Galicia Travel Guide

A land of stories and legends, a wild sea and a delicious gastronomy. Galicia is an area of the north of Spain where you can feel the strength of nature and learn about an interesting culture. Here we tell you about the best places to visit during your stay in Galicia.

Best cities to visit in Galicia

These are some of the best and more beautiful cities in Galicia, which is why we recommend to visit them:

Santiago de Compostela

Santiago de Compostela is one of the more important cities in Galicia because it’s the convergence point of all the variants of the Way of St James. Inside its astonish cathedral, that has over 1.000 years of history, the pilgrims visit the grave of St James the Apostle.

In addition to the cathedral, it’s essential to take a walk in the historic quarter. This way we’ll marvel at the historic buildings of the city such as Mercado de Abastos (Food Market), Casa da Conga and Casa do Deán.

Lugo

In Lugo you’ll have the opportunity to take a walk on the only fully preserved Roman city wall in the world. This city wall has ten gates, built at different periods in history. Furthermore, there are preserved 71 of its original 85 towers.

A Coruña

In A Coruña stands out the Tower of Hercules, the oldest Roman lighthouse in the world and the only one that stills working. Also, it’s outstanding María Pita square, where we can find the City Hall, a modernist building.

Ourense

Ourense is a spa town only surpassed in Europe by Budapest. One of the most famous thermal baths is As Burgas Thermal Pool, that is in the old town and were already used by the Roman people.

Most beautiful towns in Galicia

In your tour of Galicia, it’s essential to visit some of its most picturesque towns. There are some of the best towns to visit in Galicia:

• Combarro: Combarro, in Pontevedra, is a must-visit beach town. Here they are preserved some horreos by the sea. The horreos are a traditional Galician construction where people used to store their harvest.

• Cambados: another charming village located in Rías Baixas, Pontevedra. We recommend you to visit its old town to see some historical buildings, such as Casa de las Conchas.
• Tui: In Tui (Pontevedra) we can’t forget the Cathedral of Santa María, which was built in the 12^th century. During the Middle Ages, this town was the capital of one of the old provinces of the Kingdom of Galicia, which is why it has a relevant historical quarter.
• Muros: In A Coruña we can visit Muros, a nice coastal town where we can stroll on its promenade and look at the fishermen in the port.

• Castro Caldelas: another medieval town is Castro Caldelas (Ourense), located in the heart of the Ribeira Sacra. Here it stands the castle, built in the 14^th century.

Other nice towns to visit in Galicia are Ribadavia, Betanzos, Viveiro, Allariz and Mondoñedo. Furthermore, if you are looking for a beach town to enjoy the sea, in Valdoviño (A Coruña) there are 25 km of coastline. Also, in the surrounding area, you can visit chapels, castros (ancient settlements), pazos (old manor houses), etc.

Best beaches in Galicia

Galicia is a place linked with the sea, since it has over 1.600 km of coast. Between all of them, these are some of the most beautiful beaches in Galicia:

• As Catedrais Beach: Cathedral beach is the most famous and visited beach in Galicia. It stands out the huge arches that reach 30 m high. In high season, you need to book a free ticket on this website. 

• Carnota Beach: this beach is in A Coruña and it’s 7.000 m long, so it’s the longest beach in Galicia.
• Beach of A Lanzada: a fine sand beach located in O Grove (Pontevedra). Near this beach you can visit the Castro de A Lanzada, an ancient settlement from the 7^th century b.C.
• Beach of Rodas: it’s the longest beach in Islas Cíes.

In addition to them, other nice and popular beaches in the Galician coastline are America Beach, in Valdoviño Beach of Campelo and Pantin Beach (the most famous one for surfers), and Beach of Barra (a nudist beach).

Mountains and hiking trails in Galicia

Galicia and its culture can’t be understood without its mountains, landscapes and cliffs. These are walking routes to know some of its main natural attractions:

The Lighthouse Way

If you want to be amazed by the strength of the Atlantic Sea crashing against the cliffs of Galicia, we recommend you the Lighthouse Way or Camiño dos Faros. It starts in Malpica and ends in Finisterre, where we can see one of the most emblematic lighthouses in Galicia. The total length is 200 km, so if you want to know a part of it, you can choose one of its eight stages. Furthermore, it has been created a cycle route very similar to this walking route.

Pena Trevinca

The mountains of Pena Trevinca are over 2.000 m high, so they are the highest in Galicia. The hiking trails to its peaks are of high difficulty, so they are only recommended to prepared and experienced mountaineers.

Costa da Morte: Fisterra Lighthouse – lookout point at O Ézaro

A walking trail by the cliffs that starts in ‘the end of the world’, Fisterra or Finisterre, and ends in Ézaro, where we can see the only waterfall in Europe that flows into the sea. You can find more information about this coastal walk in the official Tourism website of Galicia.

Moreover, other place of beautiful landscapes in Galicia is Ribeira Sacra, where we can walk through the Cañón do Sil. They are also important Islas Cíes, an archipelago located in Vigo estuary. Furthermore, in Pontevedra, a nice and short trail that can be done with kids is Paseo de Pedras Negras.

Traditional Galician food and restaurants

Galician food recipes are directly related to the sea. That’s why in the typical Galician dishes there is plenty of fish and sea food. It is said that the best octopus dish in Galicia is served in O Carballiño, Ourense, a town that it’s 80 km from the coast.

Some of the best places to savour sea food and the traditional Galician food are O Gato Netro, an authentic tavern in Santiago de Compostela; D’Berto, in O Grove; and O Porton, in Vigo.

In addition, if you are looking for an exclusive experience while tasting the typical Galician cuisine, you can go to Culler de Pau, in Reboredo (O Grove, Pontevedra), awarded with two Michelin stars. Besides that, it’s recommended Maruja Limón, in Vigo, a Michelin-starred restaurant where tradition and avant-garde cuisine come together.

Are you looking for a villa rental in Galicia?

In Home Sweet Home Villas we have an exclusive villa for rent in Galicia that has been built as a Passivhaus. If you want to know more about Passivhaus, you can read this article.