Ten beautiful places that you should not miss if you spend your holidays in Galicia

I am a Galician in love with the beautiful land where I was born, a land that receives many tourists during the summer months.

'The beauty of Galicia': the magnificent video of a German photographer on the Galician coast
Galicia shown by an American fascinated by its rural world, its coast and its people

In Galicia, the most beautiful region of Spain, there are many beautiful places that deserve to be seen. It is very difficult to summarize them, but I am making this list for those of you who are going to spend your holidays in Galicia, in order to encourage you to Visit some places that I especially like.

1. Santiago de Compostela

This beautiful city needs no introduction. It is one of the spiritual centers of the West and an important place of pilgrimage since the Early Middle Ages, as its beautiful Cathedral houses the remains of the Apostle Saint James the Greater. The streets of its old town are the ideal place to enjoy walking and also enjoying the rich Galician cuisine.

2. The Tower of Hercules

I am from Vigo, but I admit that I love the city of La Coruña. It has a very pleasant old town to walk around. Its main and best-known monument is the Tower of Hercules, the only lighthouse of Roman origin that is still in operation.

3. Vigo Bay

Being from Vigo, I cannot help but recommend my city, although I rather recommend its entire surroundings. The Ría de Vigo (Vigo estuary or Vigo bay) is one of the most beautiful of the Galician estuaries. It has some beautiful beaches, including Rodas, on the Cíes Islands, which is considered one of the most beautiful beaches in the world. You have very good viewpoints towards the estuary on Monte del Castro (I took this photo from there), Monte de La Guía and Monte Cepudo (in Vigo) and in Playa América and Monteferro (Nigrán). In addition, the Costa de la Vela, at the end of the Morrazo Peninsula (on the north side of the Ría) is spectacular.

4. The Beach of the Cathedrals

This jewel of nature is in Ribadeo (Lugo), in an area of ​​the Galician coast known as La Mariña. It is an area with milder and cooler temperatures than the rest of Galicia. Throughout that stretch of coast there are really beautiful views and very pretty towns (photo by Daniel Tejedor).

5. Mount Santa Tecla

It is located in La Guardia (Pontevedra), at the mouth of the Miño River. From it you can see the small Portuguese island of Insua, at that mouth, as well as beautiful views of Portugal and the southern coast from Galicia. On the way up to the top there are old Celtic forts that you can visit.

6. Nigrán and Bayona

They are two beautiful coastal towns in the province of Pontevedra, located next to the mouth of the Miñor River (in the final stretch of this river is the Romanesque bridge of La Ramallosa, whose image heads this article). There are very good places to eat and dine. Nigrán has three formidable beaches: Patos, Panjón and Playa América, and a good place to enjoy the views: Monteferro. Bayonne has a huge castle. Furthermore, in this town, going along the coast towards the west, you can see the spectacular monument of the Virgin of the Rock, the beautiful Silleiro lighthouse and the old J-4 artillery battery, which still preserves four Vickers cannons. Above Bayona is the Groba hill, with wonderful views.

7. The old town of Pontevedra

It is another of my favorite places in Galicia. The old area of ​​the city of Pontevedra has some very pleasant streets to walk and very good places to eat. I especially recommend the Plaza de la Leña area. An essential visit, whether you are Catholic or not, is the beautiful Church of the Peregrina, a temple with a very peculiar shape.

8. Ribadavia

This town in the province of Orense is very famous for its old town, which formerly housed one of the largest Jewish quarters in Galicia.

9. Tuy and Mount Aloya

Tuy is a beautiful town in the south of the province of Pontevedra, on the banks of the Miño River. Its greatest jewel is its beautiful medieval Cathedral, which has battlements since it also served as a defensive castle. In this town is the Monte Aloya Natural Park, one of my favorite places to enjoy nature, with several viewpoints from which you can enjoy excellent views of the surroundings.

10. The Barosa River Natural Park

It is in the town of Barro (Pontevedra), and preserves some beautiful water mills. On days when it has recently rained, the water falls quite strongly and becomes quite a spectacle.