oCasa de Trillo HOTEL€€
(%634 759557; www.casadetrillo.com; Santa Mariña; incl breakfast s €48-73, d €60-92, apt for 2 people €80-95; hclosed late Dec–Jan; piW) S
Deep in the Galician countryside at Santa Mariña, about 8km south of Muxía (well signposted along the country lanes), this charming 16th-century manor house has history, cosy rooms, a nice bright dining room overlooking the lovely gardens, and home-grown food. It’s a marvellous base for exploring the area or just relaxing, and the hospitable owners can answer your every question.
Restaurante A Marina GALICIAN€
(Avenida A Marina 30, Muxía; raciones & mains €6-14; h8am-11pm; W)
A busy, friendly place with outside tables facing the harbour across the road, A Marina does hearty breakfasts for those setting out on (or winding down from) long walks. Later in the day there’s reliably good octopus (á feira or flambé) and other seafood favourites, salads, grilled sole, raxo (chunks of spicy marinated pork) and scrambled or fried egg dishes.
8Getting There & Away
Hefe SL (www.grupoferrin.com) runs two daily buses between Muxía and Santiago de Compostela (€8, 1½ hours). Arriva (www.arriva.gal) operates a bus from Muxía to Camariñas and A Coruña (€13, two hours) at 6am Monday to Friday and 6.10pm on Sunday, and from A Coruña to Muxía at 3pm Monday to Saturday.
Camariñas to Camelle: the Ruta do Litoral
POP 2500 (CAMARIñAS)
The fishing village of Camariñas, wrapped around its colourful harbour, is known for its delicate traditional lacework, which can be viewed at several specialist shops and the Museo do Encaixe (Lace Museum; Praza Insuela, Camariñas; €2; h11am-2pm & 4-7pm Tue-Sat, to 6pm Sun).
The rugged coast between Camariñas and Camelle, to the northeast, is one of the most beautiful stretches of the Costa da Morte, and you can drive, ride or walk it along the 24km Ruta do Litoral (part paved, part potholed dirt/gravel). It’s 5km northwest from Camariñas to the Cabo Vilán lighthouse (with a cafe and an exhibition on shipwrecks and lighthouses) then a further 19km east to Camelle. The route winds past secluded beaches, across windswept hillsides and past weathered rock formations, and there are several places to stop along the way. Praias da Pedrosa, da Balea and da Reira are a picturesque set of short sandy strands divided by groups of boulders a couple of kilometres east of Cabo Vilán; then there’s the Ceminterio dos Ingleses (English Cemetery; Areal de Trece), the sad burial ground from an 1890 shipwreck that took the lives of 172 British naval cadets.
If you want to stick even closer to the shoreline than the Ruta do Litoral does, you can walk the fifth stage of the Camiño dos Faros, westbound from Arou to Camariñas.
For further information on Camariñas area walking routes, see www.turismocamarinas.net.
Camelle village has no outstanding charm, but it does have two touching mementoes of ‘Man’ (Manfred Gnädinger), an eccentric long-time German resident who died in 2002: the Museo Xardín de Man, his quirky sculpture garden beside the pier, and the Museo Man de Camelle (%981 71 02 24; www.mandecamelle.com; Rúa do Muelle 9; adult/child €1/free; h11am-2pm & 5-8pm Tue-Sun mid-Jun–mid-Sep, 11am-2pm & 5-7pm Sat & Sun mid-Sep–mid-Jun; p), back along the waterfront.
Praia de Traba is a lovely 4km walk east along the coast from Camelle.
4Sleeping
oLugar do Cotariño CASA RURAL€€
(%639 638634; www.docotarino.com; Camariñas; d incl breakfast €75-120; piW)
A labour of love for its owners, this beautifully reconstructed 400-year-old farmstead sits in verdant countryside 1km out of Camariñas. The seven rooms are homey and pretty in perfect country style, the two ‘specials’ in the main house being especially large and appealing. The lovely garden includes two ancient stone hórreos.
8Getting There & Away
Arriva (www.arriva.gal) runs buses to A Coruña (€12, 1½ hours) at 6.30am Monday to Friday and at 6.40pm on Sundays. From A Coruña to Camariñas, there is direct service only on Sundays (departing at 3.30pm); other days you have to go to Cée and change.
Laxe & Around
POP 1800 (LAXE)
A sweeping bay beach runs right along the waterfront of the fishing port of Laxe, and the 15th-century Gothic church of Santa María da Atalaia stands guard over the harbour. Laxe’s tourist office (%981 70 69 65; www.concellodelaxe.com/turismo; Avenida Cesáreo Pondal 26; h9am-3pm Mon-Fri) and its website (in Spanish and Galician) have information on walks in the area, including a 4.6km round trip to the lighthouse at the tip of the Insua promontory, north of town (route PRG70), and the 8km (each way) coastal walk west to Praia de Traba via the surf beach Praia de Soesto (PRG114).
For a fascinating archaeological outing, drive 7km east on the AC429 to As Grelas, then 2.4km south on the AC430 to find the turn-off for the Castro A Cidá de Borneiro, a pre-Roman castro amid thick woodlands. One kilometre further along the AC430, turn right along the DP1404 for 1km to the Dolmen de Dombate (Dombate; h9am-2pm & 3-9pm Jul-Sep, to 8pm Oct-Jun, free guided tours every 30min 10am-1.30pm & 4-6.30pm daily Jul-Sep, Fri-Sun Oct-Jun; p) 
F a large, well-preserved prehistoric tomb dubbed the ‘megalithic cathedral of Galicia’ and now, since 2011, encased in a protective pavilion.
8Getting There & Away
Laxe is linked to A Coruña by one or more daily direct Arriva buses (€9 to €10, 1¼ to two hours). There are further services with a change at Carballo.
RÍAS ALTAS
In few places do land and sea meet in such abrupt beauty. The untamed beaches, towering cliffs and powerful waves of the Rías Altas (Galicia’s north coast from A Coruña eastward) are certainly more dramatic than the landscapes of the Rías Baixas. They’re also less touristed and less populated, making an ideal destination for travellers yearning to get off the heavily beaten path. Add in the allure of cultured, maritime A Coruña, medieval towns including Betanzos and Pontedeume, several lively little fishing ports and the backdrop of a green, farmhouse-studded countryside, and you’re in for a travel treat.
A Coruña
POP 213,400
A Coruña (Castilian: La Coruña) is a port city and beachy hot spot; a cultural hub and a busy commercial centre; a historic city and a proud modern metropolis with a fine food scene and buzzing nightlife – all in all, an intriguing place to discover that is too often overlooked by travellers.
The city occupies a particularly contorted corner of the Galician coast. The centre sits on an isthmus straddled by the port on its southeast side and the main ocean beaches on the northwest. An irregularly shaped peninsula extends 2km north out to the Torre de Hércules, a World Heritage–listed Roman lighthouse. The Paseo Marítimo, a wonderful 13km walkway and bike path, runs all the way from the port, around the peninsula, along the ocean beaches and on out to the west.
A Coruña
1Sights
6Drinking & Nightlife
1Sights
oTorre de Hércules LIGHTHOUSE
(www.torredeherculesacoruna.com; Avenida Doctor Vázquez Iglesias; adult/senior & child €3/1.50, Mon free; h10am-9pm Jun-Sep, 10am-6pm Oct-May; p)
The World Heritage–listed Tower of Hercules sits near the windy northern tip of the city. Legend attributes its construction to one of the labours of Hercules, but it was actually the Romans who originally built this lighthouse in the 1st century AD – a beacon on what was then the furthest edge of the civilised world. Climb the 234 steps for great panoramas of the city and coast. Buses 3 and 5 run here from Puerta Real near Plaza de María Pita.
oAquarium Finisterrae AQUARIUM
(%981 18 98 42; www.mc2coruna.org/aquarium; Paseo Marítimo 34; adult/senior & child €10/4; h10am-8pm Jul & Aug, shorter hours rest of year; pc)
Kids love the seal colony and the underwater Nautilus room (surrounded by sharks and 50 other fish species) at this excellent aquarium on the city’s northern headland. The focus is on the marine life of Galicia’s coasts and the Atlantic.
oMuseo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología MUSEUM
(www.muncyt.es; Plaza del Museo Nacional 1; h11am-8pm Tue-Sat, 11am-3pm Sun Jul–mid-Sep, 10am-5pm Tue-Fri, 11am-7pm Sat, 11am-3pm Sun mid-Sep–Jun; c) F
Not just for techies, A Coruña’s National Science and Technology Museum will engage everybody. You’ll see the first computer used in Spain (a monstrous IBM 650 from 1959), and the entire front section of a Boeing 747. Perhaps most fascinating is the room displaying innovations from every year of the 20th century – a 1965 SEAT 600 (the tiny car that ‘got Spain motoring’), a Sony PlayStation (1994), a 1946 state-of-the-art pencil sharpener and much more.
Casa Museo Picasso MUSEUM
(MAP GOOGLE MAP; Calle Payo Gómez 14, 2º; h11am-1pm & 6-8pm Tue-Sat, noon-2pm Sun) F
Pablo Picasso lived in this large apartment from the age of nine to 13 (1891–95), while his father taught art at the Instituto da Guarda school on nearby Plaza de Pontevedra. The apartment still has the same layout, and is kitted out with period furniture and copies of the many paintings and drawings that Picasso did while here, testament to his precocious talent. Enthusiastic attendants make visits all the more interesting. Ring the bell to enter.
Ciudad Vieja AREA
Shady plazas, charming old churches, hilly cobbled lanes and a scattering of cafes and bars fill A Coruña’s compact original nucleus, at the southern tip of the northern promontory. Start from stately Plaza de María Pita (MAP GOOGLE MAP) and make your way through the labyrinth to the 16th-century Castillo de San Antón, the fort guarding the entrance to the port, which now houses the Museo Arqueológico e Histórico (MAP GOOGLE MAP; %981 18 98 50; Paseo Marítimo; adult/senior & child €2/1, Sat free; h10am-9pm Tue-Sat, 10am-3pm Sun Jul & Aug, 10am-7.30pm Tue-Sat, 10am-2.30pm Sun Sep-Jun).
Interesting stops en route include the Iglesia de Santiago (MAP GOOGLE MAP; Calle de Santiago); the Casa Museo María Pita (MAP GOOGLE MAP; Calle Herrerías 28; h11am-1.30pm & 6-8pm Tue-Sat, noon-2pm Sun) F home of a local heroine who inspired the defeat of an English invasion force in 1589; and the Xardín de San Carlos (MAP GOOGLE MAP; Calle de San Francisco; happrox sunrise-sunset), where English general Sir John Moore, who died fighting in alliance with the Spanish in 1809, lies buried.
4Sleeping
Lois HOTEL€
(MAP GOOGLE MAP; %981 21 22 69; www.loisestrella.com; Calle Estrella 40; s €46, d €58-78; aW)
The Lois is a class above other budget hotels with its comfy and stylish rooms in contemporary greys and whites, up-to-date bathrooms, and its own stone-walled restaurant (breakfast €8). The few singles are a squeeze but the seven doubles are a good size; they all have their own galerías (glassed-in balconies).
Blue Coruña Hotel HOTEL€€
(MAP GOOGLE MAP; %881 88 85 55; www.hotelbluecoruna.com; Calle Juana de Vega 7; s €73-110, d €81-125; aW)
Contemporary-style Blue has every room themed to a different world city, with a unique mural. Everything is bright, comfortable and convenient, with up-to-date fittings like touch-on, touch-off lamps, and good bathrooms with rainhead showers, and nonsteam and magnifying mirrors. Singles are on the small side, but doubles are b-i-g. Breakfast €11.
Meliá María Pita HOTEL€€
(MAP GOOGLE MAP; %981 20 50 00; http://melia.com; Avenida Pedro Barrié de la Maza 3; incl breakfast s €87-166, d €100-180; paiW)
This classy 180-room hotel boasts a big, glittery lobby, good eating options including an excellent buffet breakfast, plenty of private parking, and spacious rooms in attractive grey, silver and white. Its biggest plus, though, is the location just across the street from Playa del Orzán and the glorious beach views from the upper floors, with floor-to-ceiling windows.
5Eating
For tapas, raciones, wine and cheap lunch menus, hit the streets west of Plaza de María Pita – Calles de la Franja, Barrera, Galera, Olmos and Estrella. Moving westward along these lanes the vibe mutates from old-style mesones (eating houses) and tabernas (taverns) to contemporary tapas bars.
Restaurants for more substantial sit-down meals are dotted all around the central areas.
oAdega O Bebedeiro GALICIAN€€
(%981 21 06 09; www.adegaobebedeiro.com; Calle de Ángel Rebollo 34; mains €16-25; h1.30-4pm & 8pm-midnight Tue-Sat, 1.30-4pm Sun)
It’s on a humble street on the northern headland and doesn’t look like much from outside, but the inside is rustically neat with a conversation-inspiring assortment of Galician bric-a-brac. The food is classic home-style cooking with some inventive touches, such as scallop-stuffed sea bass in puff pastry, or Galician beef entrecôte with goat’s cheese, all in generous quantities. Packed on weekends.
A Taberna de Cunqueiro GALICIAN, TAPAS€€
(MAP GOOGLE MAP; www.atabernadecunqueiro.com; Calle Estrella 22; raciones & mains €9-21; hnoon-4pm & 7pm-midnight; W)
One of a string of busy, indoor-outdoor bar-restaurants along narrow Calle Estrella, the Cunqueiro is frequently the busiest and liveliest of them all, attracting a totally mixed crowd with its free tapas and well-prepared typical Galician seafood and meat dishes at reasonable prices.
Pulpeira de Melide SEAFOOD€€
(MAP GOOGLE MAP; Plaza de España 16; raciones €8-18; h12.30-4pm & 7.30pm-midnight Tue-Sun)
Frequently packed, this informal bar-restaurant is one of the very best places to enjoy that quintessential Galician favourite, pulpo á feira (tender octopus slices with paprika and olive oil, €11 per ración), perfectly complemented by an order of cachelos (boiled potatoes, €2.40). There’s a daily selection of other market-fresh seafood if you fancy something different.
Pablo Gallego GALICIAN€€€
(MAP GOOGLE MAP; %981 20 88 88; www.pablogallego.com; Calle del Capitán Troncoso 4; mains €18-25; h1-4pm & 9pm-midnight Mon-Sat, 1-4pm Sun)
This fine little restaurant prepares artful 21st-century dishes with traditional Galician market ingredients. Try sardines with guacamole and spicy Mexican pico de gallo relish, or entrecôte steak in gorgonzola and sweet Pêdro Ximénez wine, or maybe opt for the fish or shellfish of the day.
6Drinking & Nightlife
A Coruña buzzes with taverns, bars and clubs. Before midnight, head to Plaza de María Pita for low-key drinks or navigate the taverns and tapas bars to its west. From Thursday to Saturday, dozens of bars in the streets behind Playa del Orzán party on until 3am or 4am, and the harbour-view clubs in Los Cantones Village (MAP GOOGLE MAP; Avenida del Alférez Provisional; hmidnight-5am Thu-Sat, from 10pm for live music) go on longer.
8Information
Turismo de A Coruña (%981 92 30 93; www.turismocoruna.com; Plaza de María Pita 6; h9am-8.30pm Mon-Fri, 10am-2pm & 4-8pm Sat, 10am-7pm Sun, shorter hr Nov-Jan) Very helpful and professional main city tourist office, with information in several languages.
8Getting There & Away
AIR
From A Coruña airport (Aeropuerto de Alvedro; %981 18 72 00; www.aena.es), 8km south of the city centre, Iberia (www.iberia.com) and Air Europa (www.aireuropa.com) both fly several times daily to Madrid; Vueling Airlines (www.vueling.com) flies daily to London (Heathrow) and Barcelona (three flights daily), and a few times weekly to Seville and Valencia; and TAP Portugal (www.flytap.com) flies to Lisbon four times weekly.
BUS
From the bus station (%981 18 43 35; www.coruna.gal/estacionautobuses; Calle de Caballeros 21), 2km south of the city centre, Monbus heads south to Santiago de Compostela (€6, one to 1½ hours, 12 or more daily) and beyond. Arriva (%981 33 00 46, 981 31 12 13; www.arriva.gal) serves the Costa da Morte, Ferrol, the Rías Altas, Lugo and Ourense; and ALSA heads to Madrid and destinations in Asturias, Cantabria, the Basque Country and Castilla y León.
TRAIN
The train station (Plaza de San Cristóbal) is 2km south of the city centre. Direct services:
| DESTINATION | FARE (€) | DURATION | FREQUENCY (DAILY) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ferrol | 6.10-15.40 | 1¼hr | 5-6 |
| León | 25-44 | 5-6hr | 1-4 |
| Lugo | 10-15 | 1½-2hr | 3-5 |
| Madrid | 35-58 | 5½-11hr | 1-3 |
| Pontevedra | 14-16 | 1-1½hr | 12-14 |
| Santiago de Compostela | 6.10-16 | 30-40min | 19-26 |
Trains to the Rías Altas, Asturias, Cantabria and the Basque Country start from Ferrol and are operated by FEVE (www.renfe.com/viajeros/feve).
8Getting Around
Blue ‘Aeropuerto’ buses (€1.50, 30 minutes) run every half-hour (hourly on Saturdays and Sundays) from about 7.15am to 9.45pm between the airport and Puerta Real in the city centre.
Local bus 5 runs from the train station to Puerta Real in the city centre, and back to the station from Plaza de España. Buses 1, 1A and 4 run from the bus station to the city centre; returning, take bus 1 or 1A from Puerta Real or bus 4 from Plaza de España. Rides cost €1.30.
The least exorbitantly priced central car park is Parking Orzán-Riazor (Avenida de Pedro Barrié de la Maza; per 24hr €20; h24hr), which stretches for 1.3km below the beachfront road Avenida de Pedro Barrié de la Maza, with several entrances.
Betanzos
POP 10,200
Once a thriving estuary port rivalling A Coruña, Betanzos is renowned for its welcoming taverns with local wines and good food, and has a well-preserved medieval Old Town that harmoniously combines galleried houses, old-fashioned shops and some monumental architecture.
Take Rúa Castro up from the central plaza into the Old Town, where handsome Praza da Constitución is flanked by a couple of appealing cafes along with the Romanesque/Gothic Igrexa de Santiago, whose main portico was inspired by Santiago de Compostela’s Pórtico de la Gloria. A short stroll northeast, two beautiful Gothic churches, Santa María do Azougue and San Francisco (Rúa San Francisco; €2; h10-30am-1.30pm & 4.30-7pm, to 6pm Sun), stand almost side by side opposite the municipal market. San Francisco is full of particularly fine carved-stone tombs.
4Sleeping
Hotel Garelos HOTEL€€
(%981 77 59 30; www.hotelgarelos.com; Calle Alfonso IX 8; incl breakfast s €55-60, d €66-82; paW)
Hotel Garelos, 150m from Praza dos Irmáns Garcia Naviera, has spick-and-span rooms with comfy beds, parquet floors, good bathrooms and original watercolours, and the buffet breakfast is good and generous.
O Pote GALICIAN€€
(www.mesonopote.com; Travesía do Progreso 9; raciones €9-18; h1.30-3.45pm & 8.30-11pm, closed Sun night & Tue; W)
One of several inviting taverns on two narrow streets descending from the central plaza, O Pote does a classic tortilla de Betanzos (the town’s particularly gooey version of the standard Spanish potato omelette), plus well-prepared octopus and other seafood options.
8Getting There & Away
Arriva buses head to/from A Coruña (€2.20, 40 minutes) about every half-hour Monday to Friday (6.30am to 9.30pm) and hourly at weekends (7am to 8pm). Four or more Arriva buses head to Pontedeume (€2.50, 30 minutes) and a few to Ferrol and Viveiro. All buses stop in Praza dos Irmáns García Naveira.
Betanzos Cidade station is northwest of the town centre, across the Río Mendo. At least three trains go daily to/from A Coruña (€4, 40 minutes) and at least five to Pontedeume (€2.25, 15 minutes) and Ferrol (€4, 40 minutes).
Pontedeume
POP 4500
Climbing a hillside above the Eume estuary, where fishing boats bob, Pontedeume’s Old Town is an appealing combination of handsome galleried houses, cobbled lanes and occasional open plazas, liberally sprinkled with taverns and tapas bars. Several parallel narrow streets climb up from the main road, the central one being the porticoed Rúa Real.
The stout, 18m-high Torreón dos Andrade (Avenida Torreón; interpretation centre adult/child €2/1; h11am-1.30pm & 5-7pm, to 8.30pm mid-Jun–mid-Sep) was erected in the late 14th century, probably by Fernán Pérez de Andrade ‘O Boo’ (The Good), who fought on the winning side in wars among Castilian royalty and as a reward was made lord of a sizeable chunk of northern Galicia by King Enrique II. The tower contains a worthwhile interpretation centre on the Andrade family, who went on to dominate this area for two centuries, and also houses the local tourist office (%981 43 02 70; www.pontedeume.gal; h11am-1.30pm & 5-7pm, to 8.30pm mid-Jun–mid-Sep).
Buses and trains between A Coruña, Betanzos and Ferrol stop here.
There are a few adequate hostales in town but the area’s most enticing sleeping options are rural hotels.
Parque Natural Fragas do Eume
East of Pontedeume, the valley of the Río Eume is home to Europe’s best-preserved Atlantic coastal forest, with beautiful deciduous woodlands and rare relict ferns. The 91-sq-km Parque Natural Fragas do Eume (http://parquesnaturais.xunta.gal/es/fragas-do-eume) has a helpful visitors centre, the Centro de Interpretación (%981 43 25 28; Carretera DP6902; h10am-2pm Tue-Sun year-round, afternoon hr vary with seaason), 6km from Pontedeume on the DP6902 Caaveiro road. From here a paved road and an off-road path (the Camiño dos Encomendeiros) lead along the thickly forested valley to the beautifully sited old Mosteiro de Caaveiro (htours hourly 11.15am-2.15pm & 4-6pm daily mid-Jun–mid-Sep, Fri-Sun mid-Sep–Dec) F 8km further east.
With time and a vehicle it’s well worth venturing to the park’s further reaches. In Monfero, a few kilometres outside the park’s southern boundary, you’ll find a grander monastery, the Mosteiro de Monfero (Carretera DP5003; h11am-2pm & 4-6.30pm Tue-Sun mid-Jun–mid-Sep, 3-6.30pm Fri, 11am-2pm & 4-6.30pm Sat & Sun rest of year; p) F with another visitors centre (%881 06 39 92; Carretera DP5003; h10am-6pm Tue-Sun mid-Mar–mid-Sep, shorter hr mid-Sep–mid-Mar) nearby. A few kilometres east from here you can access several well-marked walking trails within the park – particularly scenic is the 6.5km Camiño dos Cerqueiros loop above the Encoro do Eume reservoir.
4Sleeping
oCasa do Castelo de Andrade HOTEL€€
(%981 43 38 39; www.casteloandrade.com; Lugar Castelo de Andrade; r €105-130; hclosed mid-Oct–Mar; pW)
This enchanting rural hotel sits in the hills 7km southeast of Pontedeume. It’s a pretty stone farmhouse in enormous grounds, with spacious common areas and 10 immaculate, olde-worlde-style rooms, all unique. The owner is a mine of helpful information about the area. Rates drop outside of summer. Breakfast €11.
8Getting There & Around
Over Easter and from mid-June to the end of September, the last 6.5km of the road to the Mosteiro de Caaveiro is closed to cars, but is covered by a free bus service. Another easy option during these periods is to hire one of Tour e-bike’s (%660 428637; www.tour-ebike.com; rental per 1/1½/2hr/day €8/12/16/25; c) electric bicycles at La Alameda, the point from which the road is closed, 1km past the Centro de Interpretación.
Cedeira & Around
POP 4600 (CEDEIRA)
The coast north of the naval port of Ferrol is studded with small maritime towns and pretty beaches. The fishing port and low-key resort of Cedeira, tucked into a sheltered ría (coastal inlet), makes a very good base for exploring the Rías Altas.
Ferrol itself is a transport hub (among other things, it’s the western terminus of the FEVE railway along the coast to the Basque Country), but has little to detain you.
1Sights & Activities
Cedeira’s cute, tiny old town sits on the west bank of the little Río Condomiñas, while Praia da Magdalena fronts the modern, eastern side of town. Around the headland to the south (a 7km drive) is the much more appealing Praia de Vilarrube, a long, sandy beach with shallow waters between two river mouths, in a protected area of dunes and wetlands.
Praia de Pantín SURFING
(c)
This beach 12km southwest of Cedeira has a great right-hander for surfers. Over six days in late August or early September, it hosts the Pantín Classic (www.pantinclassic.com; hAug/Sep), a qualifying event in the World Surf League. Several surf schools operate here from about late June to early September, charging around €30 per two-hour class or €110 for a course of five two-hour classes.
Punta Sarridal Walk WALKING
For a nice stroll of an hour or two, walk along Cedeira’s waterfront to the fishing port, climb up beside the 18th-century Castelo da Concepción above it, and walk out to Punta Sarridal, overlooking the mouth of the Ría de Cedeira. The rocky coast around here produces rich harvests of percebes (goose barnacles).
4Sleeping
Cedeira has a fair supply of hostales and small hotels, but two places in Cordobelas, just off the main road 1km south of Cedeira, stand out.
Casa Cordobelas HOTEL€
(%981 48 06 07; www.cordobelas.com; Cordobelas; s €44-55, d €55-72, 1-bedroom apt €61-83, 2-bedroom apt €83-110; hclosed mid-Dec–mid-Jan; pW)
A charming stone-built property run by a friendly family, Casa Cordobelas comprises four century-old, village houses converted into one, with seven comfortable, spacious, rustic-style rooms, and a lovely garden. Breakfast €7.70.
oHotel Herbeira DESIGN HOTEL€€
(%981 49 21 67; www.hotelherbeira.com; Cordobelas; s €60-105, d €70-125; hclosed 22 Dec-12 Jan; paiWs)
As sleek as Galicia gets, this welcoming, family-run hotel offers 16 large, contemporary rooms with glassed-in galleries, well-equipped bathrooms and stunning views over the ría – a perfect combination of design, comfort and practicality. There’s a beautiful pool at the front and a bright, spacious cafe and sitting area for the good breakfasts (€4 to €8).
5Eating
With its own ría and small fishing fleet, Cedeira is a great place to enjoy fresh Galician seafood. It’s specially famous for its percebes (goose barnacles), a much-prized (and high-priced) delicacy.
A Taberna do Jojó SEAFOOD€€
(cnr Rúas Ezequiel López & Ferrol; raciones €8-17; h11am-4pm & 8-11pm Tue-Sat)
For seafood as it should be done – top ingredients prepared with minimal fuss – head to this popular bar-restaurant and order some berberechos/almejas/calamares a la plancha (hotplate-grilled cockles/clams/squid), or mejillones al vapor (steamed mussels), or pulpo á feira (octopus slices in olive oil and paprika) or percebes (goose barnacles). Perfect with a glass of albariño.
LOCAL KNOWLEDGE
GALICIA SEAFOOD TIPS
Galician seafood is plentiful and fresh and may well be the best you have ever tasted. Almost every restaurant and bar has lots of it on the menu. Shellfish fans will delight over the variety of ameixas (clams), mexillons (mussels), vieiras (scallops), zamburiñas (small scallops), berberechos (cockles) and navajas (razor clams). But Galicia’s ultimate crustacean delicacy is the much-prized percebes (goose barnacles), which bear a disconcerting resemblance to fingernails or claws: to eat them you hold the ‘claw’ end, twist off the other end and eat the soft, succulent bit inside!
Other delicacies include various crabs, from little nécoras and santiaguiños to huge centollos (spider crabs) and the enormous buey del mar (‘ox of the sea’), and the bogavante or lubrigante (European lobster), with two enormous claws.
Shellfish in restaurants is often priced by weight: around 250g per person usually makes a fairly large serving. Simple steaming or hotplate-grilling (a la plancha) is almost always the best way to prepare shellfish, maybe with a dash of olive oil, garlic or herbs to enhance the natural flavour.
While mussels, oysters and some fish are farmed, most crabs are caught wild. Look for salvaje (wild) or del pincho (line-caught) on menus to identify nonfarmed fish.
8Information
Tourist Office (%981 48 21 87; http://turismo.cedeira.gal; Avenida Castelao 18; h9am-9pm Mon-Fri, 10am-2pm Sat, 11.30am-1.30pm Sun Jun-Sep, shorter hours rest of year) A helpful place on the main road in the new part of town.
8Getting There & Away
By bus from the south, you’ll need to get to Ferrol, then take a Monbus bus from Praza de Galicia to Cedeira (€1.50, one hour, four daily Monday to Friday, two daily Saturday and Sunday). Cedeira’s bus station is on Rúa Deportes, just off Avenida Castelao, 700m southeast of the Río Condomiñas.