A Galicia Road Trip: Rías Baixas and the Atlantic Coast

The best Galicia road trip is a seven-day loop that starts and ends in Santiago de Compostela, drops down through the Rías Baixas to Vigo and the Portuguese border, and spends one day out on the wild Costa da Morte. Distances are short (nothing is much more than an hour apart), so the real constraint is how long you want to spend at the table. Fly into Santiago or Vigo, hire a car, and plan on lots of seafood.

The route at a glance

Galicia rewards slow driving. The coast is cut into deep estuaries (the rías), so a town that looks close on the map can be a 40-minute detour round the water. Use this as a framework and drop a day if you are short of time.

Day 1: Santiago de Compostela

Do Santiago first, while you are fresh and the car can sit in a car park. The cathedral and the old town around it are compact and best done on foot. Arrive at the Praza do Obradoiro early or late; the middle of the day is wall-to-wall tour groups and pilgrims who have just finished the Camino.

Skip the sit-down restaurants on the cathedral square. Walk five minutes into the streets around the Mercado de Abastos instead, where the stalls turn into small eateries and the prices drop. If you have eaten your way round the Basque Country, our pintxos crawl through San Sebastian sets a useful benchmark: Galicia is better value for seafood and usually quieter.

Day 2: The Costa da Morte

This is the day most itineraries cut, and the one worth keeping. Fisterra is roughly 82 km from Santiago, about 1 hour 20 minutes by road, and Muxía sits just north of it. Both are windswept and unpolished, with lighthouses, granite headlands and very little souvenir tat.

• Fisterra: walk out to the lighthouse for the sunset, then eat in the harbour town.
• Muxía: the church of Virxe da Barca on the rocks is the reason to come.
• Weather: this coast gets fog and Atlantic wind even in summer. Bring a layer.

Allow a full day. The coast road is slow and you will want to stop more often than you expect.

Days 3 and 4: Cambados, O Grove and the Salnés peninsula

Santiago to Cambados is about 61 km and 45 minutes. On the way you pass Padrón, which gives its name to the little green pimientos de Padrón. Order them wherever you stop; most are mild, a few are hot, and nobody can tell which in advance.

Cambados and Albariño

Cambados is the capital of Albariño, the crisp white that defines the Rías Baixas. Several bodegas welcome visitors, though many ask you to book. Do one tasting rather than three; the point is the wine with a plate of shellfish afterwards, not a tour of stainless steel. For the wider picture, see our guide to the best Spanish wines.

O Grove, A Toxa and Illa de Arousa

O Grove is the shellfish capital. The town's seafood festival, the Festa do Marisco, runs in early October (1 to 12 October in 2026), and is worth planning a trip around if you like crowds and fresh shellfish. Dates move each year, so check before booking. Outside the festival, order a mixed shellfish platter only if you are hungry; it is expensive and enormous. A Toxa, the island next door, is the polished resort end of things and can be skipped without regret. Illa de Arousa has the better beaches and a quieter feel.

Day 5: Combarro and Pontevedra

Combarro is a small fishing village with rows of granite hórreos (raised grain stores) along the waterfront. It is a photo stop, not a day out; forty-five minutes is plenty. Pontevedra is the better overnight base: a pedestrianised old town, good bars and an unhurried pace that most visitors never see because they head straight for Vigo.

Day 6: Vigo and the Cíes Islands

Vigo is a working port, not a showpiece, but the seafood is excellent. The reason to come is the Cíes Islands, part of the Atlantic Islands of Galicia National Park. Visitor numbers are capped and an authorisation is required, but this is normally included when you book the ferry. Ferries run mainly between Easter and September, so check dates before you plan around them.

• Crossing time: about 45 minutes from Vigo, about an hour from Cangas.
• Cost: prices vary by operator and season. Vigo crossings are quoted at roughly €26 to €29, and Baiona runs higher in July and August. Check the operator's current fare.
• Book ahead in July and August, when the daily cap is likely to bite.

If you are visiting outside the ferry season, spend the day in Vigo and move on.

Day 7: Baiona and home

Baiona is a pleasant harbour town with a walkable fortress and a long promenade; it is a good last-lunch stop before the airport. If you have an extra day, A Guarda at the Portuguese border is quieter still.

Driving practicalities

The AP-9 motorway runs the length of the Rías Baixas and saves time on the longer legs. Tolls are paid by card, cash or Via-T transponder. The old N-550 runs parallel and is free, but slower. For short hops along the rías, the coast roads are the point of the trip.

If you have not hired a car in Spain before, our guide to renting a car in Spain covers the practicalities. The same driving habits apply as on our Ronda and the White Villages driving loop, with more rain and fewer queues. For another green-coast option, see Asturias and Green Spain.

Where to base yourself and what to eat

Three bases cover the whole loop without constant repacking: Santiago for days 1 and 2, Cambados or O Grove for days 3 and 4, and Pontevedra or Vigo for days 5 and 6. Booking the same bed for two nights each keeps the driving to a minimum, and you can leave the car parked on the rest day. In August and during the October seafood festival, book accommodation well ahead.

On the plate, the staples are octopus (pulpo á feira), scallops, mussels and razor clams, plus empanada as a cheap lunch. Ask for the daily catch rather than the longest menu, and look for places where locals are eating at 2pm. Our overview of Spanish foods you must try covers the wider national picture.

What to skip

• The restaurants directly on Santiago's cathedral square.
• A Toxa, unless you want a spa hotel.
• A second or third winery tasting on the same day.
• Rushing: seven days is the minimum for this loop, not the maximum.

When to go

June to September gives you the best chance of dry weather and open ferries, but Galicia is never reliably sunny. September and early October are quieter, with the seafood festival at its peak. Winter is wet, but the cities and the food still work. Whatever the month, pack a waterproof.