Turismo de Galicia

This geodestination presents, among others, two strong points. One is the coastal village of Combarro, with its granaries literally stuck in the waters of the estuary of Pontevedra. The second is the Portuguese Way to Santiago, which enters Galicia through the town of Tui, crossing the territory in a south-north direction.  

Stone, sea, beach, mountain and river. These words sum up what this geodestination offers. That is, a huge range of possibilities among which the city of Pontevedra itself should be highlighted. Its historic centre was renovated in the last decade and it is a pleasure to stroll along its rúas, for both locals and visitors alike. Inside, several landmark buildings house a museum that, because of the significance of its collection, goes far beyond the local dimension: the Museo Provincial de Pontevedra. Also standing out are two monuments in the city: the Santuario de la Peregrina, with its shell-shaped floor plan and the Basilica of Santa Maria A Maior, built by the guild of sailors in the 14th century.

To the north – before reaching the tiny, well-preserved historic centre of Cuntis – are petroglyphs of Campo Lameiro – a series of rock art unique in the world and which is currently home of the Parque Arqueolóxico da Arte Rupestre. The facility was opened in July 2011 and ensures the protection of the petroglyphs that allows the many visits they receive to be organised. The park covers an area of  nearly 22 hectares and comprises about one hundred rocks with prints that the engravings. It is designed as an open landscape, similar to as it must have been in the past. The oaks that form small forests help to give it that feeling.

Morrazo Peninsula is a combination of beaches that are very popular with tourists in summer and the tip, which is a protected area: the Costa da Vela, wild, unpaved, overlooked by a prehistoric shrine and with a beach visited by those who love a peaceful atmosphere.

Another protected area in the peninsula is Cape Udra (near Bueu). Also on the coast, its water is part of the Nature 2000 Network, to west in the Ons-O Grove complex and to the east in the bay of San Simón. Heading inland, the land rises up to the mountains of A Lama after passing through Ponte Caldelas, with average heights and a number of houses built by indianos (emigrants returning from the Americas having made their fortune), in the Serra do Cando. The north is crossed by the River Lérez, whose route is also considered a protected nature reserve.

Cobres, a small village in the municipality of Vilaboa, holds a Carnival that is so unusual – with dances that are secular if not thousands of years old – that it was declared a Galician Tourist Festival. More dancing in that same category, but this time in Cangas: the Festa das Danzas Ancestrais. At the province's capital the San Benitiño de Lérez festivals have been declared a Galician Tourist Festival.

 This is added to the Festa da Troita (Ponte Caldelas), the Encontro Degustación do Millo Corvo (Bueu), the Festa de San Miguel e Danza das Espadas (Marín) and the Festa do Lacón con Grelos (Cuntis).  Other municipalities, such as Port, offer an image of authenticity. 

The town of Combarro, with its roots deep in fishing, is a highly original enclave due to its perfect adaptation to the environment in which it is located and the traditional way of life of its inhabitants in an original symbiosis between the rural world and the world of the sea.

In Combarro old houses are combined with granaries, stone crosses and boats. Their houses are built on the bare granite of a rocky slope in order to take advantage of the arable coastal strip, are made of stone with balconies and balustrades. There are more than thirty stone granaries in Combarro – which are called palleiras there –, making up one of the impressive groups of these constructions in Galicia.