The 10 most beautiful towns to discover in Galicia

They say that Galicia is a world and that each area is a unique place to discover. This humid community in the northeast of Spain shelters a great variety of landscapes and its cultural heritage is priceless.

Bathed by the Atlantic Ocean and the Cantabrian Sea, intense green is the color that defines its lush valleys. Its cliffs have the ability to leave more than one amazed by the beauty that the ocean offers in its wildest state.

Its capital, Santiago de Compostela, puts an end to the famous pilgrimage route Camino de Santiago but This is not the only place of worship, since the religious buildings are distributed throughout the territory.

A good way to get to know this region is by visiting its villages, because in them you will discover the most authentic Galicia. Do you dare to discover what beautiful places this mystical territory hides?

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The 10 most charming towns in Galicia

Although Galicia has an infinity of beautiful towns and to name them all would require us to write a article as long as the Bible, today we show you some of the most beautiful towns in this region.

1. Baiona

Located in the province of Pontevedra, Baiona is a very stately town known for being the first port where the return of Columbus of America, an event that, despite the horrible crimes behind it, has marked part of its history and its festivities popular. It is curious that the first to know the news were not the kings or great nobles, but the residents of this small Galician town. This is where its famous Festa da Arribada comes from, which is held every March.

They say that Baiona has it all: sea, mountains and a lot of history. Tourist and sailor at the same time, its inhabitants enjoy a climate with mild temperatures throughout the year. The municipality is made up of neither more nor less than five parishes and has a great fortress: the Monterreal Castle, which has a 3-kilometer wall. In addition, its historic center was declared of Historic-Artistic Interest.

2. Networking

In a little corner of the Ares estuary, embraced by a calm sea that does not seem like the fierce Atlantic, is Redes, a tiny town of sailors like those that are almost gone. As if from "Galician Venice" In this case, her neighbors can touch the water of the estuary from the windows of their houses or embark as soon as they cross the threshold of the door.

In addition to having a lively harbor and a charming beach, many of its houses are painted in vivid colors, making the town a picturesque place. It is not surprising then, that some film directors, amazed by the charm of it, have used it as a setting to shoot some movies and television series. It was the famous Pedro Almodóvar who made the beauty of this town known in two of his films.

3. Dear

Located in the northernmost slope of the province of A Coruña, in one of the most al north of Galicia, is Cariño, a coastal town located about 600 meters above sea level. sea. Legend has it that Señora do Castro buried the most beautiful of her daughters here and when she left the area with the Celtic king, she said goodbye to the land with a "goodbye, Honey." It seems that this is where the particular name of the town came from.

Next to the municipality, located just 3 kilometers away, is Cabo Ortegal, with about cliffs of about 300 meters altitude. This has the Punta Gallada, known for being the true kilometer 0, where the Atlantic Ocean and the Cantabrian Sea meet. It is an area highly appreciated by geologists, since it has rock formations of great interest. They say that in this place the best barnacles in Galicia are collected, always beaten by the rough sea and collected by the expert hands of the percebeiros.

4. Malpica de Bergantiños

The town of Malpica is located in the province of A Coruña and its coasts include the small Sisargas Islands, a natural refuge for birds. seagulls and cormorants, guarded by a small lighthouse, which, if it is currently automatic, many generations of lighthouse keepers.

Being a very complete municipality where boredom does not occupy a place, it offers the possibility of diving, enjoy its gastronomic wonders, visit its many beaches and take walks along its promenade maritime. It is known for its famous artisan ceramics and its sunsets are magical.

Although there are numerous dolmens in Galicia, one of the largest is found in this town. Called Pedra da Arca, it is a funerary monument where popular voices say that the woman who built it carried the pieces on her head while spinning and nursing her child.

5. Sil stop

Parada de Sil is a small rural town in the province of Ourense nestled in the heart of the Ribeira Sacra. With a population of only 600 inhabitants, it was declared a municipality of tourist interest in 2015 and has an important historical and landscape heritage.

Known for being an area that produces quality chestnuts, formerly these were left to dry in the same forests where they were collected, in stone dryers that can still be seen if one walks among the chestnut trees. High quality wine is also produced with its own designation of origin.

If you are passionate about Romanesque art, do not forget to make a stop at Parada, because there you will find a real architectural gem of the 10th century: the monastery of Santa Cristina de Ribas de Sil. In addition, this town has the San Victor necropolis, one of the largest excavated and known necropolises in all of Galicia.

6. Combarro

Very close to the city of Pontevedra is Combarro, a beautiful town by the sea full of cobbled alleys where you can get lost. It is one of the best examples of Galician architecture.

In its historic center there are samples of one of the Galician monuments par excellence: the Cruceiros. These are stone crosses with religious elements raised on steps or steps, which although popular culture tells that they were placed to protect the roads and their crossroads, anthropologists explain that they were placed in places of ancient early Christian worship to Christianize them.

But if Combarro is famous for something, it is for its dozens of granaries (nothing more and nothing less than 60) scattered around the old town. Also called palleiros, they are a typical Galician construction where farmers keep their crops high to protect them from rodents and other animals. Among all of them, the 30 granaries placed in line on the seashore stand out, making the town's maritime façade unmistakable.

7. San Andrés de Teixido

Embedded in the middle of cliffs overlooking the majestic Atlantic, is San Andrés de Teixido, a small Coruña village where Christian and pagan beliefs coexist. Elevated 140 meters above the sea, it only has about fifty residents and is surrounded by cliffs that exceed 600 meters.

It is a place with a unique mysticism in Galicia and packed with legends. In fact, it is an obligatory pilgrimage site and has the Sanctuary of San Andrés, which after the cathedral of Santiago de Compostela, is considered the second "Mecca of the Galicians." Happiness says that "A San Andrés de Teixido goes from morto quen non foi de vivo" which means that whoever does not go to San Andrés de Teixido sanctuary live, you will have to do it in another life reincarnated in an insect or in a lizard, toad or snake.

Once there, various traditions have to be respected. The first is to buy a figurine of bread in some of the religious souvenir shops and then enter the hermitage and ask for the blessing of Saint Andrew. Afterwards, you have to go to the source of the Saint where, they say, you have to drink from each of its three jets without supporting your hands and then throw a bread crumb into its waters. If it floats, they say wishes will be fulfilled, but, if on the contrary it sinks, they say that one has to try again a year later.

8. O Grove

O Grove is known for being "the Galician Caribbean", because its beaches are of fine sand and crystal clear waters. Located in Pontevedra, it is a town with its own microclimate that escapes the Galician rain and where the sun shines.

One of its beaches, La Lanzada, is considered one of the most beautiful in the entire region and is very popular with lovers of water sports as the air currents are ideal for windsurfing or kitesurfing.

And that's not all, O Grove is home to La Toja Island, a small island very famous for its medicinal hot springs. It also has an original chapel completely covered in scallop shells.

9. Pazos de Arenteiro

The province of Ourense hides small charming towns and Plazos de Arenteiro is a good example of this. Its essence comes from the great nobility and wine and silver seekers.

It has a long winemaking tradition that, far from the large wineries, is practiced in many houses to produce wine for their own consumption. The origin of its place name arises from its stately residences, the pazos, which abound in this place and that has made its streets part of the Declaration of the Historic Complex of Cascos Urban.

It is also located in a unique natural environment, at the confluence of the Avia and Arenteiro rivers. The latter previously dragged sands of silver in its waters, which caused the place to become a silversmith settlement.

10. Or Cebreiro

Located in the province of Lugo, it is one of the places of passage of the French Way of Santiago for many centuries. They say that it is one of the most beautiful towns in Galicia and that its charm lies in the fact that it has remained practically impassive over time.

The main monument of the town is the Church of Santa María la Real in pre-Romanesque style, built in the 9th century. It is also the place where the Miracle of the Eucharist took place, the well-known conversion of bread and wine into blood and flesh.

Around the church you can see a group of pre-Roman houses called pallozas. Characterized by its low stone walls, its oval floor plan and its thick thatched roofs, it is a type of traditional Galician construction adapted to the harsh climate of the area.