Introduction
Galicia, in the green, rain-washed north-west corner of Spain above Portugal, is a region apart — Celtic in spirit, with its own language, bagpipes and misty landscape, and famous for the pilgrim city of Santiago de Compostela, a ravishing coast of estuaries, and the finest seafood in the country. For travellers it offers the great cathedral and the end of the Camino, the beaches and Albariño wine of the Rías Baixas, the wild 'Coast of Death', Roman walls and a deep, distinctive culture quite unlike the rest of Spain.
Overview
Galicia is the lush, Atlantic, Celtic-flavoured corner of Spain, a green and often misty land of deep estuaries, rocky coasts, granite villages and its own language (Galician) and traditions — bagpipes (gaita), the stone hórreo granaries, and a seafaring soul. Its spiritual and cultural heart is Santiago de Compostela, the goal of the Camino de Santiago (the Way of St James), the great medieval pilgrimage that still draws travellers on foot from across Europe to the magnificent baroque cathedral said to hold the apostle's remains; the UNESCO-listed old city around it, of granite squares, arcades and churches, is one of Spain's most beautiful. The region's most beguiling landscapes are its rías — the long, fjord-like estuaries that indent the coast. The southern Rías Baixas are the gentlest and most celebrated: sheltered beaches, fishing and seafood towns like Cambados (capital of crisp Albariño wine) and the lively port of Vigo, mussel rafts dotting the water, and offshore the protected Cíes Islands, whose Praia de Rodas is regularly called one of the world's most beautiful beaches. Further north, the wilder coast culminates in the Costa da Morte (Coast of Death), a dramatic shore of cliffs, lighthouses and shipwreck legends, ending at Cape Finisterre — the 'end of the world' where Camino pilgrims once finished their journey. The Atlantic port of A Coruña guards the Roman Tower of Hercules (a UNESCO World Heritage lighthouse), inland Lugo is ringed by the only complete Roman walls in the world (also UNESCO), and the Ribeira Sacra hides vineyards and monasteries on the steep gorges of the Sil river. Above all, Galicia means seafood — pulpo á feira (octopus), percebes (goose barnacles), scallops, mussels and the day's catch are the best in Spain. Green Spain is rainier than the south; late spring to early autumn is the most reliable, with summer warmest for the beaches.
Discover Galicia
Santiago de Compostela, the Galician capital, is one of the great pilgrimage cities of the world and the emotional climax of the Camino de Santiago — the medieval Way of St James that, over a thousand years, drew the faithful across Europe and which, revived, now brings travellers of every kind walking and cycling along its routes to this point. At its heart, the cathedral, where pilgrims arrive with relief and emotion into the vast Praza do Obradoiro, is a masterpiece behind whose baroque façade lie the Romanesque Pórtico da Gloria and the shrine of the apostle, with the giant Botafumeiro incense burner swung across the transept on special days. Around it, the UNESCO World Heritage old city is a beautiful, atmospheric labyrinth of granite squares, arcaded streets, churches, convents and pilgrim-filled bars and restaurants — among the loveliest historic centres in Spain. Whether or not you walk the Camino, Santiago is a moving and magnificent place to spend a day or two, ideally lingering in its tapas bars over Galician seafood and wine.
Ways to Experience This Destination
The pilgrim cathedral and UNESCO old city of Santiago de Compostela, goal of the Way of St James.
The estuary coast, the Cíes Islands' famous beach, and the Albariño wine country of Cambados.
The Costa da Morte and Cape Finisterre, the Tower of Hercules in A Coruña and the Roman walls of Lugo.
The best seafood in Spain — octopus and percebes — plus bagpipes, hórreos and a green, misty landscape.
Frequently asked questions
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