Galicia

Travel diary. Visit of Galicia from Santiago and end in Astorga

In the summer of 2010 we visited the province of La Coruña on our first trip together to Galicia.

They were 4 days in Galician lands in which the monuments of Santiago de Compostela, the incredible natural landscapes and the fishing villages of the Costa da Morte and the beautiful city of La Coruña joined the great Galician gastronomy and the hospitality of its people.

After this brief visit to Galicia we spent another 2 days in Astorga, in a rural house near the beautiful town of León.

The preparation of the trip

Santiago de Compostela - Los Abetos HotelAs you well know, Galicia is very big and if you only have 4 days to visit it, it is best to choose a base and visit the surroundings.

We decided to base ourselves in Santiago de Compostela and stay at the Los Abetos Hotel, which has bungalow-type rooms with parking in each of them. We recommend it to everyone.

Until there we went in our own car, and in it we moved around the province of La Coruña.

From there we went to Astorga. Well, specifically the nearby town of Santiago Millás, where the Casa Rural Camarga is located, where we spent two more days.

Day 1. First contact with Santiago de Compostela

Santiago de Compostela - Obradoiro SquareAfter a long journey from Madrid to Santiago de Compostela, we finally arrived at our hotel, where we rested a bit before taking our first walk around the city.

The walk began in the Plaza del Obradoiro admiring the most famous of the facades of the Cathedral of Santiago and the rest of the beautiful buildings that surround the square.

Nearby are the streets with the most atmosphere in the city, Rúa do Franco and Rúa do Vilar, where the Tourist Office is located, which we went to the next day to rent an audio guide with which we discovered the city. Highly recommended.

There was no time for much else, but the rest of the days we would have enough time to visit Santiago de Compostela.

Day 2. A complete tour of Santiago de Compostela

Santiago de Compostela - Quintana SquareToday we had the full day to enjoy this city.

To get to the center we use the free transport that the hotel puts at your disposal every 15 minutes to go directly to the Praza de Galicia.

From there we walked to Rúa do Vilar, to pick up the audio guide, and begin the visit, which first took us to the Cathedral, which we accessed from the beautiful Praza de Praterias, next to which is the Pilgrim’s Office.

After visiting the interior of the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela, we toured the squares that surround it, completing the visit with the Plaza de la Azabachería and the Plaza de Quintana, where the Puerta Santa is.

Santiago de Compostela - Cervantes SquareFrom there we begin to stroll through the city until we reach the Mercado de Abastos, a very famous place in the historic center and then the Convent of Santo Domingo de Bonaval located outside the old town.

We returned to the streets of the center to visit the Plaza de Cervantes and the Monastery of San Martiño Pinario, the second largest monastery in Spain after El Escorial.

After dinner and enjoying the atmosphere of the city center we returned to the hotel.

Day 3. Tour of the Costa da Morte

Costa da Morte - EzaroTo this day we use our car as a means of transportation. With him we took a tour of the Costa da Morte that we loved thanks to its fishing villages and its natural wonders.

After breakfast we went to Muros where, after looking for parking for a long time, we were able to park and make a brief visit to the center before heading to Carnota along the sea and enjoying the scenery.

Costa da Morte - Cape VilanIn Carnota you will find the famous hórreo, one of the longest in Spain, and Carnota Beach, the largest in Galicia, where you can breathe tranquility and where you can rest without stress.

The Mirador de Ézaro was our next destination. It was a place that we loved without the number of tourists it currently receives after the Tour of Spain has made it popular.

Continuing north, we arrived at Fisterra, the heart of the Costa da Morte, where we ate first and went to the Lighthouse afterwards. It is one of the most magical places in the Iberian Peninsula.

Muxía and Camariñas were our next destinations before admiring the coast from Cape Vilán and returning to Santiago via Vimianzo. The Costa da Morte continues north but we no longer had time to continue exploring it.

Day 4. Visit to La Coruña

La Coruna - Maria Pita SquareIn our car we went to La Coruña to visit one of the most beautiful cities in the north of Spain.

Our first visits were to the Plaza de María Pita and the neighboring Ciudad Vieja, where there are several churches and convents that you come across as you walk through its streets and squares. From there we admire the buildings of La Marina before visiting the Castillo de San Antón.

After eating in the area, we took the car and went to the Tower of Hercules, which we climbed to have great views of the city and the coast, before touring the famous beaches of La Coruña and taking the car again to visit Porto. from Santa Cruz, where the famous castle built on an island is located, which is accessed through a walkway from the beach.

The day ended in the center of Santiago de Compostela to say goodbye to this visit to Galicia.

Day 5. From Santiago de Compostela to Astorga. Puebla de Sanabria

Puebla de Sanabria - CastleWe left our hotel in Santiago de Compostela and set out on our way to Astorga. But on the way there is Puebla de Sanabria, a place where we stop whenever we pass by where we take the opportunity to make a small visit and eat.

If you pass through this area, do not forget to visit it and if you have more time, do not forget to go to Lake Sanabria and enjoy.

In the afternoon we headed to Santiago Millás, very close to Astorga, to stay and visit this city the next day.

Day 6. Castrillo de los Polvazares and Astorga

After getting up and having breakfast, we went to one of the most beautiful towns in this area of ​​Spain, Castrillo de los Polvazares, where it is very typical to eat a Cocido Maragato, the stew that is eaten backwards, that is, it begins with the meat and it ends with the soup.

It is because in times of war, soldiers ate it like this in case they had to start the battle in the middle of the meal. This way they ensured that they had eaten the most energetic of the stew.

Episcopal Palace of AstorgaAfter visiting the town (as it was early we ran out of stew) we went to Astorga where we ate at the house of some friends before starting a visit to the city with them in the afternoon.

The main points of interest in Astorga are the Plaza Mayor, with its beautiful Town Hall, and especially the complex made up of the Cathedral of Astorga and the Episcopal Palace, one of the few works by Gaudí outside of Catalonia.

The Chocolate Museum and the medieval wall are other places to visit in Astorga.

Day 7. Visit to León

lion-cathedralWe were going to dedicate the last day of this trip to the city of León, which is just over 50km from Astorga.

Until then we went for a pleasant walk through a city that is mandatory to visit.

Our tour began in the Plaza Mayor from where we began to walk towards the Cathedral of León, one of the most beautiful in Spain and whose stained glass windows are a jewel.

leon-house-bootsFrom there you can walk along Calle Ancha, one of the most commercial streets, until you reach Plaza de Santo Domingo, admiring buildings as beautiful as the Palacio de los Guzmanes or the Casa Botines, another of Gaudí’s works from outside Catalonia.

Here we have talked about two of them. The third is El Capricho de Comillas, a dream place that we have already told you about on other occasions.

Our walk ended at the Old Convent of San Marcos, now a Parador de Turismo, before returning to the car and returning to Astorga. Thus ended our trip before returning to Madrid the next day.

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