cruiseluv

I find myself (happily) planning to do another segment of a Camino , this time the last 120 kms of the Camino Portugues. We're planning to start from Tuy, and arrive Santiago on 7/18. Originally we thought of staying in Santiago about 3 nights- 4 nights (including a day trip to Finisterre) and then tour around Galicia for a few days (we would rent a car for that) and end somewhere were we could return the car and take a train to Madrid (probably on 7/26, we're flying back to the US from Mad on 7/30).

I have a few questions/concerns and I'm hoping some of you can provide suggestions:

1) Would making Santiago our home base thru 7/26 and using it as a base for exploring Galicia make sense? Again, we would rent a car for the days we would travel out of Santiago. Among places/ areas we're interested in seeing are : Finisterre, Muxia, La Coruña and the Rias Altas, Lugo.

2) Any suggestions for other itineraries in Galicia area?

3) If it doesnt make sense to use Santiago as base, could you offer suggestions as to where to move to next and for how many days?

4) I know that 7/25 is the Saint's feast and I'm sure as such Santiago will be more crowded than usual. Is that a thing to avoid, or is it one of those experiences that are worth it? I have been to Santiago several times, one time was there a week before the Feast and I remember many nice concerts an typical dances on public squares.

Thank you in advance for your help!

Robert2533

A few years ago, in late October, early November, we spent 17 days exploring parts of Galicia and will be back in the Bierzo wine region around Ponferrada in a couple of weeks. During the last trip we started our stay with a few days just outside of A Courña and did a day in Lugo. After that we spent four days in the Parador of San Vicente do Pino, Monforte de Lemos, in order to cover the Riberia Sacra, used the Parador del Albariño in Cambados as a base for a few days to visit the Rías Baixas, and the Parador in Tui to cover the Mino River valley and Ribeiro wine region as well as part of northern Portugal (see: Chestnuts, Celts and the Camino). We finished with four nights in Santiago, staying at the Hotel monumento San francisco (www.sanfranciscohm.com).

If you want to visit Finisterre, Muxia, A Courña and Lugo, you'll need a car. Public transportation just isn't that good. Besides, there is so much to see along the way you could easily spend a month and have to come back for more.

joannyc

bookmarking

ribeirasacra

Galicia is vast and has a varied landscape. Se as you are walking from Tui to SdC and thinking of only giving Galicia 3 or 4 more days then basing yourself in SdC or just outside and seeing basically The Costa de la Morte.
http://www.costadelamuerte.com/index.html
You could also see A Courña too. But it is only 30mins train ride from SdC. So you would not have to hire a car for that trip.
The 25th July (boy I cannot get my head around the Americans write dates!) is not just a Saints day it is the National day. What form the celebrations will take in the year 2014 is difficult to say. As you know it will be just one year on from the train crash in the city. Spanish tend to pay homage to their dead on at least the first anniversary of their departed ones with a solemn church service. Maybe 2014 will be a mixed celebration and more somber than in the past.
In the past it is something to enjoy.
This is what it can be like: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DQoG3WfMw_w

joannyc

I was in NW Spain in August of this year. Had a car the entire time except during the first and last stops. Picked it up upon leaving my first stop (Burgos) and dropped it in Madrid (final stop) after checking into my hotel.

I did a day trip from SdC to A Coruna by train. Wanted to include wine with my lunch and the train time was the same as driving.

You could probably add Rias Altas to that day trip since the old town and lunch (highly recommend the mussels with bechamel sauce at La Penela), the lighthouse, and walk along the coast in A Coruna won't take an entire day.

I was planning on doing a day trip to Lugo by car but found so much to keep me busy in SdC that I ended up stopping in Lugo (and Astorga, stupid me missed the exit for O Cebreiro and was not about to turn around after realizing it way too far down the road!) on my way to Leon. Glad that I made it a stop instead of a full day trip. There is not that much to see there other than the walls, the cathedral, the episcopal palace and it was probably a 2 hour drive (google maps says 1 1/2 hours). Half a day is probably more than enough in Lugo... I didn't stay even that long.

Here's a link to my trip report in pictures. The first pic is a map of the places that I visited:

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

I very much enjoyed everywhere that I went on this trip!

HappyTrvlr

We enjoyed the Rias Baixas and stayed in Baiona in the parador( where Colimbus's ships made landfall on their return to Spain), visited Cambados, O Grove. This area is slightly off the beaten path and has a lot to offer.

ribeirasacra

HappyT: The beaches of Galicia, in July are never off the beaten path!
http://www.lavozdegalicia.es/album/g...2902991631.htm

cruiseluv

Hello,

thanks for the comments, much appreciated. Just to clarify, my question is , does it make sense to stay for 8 days in Santiago (and that way stay for the 25th July) and do day trips from there? Or should we stay in Santiago for just say 4 days, and move to another region in Galicia for the other 4 days?
Yes, I know that I can get to La Coruña by train (just 30 mins), actually I've done that before, but would probably do by car to visit something else in the area.

joann, your pictures are beautiful, thanks! Did you overnight in Luarca? if so, where?

cruiseluv

Robert,

I forgot to ask you, where did you stay for your time outside A Coruña?
How did you like the Parador at Monforte de Lemos?

thanks

HappyTrvlr

Ribierasacra..we were there in June so I guess we beat the crowds. I also was referring to the fact that not many Americans visit that area on their trips to Spain, at least we didn't see many. Beautiful part of the world.

ribeirasacra

Parador at Monforte de Lemos well restored, if you get a room in the older part. Crappy location, overlooking the modern town.

rialtogrl

If I was going to that area (around Monforte de Lemos) I wouldn't stay at the parador - I'd stay at ribeirasacra's place. I've stayed at that parador and it's nice and everything but the food and the views are much better from the Casa Santo Estevo...

http://www.ribeirasacra.com/

If you do stay at the parador - don't eat there (we had the worst food of ANY parador there, and that is saying something) but instead eat down at the excellent O' Grelo down the street.

joannyc

Thanks very much, cruiseluv!

Yes, I did stay one night in Luarca at the Hotel Baltico. Had a room with small 'balcony' (only about a foot deep so couldn't sit out there with a cocktail) with a bit of a view of the marina. Cost was 70 euros. Pics from room are zoomed in (there was another building directly in front of me). I stayed in the 3* building. The 2* building would have better views as well as some of the other rooms in the 3* building.

I sent a couple of room request emails to them in English and didn't hear back from them. Sent an email in Spanish and heard back from them within 10 minutes! LOL!

cruiseluv

Thanks Joann, I'll make sure I send mine in Spanish as well.

Robert2533

Cruiseluv

We stayed at the Hotel Fragas do Eume in A Capela in the "Fragas do Eume" Nature Reserve (http://hotelfragadoeume.com). It was comfortable and they have a nice tapas bar/restaurant, Casa Peizas, just down the street.

We liked the Parador Monforte de Lemos and will be staying there again for a few days the first week of November.

cruiseluv

Robert, thanks for the info. Would you say that your location in A Capela is convenient to also tour the rias Altas, north of Ferrol, going toward la Praia das Catedrais near Ribadeo? If not, do have any suggestions for a place closer to the coast to stay a night or two?

lreynold1

Hi, cruiseluv,
This is great that you've chosen your Camino. I think you will love the route.

To add a few scattered opinions to this thread, I do think Santiago is a good base for day trips. It's easy to get into and out of, especially once you get the hang of getting into the casco historico, where I assume you would be staying.

But if I had 8 days and wanted to stay in Galicia, I would travel around a bit and leave the Santiago base. I personally prefer picking up and traveling over the option of going back over and over to the home base. I'd pick a base on the north coast -- maybe Pontedeume, Betanzos, Coruna, and spend a few days traveling around the Costa da Morte. And then a few days in a base on the southwest coast, maybe Baiona or Muros or Cee.

I have spent time in Ribeirasacra's casa rural (a rest day while walking the Camino de Invierno) and thought it was absolutely lovely and relaxing (my facebook picture was taken near his place on the Sil River Gorge, which is stunning). There are lots of very nice places to visit from his place, if what you're looking for is rural Galicia, romanesque monasteries in ruins, a few showstopper romanesque churches (like the one that is a stone's throw from his house), tiny towns with nothing going on except a lot of charm, etc.

I'll also put in a recommendation for the parador Santo Estevo, which is not the same as the church Santo Estevo (which is right next door to ribeirasacra's casa rural). It has been over-renovated but its location is amazing.

I warned you at the beginning that these comments would be scattered. Buen camino, Laurie

Hez

Just want to wish you well on your journey and bookmark the thread for future reference.

Robert2533

Yes, we where able to cover quite a bit of area from A Capela.

ribeirasacra

The coast from Ferrol is not so interesting as the Costa de la Morte.
Fragas do Eume whilst it was a superb place to visit just last year it was damaged by a fire. The most important part:
http://media.lavozdegalicia.es//defa...monasterio.pdf
Praia das Catedrais, was voted the best beach in Spain by Trip Advisor. However there is no real beach (it is no sun bathing beach) for most of the day. One should time your visit for low tide or it will be a boring visit and you will not see much.
The facilities at the beach can collapse under the pressure of the amount of visitors.
http://www.lavozdegalicia.es/album/a...1042241441.htm