My husband and I are planning a trip to Galicia in May. We will fly into Porto, where we will spend the night and most of the next day. We are planning to spend our second night at the Convento de San Benito in AGuarda and then spend the next two nights in the area of Pontevedra. I am looking at the parador in Pontevedra and also at the Hotel Martin Esperanza in Portonovo. We live in Montana and enjoy staying places with sea views.
Our next stop is Santiago de Compostela and we will stay two nights. Then on to La Coruna for two nights.
We want to spend time in Salamanca as we will depart from Madrid.
Do you suggest that we break up the trip from La Coruna to Salamanca and stay somewhere else or spend an extra night in one or more of the other places that I have mentioned?
We will have 12 nights to spend and must spend the 12th night in Madrid.
Thanks for any help you might be able to offer. We have visited Spain many times and love it, but this will be our first trip to Galicia and Salamanca.
Julie Ebzery
Billings, MT USA

It has been too long since my last visit to Galicia to comment on your itinerary, but you are going to love that part of the country. It is quite different from the rest of Spain. I ate some of the best food I have ever had there. The bread is distinctive and if you like seafood, the soups are incredible.

The fingerprints worn in the column in the cathedral by centuries of pilgrims are amazing. I can't imagine how many hands have touched the stone in order to make such impressions. Have a wonderful trip!

A couple of years ago wife & I got what I thought was a great deal weekend special at Hotel Bahia Vigo (8th floor room with terraza overlooking the port of Vigo). It included buffet breakfast but expired on 31 May. Ask for Cesar Ballesteros (Manager)and ask him about their oferta fin de semana.

Vigo may also be hosting Bagpipe (Gaita Gallega) competitions in May.

The Parador in Baiona (Castillo del Conde de Gondomar) is very nice! Baiona is where Columbus made landfall on return from his first Voyage of Discovery.

In a'Guardia (Pontevedra) don't miss Monte Santa Tecla: there's a Third or fourth Century B.C. Celtic (Castrenho) village overlooking the mouth of the rio Minho.

For my Jubilee Year pilgrimage in 2004, I spent a couple of nights in VilaGarcia de Arousa and then a couple in Santiago de Compostela.

Salamanca should be an easy half-day drive from a'Corunha, so that should cut you a little 'slack.'

Hi Julie,
So sorry I didn't see your post here before replying to the "Question for Maribel". Knowing now that you'll be starting in AGuarda, I would do the next two nights at the Cambados Parador or a "pazo" in that area.

I honestly urge you to break up the drive from A Coruna to Salamanca. That's really quite a long haul. We've broken up the Santiago-Salamanca drive at both the Parador in Benavente and the one in Puebla de Sanabria. That will give you more time to enjoy A Coruna. The Zamora Parador is too close to Salamanca.
Regards,
Maribel

Maribel,
You are so great to take time out to respond...thanks!
I am constantly refining the itinerary. At this point we fly into Porto and spend a night. From Porto we will drive to Baiona. Pontevedra is our next stop. We will only be able to spend a night but most of 2 days because our next stop is close, in Cambados. Then on to Santiago for 2 nights.
I know that I can't get all of Northern Spain in in 13 days and 12 nights so I am thinking that we will drive through A Coruna country to Cudillero for the next night. I liked the accomodation in this area better than in the city of La Coruna.
Then a stop in either Puebla Sanabria or Benevente and on to Salamanca for 3 nights. We are spending 3 nights in Salamanca because we will arrive in the afternoon and then leave fairly early on our last day to visit the Escoril on the way to Madrid where we will spend our last night at the airport.
What do you think of this itinerary? Would you change it in any way?
Our only limitations are that we fly into Porto and out of Madrid and have 12 nights to spend.
I have certainly enjoyed your recommendations on where to stay and am planning on utilizing most all of them.
With much appreciation and best regards,
Julie

Don't miss the parador in Baiona!
We flew into Oporto last July and drove the NW of PT and into Galicia.
After the outstanding Pousadas in Viana, Guimaraes and Canicada, we were ready to live in Baiona.
M

If I were you I'd have a third night in Santiago (much more to see and do here then either Pontevedra, which is also beautiful, or Coruna), or perhaps a stopover night in Leon (a little out of the way but worth the visit if you've not been there before).

Porto to Baiona should be an easy drive. When you cross the bridge over rio Minho (Valença do Minho to Tui) go to La Guardia on the coast road and visit Monte Santa Tecla. Then it's a straight shot up the coast road to Baiona. It's beautiful! Reminded me of the Camino Réal in California.

Across from the Fishermen's Monument in la Guardia there are a couple of excellent seafood restaurants. Try a wine called Rosal with the Marisco. It and its less expensive cousin Albariño are both excellent with seafood.

I prefer Vigo over Pontevedra. There's an Irish Pub/Nightclub there called Dublin where the Chieftains recorded some of their 'Santiago' album (BTW: Carlos Nuñez, a bagpiper from Vigo played lead Bagpipe (Uillean Bagpipes, not Gaita Gallega) with that group for several years).