Wm

We will be driving north from Porto to visit the northwest region of Spain. These are the cities/towns we would like to visit:

Vigo
Pontevedra
Santiago
A Coruna
Lugo

From Lugo, we plan on going to Burgos. Is there a nice place to stay along the way?

We are trying to determine a "home base" for the coastal region near Vigo/Pontevedra. We will probably stay overnight (1 or 2?) in Santiago then go on to A Coruna. We will do scenic drives from each home base visiting small villages and the coast.

Our interests are history, architecture, scenic beauty and food and wine. We are retired so have time to spend on this beautiful region.

Questions: How many nights for each area? Villages or ? of special interest other than the obvious? Interesting lodging?

Thanks!

sandralist

From the way you describe your interests, suggeset you make a point after leaving Porto of stopping in Tui (Tuy), just over the Portuguese/Spanish border.

I did not make it into Vigo but I really enjoyed my stay in Pontevedra, especially in the evening, when the beautiful town is lively and delicious.

Regarding scenic coastal drives, be aware that this can be very slow going. Budget sufficient time for them. I enjoyed a great deal of the coastal scenery and food (although the town of Finisterre did nothing for me) and was in no rush, but the tiny, tortuous roads means you cover very little distance per hour.

I regret that my one-night stay in A Coruna did not include locating the historic center, which I understand is full of wonderful tapas bars and quite pleasant. Having missed it, can't advise you where it is, but will advise you to track it down. I was also a bit taken about by the busy traffic and complex motorways on the approach to A Coruna. Pays to study the map beforehand.

IMDonehere

Vigo is not a very pretty city but if you are there from spring to early fall go to the Islas Cies.

http://www.turismodevigo.org/en/cies-islands

Muxia and La Costa de la Muerte are quite beautiful.

One hotel we liked in Santiago is A Tafona do Peregrino.

http://www.atafonadoperegrino.com/en/

Celtic Ruins at Castro de Barona.

rialtogrl

Pontevedra would make a great base. As sandralist says it is a beautiful, lively town with some good restaurants. I like the parador in Pontevedra - they have parking, its easy to get in and out, and you can walk to the restaurants.

From Lugo to Burgos, I was going to suggest a stay in the winemaking village of Cacabelos, but its not exactly in between. I suppose Leon would be better.. maybe the parador there!

sandralist

I also liked the parador in Pontevedra. They have a restaurant, but skip it in favor of joining the locals out on the town.

rialtogrl

-They have a restaurant, but skip it in favor of joining the locals out on the town.-

Agreed, times 1000 percent! In nice weather, though, the garden is a very nice place to drink a glass of vino, especially between 4pm and 7pm when the rest of Pontevedra is asleep.

Wm

Thank you all so much for taking the time to provide feedback. Here is the tentative itinerary we've come up with:

Pontevedra - 2 full days: One for the town and one for day trip to wine region
Santiago - 3 full days: One for the town, one for day trip to coast, and one for day trip to Lugo
A Coruna - 2 full days: One for town, one for day trip to Fisterra & Muros

We will leave A Coruna and drive along the coast to Ribadesella where we will spend one full day. We know this is a long drive, but so much enjoy seeing the scenery.

From Ribadesella we go to Burgos where we spend two full days, one for town and one for day trip to Valladolid and to visit the Bodega Porcia.

After Burgos, we are in Madrid for four full days.

Any feedback would be appreciated. Also, suggestions for lodging in any of these places would be great.

sandralist

Suggest you should do the day trip to Muros and Fisterre from Santiago, and visit Lugo on the way to Burgos.

Very near Lugo is Santa Eulalia de Boveda, and it is very much with a stop. It takes all of 30 minutes to see.

http://www.ponteferreira.com/2015/02...oveda/?lang=en

http://www.spainisculture.com/en/mon...de_boveda.html

IMDonehere

A few things you may or may not be aware of:

There is a strong Celtic influence in Galicia for two reasons. One, the Celtic migration passed through the region and two; many sailors were Irish when the English defeated the Spanish Armada and many battles were fought off the coast. Thus some sailors decided to stay in Spain rather than return home. The regional instrument is the bag pipes.

In addition to Castilian Spanish, the people of Galicia speak Galego, which is founded more in Portuguese than Spanish. The people are called Galegos (in Galego) and Gallegos in Castilian.

Check the schedule at the Cathedral in Santiago if you can see the Botafumeiro, it is quite the spectacle.

http://caminoways.com/see-botafumeiro

Mactheknife60

As a splendid alternative to the parador in Pontevedra, check out this boutique hotel.
www.quintadesanamaro.com

It's about 20 mins from Pontevedra in the Salnés Valley, surrounded by vineyards. They consistently win awards and also organise wine tastings, cookery workshops, sea trips to see how people earn their livelihoods in the local seafood industry (mussels, clam, cockles, scallops, octopus and several kinds of crab). The owners are lovely and are fantastic hosts. Lovely Cambados, the capital of Albariño wine is very close too.

Wm

Thank you all so much! Perfect responses, so helpful.

ribeirasacra

two questions What time of year are you visiting this part of Spain?
What attracts you to Vigo and A Courña?
Both are large (dare I say it huge for us in Galicia) cities to which, I personally, could not recommend to anyone flying a long distance, especially compared with all the other locations that can be found here.

rialtogrl

I like A Coruña. There is plenty to see and the seafront is beautiful. The area with all the tapas bars and cafes is vibrant and fun. I am not sure how easy (or not) it is to drive in the main part of town, but I know there are hotels just off the main highway that are easy to get to, and from there you can take buses or cabs into the heart of things. Cabs are cheap in A Coruña.

Mactheknife60

A Coruña has a lighthouse (still functioning) dating from the 2nd century AD with 30+ metres of the original Roman structure enclosed within an 18th century 'sheath'. It's a UNESCO world heritage site and unique in the world. The long sweep of a muncipal beach is quite nice and the extensive "zona de vinos" with tons of restaurants make it a great place to eat and drink, day or night. Plaza María Pita is also quite impressive. There are Romanesque churches and couple of Baroque convents in the old towm that are worth a look too. Add to that the longest seafront promenade in Europe and some of the finest Belle Epoque period mansions in Galicia, then I'd say it's definitely worth a couple of days of anyone's time. A personal opinion of course. Viva La Muy Leal!!

Wm

Thanks for the feedback on A Coruna and Vigo.

We will be traveling in this area the first two weeks of June 2016.

IMDonehere

I am with Ribe, the charm of A Coruna escapes me. There are a few things to see, but they pale in comparison to things like Rías Baixas (ree-ahs-buy-shuss) and Rías Altas.


Also the Parador in Santiago Reyes Católicos is over rated.

rialtogrl

I haven't stayed at the parador in Santiago de Compostela but I have eaten there and had wine there and honestly its pretty lame in those departments. But this reminded me I meant to post these lodging links for the OP.

In Santiago de Compostela:

Rua do Villar - sweet little hotel across from the pilgrims office and around the corner from the cathedral.
http://hotelruavillar.com/en/

Apartments RoomPedra - I stayed in an adorable ground floor apartment here. Just down the steps from the main square and a very hip restaurant/bar is next door.
http://www.roompedra.com/

You'll need to use public parking for both of these.

ribeirasacra

Op please could you explain what draws YOU to the cities please.
I read about many others you think they are both wonderful and with those views I can point you to wonderful locations which will Have the same things, except the world heritage lighthouse that is.
Even then it has to be siad that is is certaly Roman based, there is actually little to be found of the structure from that era.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tower_of_Hercules

Mactheknife60

Nonsense, Ribeira Sacra. On the behest of the Consorcio de Turismo de A Coruña, I translated the Plan Director de la Torre de Hercules. The source was the technical documentation presented to UNESCO when the monument was declared a World Heritage site in 2009. For your information, over thirty metres (98ft) of the original Roman structure remains, albeit encased within Eustaquio Giannini's protective though austere 18th century granite 'sheath' (1792). For someone so keen on fact presenting, you've yet again shat in the 'factual pot', old chap. Lordy, use of the profane again.

joannyc

I visited northwestern Spain in 2013 and visited many, if not all, of the places mentioned in this thread.

I didn't do a full trip report but posted my trip in pictures. Maybe some may help you decide where to go.

If you would like, I can send my itinerary to you, email me at jp0330 at live dot com.

You are going to have a terrific trip! Loved NW Spain!

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...n-pictures.cfm